July 18, 2025
Renata Commisso in conversation with Kevina-Jo Smith
You have an extensive and varied career path, full of wild achievements, can you share just one highlight/story to give us all a little insight?
Oh yes, this is a hard one. I’ve had the joy of collaborating and performing with so many incredible artists throughout my career — it’s hard to remember all the moments! But the story I’d love to share is from Pesta Boneka, an international puppetry festival in Indonesia.
Last year, I had the privilege of collaborating with Sydney-based puppeteer and physical theatre artist, Keila Terencio on her new work Two Bodies One Mind. Six months into the project—still in its first stage of development — we toured it to Pesta Boneka in Yogyakarta. Performing at this festival was unlike anything I’d experienced before. The stage was an old, empty swimming pool, and around 400 people were crammed in —watching, contributing, and engaging with the performance in such a generous and curious way. The entire festival was vibrant and inspiring. What struck me most was the high value placed on the arts — not just by the artists, but by the audiences too — and the wildly imaginative ways creativity was nurtured. It felt like anything was possible.
The whole experience left me feeling incredibly nourished. Being immersed in another art form beyond dance opened up so much learning. It reminded me how much I thrive through interdisciplinary collaboration — how energising it is to be in a space where I’m constantly learning, adapting, and discovering a new creative language.
Renata’s work empowers individuals to move through stored emotions, reduce stress, and reconnect with a sense of joy and vitality. She has an exceptional ability to guide people gently into deeper embodiment, helping them discover freedom and authenticity in their movement.
Avanti Singh, Psychologist, Ayurvedic Practitioner & Chopra Meditation Instructor
In 2021, you founded Move and Groove, a creative dance initiative that nurtures connection, creativity, and belonging. As both an artist and educator, you are passionate about the transformative power of movement and storytelling. You say you are very keen to get everyone dancing and feeling good in their bodies and you currently facilitate local movement and dance classes, please tell our members about all the options they have to join you in dance and movement in our local community…
Yes, I've been working with communities for over 10 years —from seniors and adults to children, and teens — and I love it. I truly believe movement and embodiment have the power to support wellbeing, expression, and connection. I currently run a seniors seated dance class, and a youth theatre/dance program at LINC in Lithgow. Now, I’m keen to build more regular offerings in the Upper Blue Mountains — including classes for adults and creative play for children.
If this speaks to you, I’d love to hear from you.
Adults & Seniors in Blackheath – Register your interest for classes beginning July/August: 👉 moveandgroovedance.com.au/book-now/move-and-groove-blackheath
And don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop with upcoming classes, workshops, and community events: 👉moveandgroovedance.com.au

Can you share a little about any local projects you have coming up in the future?
Yes! I’m currently involved in some exciting local projects.
One I’m particularly thrilled about is Let’s Fly — anew physical theatre work for children aged 4–8, inspired by the environment, sky, and birdlife of the Blue Mountains. This development explores themes of love, curiosity, and home, and is a collaboration with three incredible local artists: puppeteer and performer Carolyn Eccles, puppet maker and performer Bria McCarthy, and musician/dancer Julian Wong. You can read more about the project here: creativegalah.com.au/lets-fly
I’ve also been collaborating with Nick Atkins on his latest work, Garden of Sound, and I’ll be performing Two Bodies One Mind by Keila Terencio at Cementa 2026.
As is often the case for freelance artists, there are always other things bubbling away or in the pipeline. For more updates, feel free to follow along:
👉 @rena_comm
👉 @moveandgroove_dance