Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017/January 2018 i Dance Australia

EARLIER this year I started taking ballet classes again. I’d had a break of about 18 months, the longest I’ve ever gone between classes. Nonetheless, I returned to the same adult ballet class as before my protracted ballet vacation, pitched at intermediate level. Turns out that 18 months break post-40 really isn’t a great idea. My flexibility was fine, thanks to yoga, but what of my turnout? Wherefore art thou demi-pointe? Balance? Co-ordination? Use it or lose it… especially if you’re over forty. Somewhat demoralised but not defeated I decided to take a few beginner level classes to work on my basic technique. I also enrolled in floor barre classes to try and regain some of my lost condition. And gradually it is coming back. Of course, I don’t have…

THE Queensland Ballet's 2018 line-up is entitled “For Every Dreamer” and has an emphasis on story ballets and fantasies. The first production for the year will be a new production of La Bayadere by Greg Horsman. “Audiences will be transported and transfixed by this ballet, caught up in a whirlwind of love, drama, dreamlike scenes and family politics,” promises QB artistic director Li Cunxin. Following on from this "We’re thrilled to be staging Carlos Acosta’s production of Carmen and Liam Scarlett’s Firebird for Brisbane audiences in this powerful double bill”, Li says. In September the company will remount Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella. In addition, the company will stage “Bespoke” at the Brisbane Powerhouse in November. This season will feature new works by company artist Jack Lister, guest choreographer Gabrielle Nankivell and…

Dancers experience similar physical demands to athletes but it doesn’t follow that sports floors will meet the requirements of dancers. The floor a dancer uses is a fundamental part of their work which is why making the correct choice of dance floor is vital. The stipulations for sports and dance differ greatly. Vertical deformation, impact reduction and ball bounce require very different specifications. In broad terms, dance floors are softer than sports floors. Research has shown that a suitable sprung dance floor makes an important contribution to a safe environment for performance, reducing injuries due to slips and falls, and helping to protect against longer term stress injuries. Professional dancers can spend 6 to 8 hours a day working in a dance studio and as their place of work it…

ANDREW Lloyd Webber’s Cats, the musical inspired by T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, may have made its world premiere on the West End way back in 1981, but all these years later it continues to entertain audiences around the world. An estimated 73 million audience members, across 30 countries, have seen Cats since it originally opened. A reworked version of the show, which opened in South Korea in July, combines elements from the recent West End (2014) and Broadway (2015) revivals, including a new song from Lloyd Webber and new choreography from the show’s original choreographer, Gillian Lynn. A huge contingent of talented Australian performers make up this touring cast, which is performing in Seoul’s Haeoreum Grand Theatre. I caught up with Karina Russell who plays…

Q: When did you experience burnout? For me the dancing profession has always been an all-consuming career. With strenuous training, demanding performance schedules and the potential threat of injury (or illness) as factors contributing to fatigue it is easy to imagine that burnout could be the difference between having a long or short career as a dancer. Thankfully I haven’t experienced any major periods of burnout, although I have on many occasions felt completely exhausted and in need of time to rest and recover. Dealing with excess levels of post-performance adrenaline has been a personal challenge for me, but I have developed strategies to deal with this obstacle over time. Another challenge that I have encountered is a form post-viral fatigue after returning to the rehearsal studio too soon after…

WHAT makes a great dance teacher? There are so many skills that go into teaching. Aside from an extensive knowledge of the technical and artistic details of the art-form, excellent dance teachers know how to pass such details on. They have highly developed communications skills and the ability to motivate and inspire their students. They know when to push and when to step back. Great dance teachers are performers and their job is to engage their student audience. At the same time they take responsibility not only for students’ artistic and technical progress but for their physical and psychological well-being. Great teachers are mentors – role models for their charges. They are compassionate and cater to the needs and abilities of all students. They understand that dance training isn’t just…

SERGEY Pevnev was born in St Petersburg and trained at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He spent a year with Eifman Ballet “to gain some contemporary dance knowledge”, before moving to the Kirov Ballet, where he danced for four years. He then danced with St Petersburg Ballet Theatre of Tatckine, travelling the world with that company, including Australia, where he decided to settle. He joined West Australian Ballet in 2004 until his retirement from full-time dance in late 2015. On his family: My parents were space engineers. I guess they thought eight years full time training, 9am-6pm, would keep me out of trouble. They were right. On becoming a teacher: A few years before retiring from WA Ballet, I was approached by a number of students asking for private coaching. It…

TERRY Simpson trained in in Johannesburg with Poppy Frames, completing her Advanced RAD examinations. She then travelled to the UK to complete a three-year teaching diploma with the Royal Academy of Dance. It was from here that she got her first job, in Australia. On becoming a teacher: My own teacher was a great mentor and a wonderful role model. She instilled the passion for dance and teaching in me. This lead me going to the RAD in London where I met many great teachers and mentors. I came to Australia through one of my London teachers – Australian Tina Stuart. She recommended me for a job with the South Australian Ballet Company. On the rewards of teaching: I love to teach and see children and students grow as their…

I WAS very fortunate that my early training was with John and Bernadette Taylor, who established a school in Perth after long careers with the Royal Ballet. In addition to RAD ballet, they offered Graham technique, so I was well-prepared for a later Bachelor of Dance at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. I also “discovered” classes in Body Mind Centering, contact improvisation and improvised performance while at high school. After graduating, I spent another five years working extensively in release and improvisation at Omeo Dance in Sydney. I also began to perform and tour professionally with a range of independent national and international choreographers, in particular Sue Healey, with whom I have had a 15 year association. Thirteen years ago, between professional projects, I began to teach at tertiary…

AKRAM KHAN COMPANY UNTIL THE LIONS DUNSTAN PLAYHOUSE EISA JOCSON MACHO DANCER NEXUS ARTS DARLANE LITAAY AND TIAN ROTTEVEEL: SPECIFIC PLACES NEED SPECIFIC DANCES NEXUS ARTS AAKASH ODEDRA ‘RISING’ DUNSTAN PLAYHOUSE ADELAIDE, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER THIS year’s OzAsia Festival officially opened with Until the Lions, Akram Khan’s exploration of one of the sub-plots of The Mahabharata, the Indian epic in which he made his debut as a child performer. Khan’s version, based on poet Karthika Nair’s book Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata, re-imagines the story of the Princess Amba, who in the original is abducted by the warrior Bheeshma as intended bride for his brother. Although she regains her freedom, she is spurned by society as “spoiled goods”. In Nair and Khan’s version, Amba vows revenge, and with Lord…

THE West Australian Ballet has announced its 2018 season, and it promises to be a “season of creativity”. As usual, the company starts the year with its summer outdoor Quarry season, presented as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Among the four short works on the program will be the world premiere of Milngia, Milky Way – River of Stars, a ground-breaking collaboration with the Gary Lang NT Dance Company. Traditional Indigenous music used in the work will be presented by renowned Australian opera singer Deborah Cheetham. Milngia will share the bill with the Australian premiere of a duo for two men, Les Indomptés, brought to WA by highly acclaimed French choreographer Claude Brumachon. Another renowned French choreographer, Patrick Delcroix, will create a work with WAB for the first…

THE film The Piano (1993) is a landmark work. A haunting tale of desire, violence and hope, set in the wilderness of New Zealand in the 1850s, its haunting imagery, unique story and evocative music have confirmed the film an important place in the annals of cinema. Now the film is to be made into a full-length ballet by, fittingly, the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The work will be choreographed by Jiri Bubenínek, a Polish-born dancer turned choreographer who has already created a short version for Dortmund Ballet. With permission granted by the film’s makers – Jane Campion, Jan Chapman and Saddleback Productions – The Piano is to be re-imagined and expanded for the RNZB, giving the story of Ada, her husband, her lover and her piano a new and…

HILARY Kaplan began her dance training in her home-town of Johannesburg, South Africa, before being accepted into the Royal Ballet School in London. On completing her training she returned to South Africa and danced with PACT Ballet, CAPAB Ballet Company and her Spanish dance teacher's company, while also studying for a degree in linguistics. In addition to this degree she holds an Advanced Teaching Diploma (RAD), Licentiate Diploma (Cecchetti Society) and the Maestro de Baile Espagnol (Spanish Dance Society). What was your pathway to becoming a teacher? From when I was nine or 10 years old, I was always helping my friends with steps they were struggling with and my teachers would often get me to assist in the younger classes. I loved teaching and would be thrilled when my…

OLIVIA Jenkins trained initially with Joan and Monica Halliday and then, on their retirement, Marie Walton Mahon. At 14 she continued training with Monique Arabian in Paris, and at Ecole Nationale Superieur de Danse de Marseille, founded by Roland Petit. From 16 she studied on scholarship at English National Ballet (ENB) School. Her performance career saw her dance in Europe with ENB company, Baletto di Teatro Massimo, Canne Jeunes Ballet and Stadt Ballet Koblenz, where she was a soloist for five years. On becoming a teacher: I always had a plan to open my own dance studio. After 10 years overseas, I was ready to return home. I first spent time with friends and relatives in London. This was an ideal opportunity to study the Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma at…

ZOE Jones began her dance training at age three, at the Marie Walton Mahon Dance Academy, and graduated from the National College of Dance in 2007. She completed all the RAD ballet exams and in 2006 she completed HSC Dance and received a call-back for a state-wide showcase for exemplary choreographic works, igniting her passion for choreography. Jones has performed at the Australian Dance Awards and the National Shakespeare Festival. She has choreographed winning works for both the Short Sharp Dance Festival and the Sydney Eisteddfod, and has choreographed for Channel 10’s “Everybody Dance Now”, the Greater Building Society 2017 advertisement, Facon Magazine Launch and Father Rob Galea Concert. Jones has been teaching dance for 13 years and she has completed a Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance), and Certificate IV…

Bartenieff Fundamentals A set of movement principals and corrective exercises developed by Irmgard Bartenieff that apply the movement theory of Rudolf Laban to the human body. www.limsonline.org Body Mind Centering (BMC) Developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, BMC is an approach to movement that is based on the embodiment and application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical and developmental principles, utilising body, touch, voice and mind.www.bodymindcentering.com The Feldenkrais Method A somatic and movement education system that develops self awareness and awakens the nervous system’s innate capacity to learn; improving quality of life through better movement, posture, breathing and emotional regulation.www.feldenkrais.org.au Garuda Method Combines elements of yoga, Pilates and ballet to develop poise, control and a leaner, more resilient body. www.thegaruda.net Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonics Movement methods that open energy pathways, stimulate the nervous system,…

IT’S getting close to Christmas, and that means The Nutcracker for ballet lovers! If you can’t see the live productions, then here is the next best thing! Event & Village Cinemas in partnership with Trafalgar Releasing is presenting a cinema program that they will screen exclusively in Australia: the Royal Opera House 2017/18 Live Cinema Season. Featuring filmed performances from the Royal Opera House in London, the program presents the very best opera and ballet from the iconic venue, captured in jaw-dropping detail for Australian audiences to enjoy as if they were there themselves. Presented exclusively, six incredible operas and four beautiful ballets will screen across 14 Event Cinemas nationwide and five Village Cinemas in Victoria and Hobart from October 2017–July 2018. The next ballet is The Nutcracker, choreographed by…

1 KEIR AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED Dance Australia congratulates the eight artists who have been selected to create work for the 2018 Keir Choreographic Award. Read more at http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/ http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/ keir-choreographic-awardcandidates-announced keir-choreographic-awardcandidates-announced 2 ADELAIDE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS The Adelaide Festival announced its key dance attraction – the return of Akram Kahn in Xenos – a couple of weeks ago. But it has been keeping some other dance highlights up its sleeve. Read more at http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/ more-adelaide-festival-dance 3 CANDIDLY LLOYD NEWSON Choreographer Lloyd Newson has been a fearless questioner of social issues and injustices. So it was unlikely his conversation with Emma Sandall would be anything but candid. Read more at http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/artists/deviations-with-lloydnewson-and-dv8…

MEETING Gabrielle Nankivell is like taking a masterclass in fearlessness. It is also a lesson in how to forge a career as an independent artist by being guided by chance and a willingness to give anything a go. In a long conversation in a café near Australian Dance Theatre’s Mitcham Studios – Nankivell is about to perform in the company’s first South American tour – she recounts that in Europe, where she spent her formative years as a dancer and choreographer, she seized every opportunity that came her way. Upon graduating from the dance program at the Victorian College of the Arts, she was awarded a Marten Bequest travelling scholarship and took herself off to Europe with nothing but a backpack and a list of addresses of European dance companies,…

Q: When did you experience burnout? My experiences of burning out, for which I’m thankful that there haven’t been many, were when I have been overloaded physically and/ or mentally and either became ill or injured. The most recent experiences happened during a performance season. The piece was incredibly intricate and very heavy on cardio, requiring me to be onstage dancing and partnering non-stop for 20 minutes. We rehearsed the season for four weeks prior to opening night, along with other rehearsals of different pieces, and in the final two weeks we ran the entire program for two casts every day. Although I had been feeling strong, I had been pushing my body to its limits daily and by the time it came to starting the season, I lasted three…

CHRISTINE Walsh began her professional dancing career at 17, at the Australian Ballet under Peggy Van Praagh. During her 20 year stage career she danced with the Australian Ballet and Roland Petit Ballet de Marseille in France, and freelanced in France and Europe. On becoming a teacher: Having been taught by extraordinary teachers – Lorraine Norton (Sydney), Dame Margaret Scott (Australian Ballet School, Melbourne), Marika Besobrasova (Monte Carlo) and Azari Plisetski (France) – I had learnt that technique, artistry, musicality and the character, humility, honesty and generosity of a dancer were the vital ingredients to becoming a successful and fulfilled professional dancer. As a principal dancer, I knew that teaching was what I wanted to do as a second career. I felt there was so much to do in teaching…

I STARTED ballet at four and trained with Tanya Pearson and Jennifer Ham. I had my first professional engagement as an eight-year-old with the Queensland Ballet and that sparked a passion in me to perform on stage. Throughout my schooling I was performing in regional dance groups, state dance festivals and the Schools Spectacular. While at school, I studied 2 unit Dance and 3 unit Ballet for the HSC and was awarded the Solo Seal by the RAD. After auditioning in Europe, I accepted a scholarship to the Palucca Schule in Dresden, Germany, at the age of 17. After a few months, I was dancing with the Semper Oper Ballet in full scale productions of Giselle and Swan Lake. I performed with the English National Ballet in London and toured…

DANILO Radojevic danced with The Australian Ballet before spending 15 years with American Ballet Theatre. Under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov, he was promoted to principal dancer at the age of 23. After retiring from performance, Radojevic rejoined The Australian Ballet in 1997 first as ballet master, then as associate artistic director, from 2001-2014. Lucinda Dunn, director of the Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy, invited Radojevic to be on the teaching faculty of the school in 2014. Describe your pathway to becoming a teacher. During the later part of my dancing career with ABT I had opportunities to teach classes for the company. Fortunately teaching came quite naturally to me. Whilst I was a dancer I learnt a tremendous amount about teaching, particularly from world-renowned teachers such as Jurgen Schneider,…

“It didn’t take me long to realise that maturity and experience are both important and desired.” BROOKE Newman started lessons at the age of two at Pierrot School of Dance in Adelaide, and by 10 was already taking classes six days a week. At 15 she moved to the Gold Coast with her family and joined Prudence Bowen Atelier full-time, finishing her schooling by distance education. She was an Australian Ballet School junior associate for a number years, travelling to Melbourne to take part in its intensive programs. She participated in the Genee International Ballet competition in Singapore and London and the Prix de Lausanne. At the age of 15, she auditioned for Dutch National Ballet. This was a girl in a hurry! She did eventually join the Dutch National…

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND STATE THEATRE, MELBOURNE SEPTEMBER THE night belonged to Alice. Or, more precisely, to the superb dancing of Lauren Cuthbertson, guest artist from the Royal Ballet, for whom the role of Alice was created. Her combination of abandon and precision, freedom and technical control, transcended the steps, putting her dance wholly at the service of the character and the story with a beguiling naturalness. Alice is on stage for almost the whole three act ballet and her galvanizing presence and captivating girlish spunk gave cohesion to the action as we followed her down the rabbit hole into a surreal and comically grotesque world. It is a testimony to Cuthbertson and to the cast on the night that the almost three hour long ballet did not drag, but…

GABBY Wagner, 15, from Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast, has won the 2018 RAW Company Dance Scholarship. Gabby beat 55 contenders from across Queensland to take out the $10,000 scholarship, which will see her attend RAW’s two-year diploma course in musical theatre starting in Brisbane next year. For Gabby, the scholarship is simply another step in a dance career that began 11 years ago. “I started taking jazz and ballet lessons when I was four, before moving into the performance team with Dance Fusion Coolum where I was taught a variety of styles including ballet, contemporary, lyrical, novelty, musical theatre and acrobatics,” she says. Gabby was aware from an early age that she had a passion for performance. “I always knew I wanted to be a dancer,” she said,…

“Bianca has been living with a host family in Paris over the last two years, but moved into her own apartment in October.” BRISBANE dancer Bianca Scudamore has the dance world at her feet as well as the dedication and determination to realise her dreams. The Classical Coaching Australia student was recently placed first in the Concours (an annual competition at the Paris Opera Ballet) and gained a coveted contract with the company. The achievement is outstanding considering Bianca is only 17 years of age. Classical Coaching Australia director, Janine McGrath, who taught Bianca intensively from the age of 12 until she moved to the Paris Opera Ballet School at 15 years of age, says she is not surprised: “Bianca was a dream student, with amazing facility, intelligence, drive and…

TWO pupils from the Annette Roselli Dance Academy in Brisbane were awarded joint Silver medals at this year's Royal Academy of Dance Genée International Ballet Competition. Lucy Christodoulou (17) and Matthew Maxwell (15) achieved their outstanding results from a field of 52 of the world’s finest young dancers from 14 countries. The winner of the Gold medal was British dancer Harris Beattie (18) trained by Karen Berry, Danscentre, and Resmi Malko, Central School of Ballet. He was also presented with the Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award and the Choreographic Award for his Dancer’s Own variation Torn, which he choreographed with his teacher Karen Berry. He is the first dancer to win all three awards: Gold Medal, Audience Choice Award and the Choreographic Award. British dancer Ryan Felix (17), and Japanese…

ABBY Morgan, a pupil of Classical Coaching Australia (CCA) in Brisbane, took up her place at the Royal Ballet Upper School in September this year, the latest Australian export to the school. The offer of a place at the prestigious school caps off a stellar year for Abby, during which she competed in the Prix de Lausanne, gained an astonishing 99 per cent for her Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Advanced 2 exam and also sat her RAD Solo Seal exam. Earlier this year, Abby was also awarded the Runner-Up in the Senior Section of the Jacqueline Morland RAD Awards and received the Elsie Seguss Memorial Award. During her four years of full-time study with CCA, Abby performed the role of Silky in Brisbane City Youth Ballet’s The Magic Faraway…

“By combining music and dance, you are combining two art forms... The conductor needs to be the conduit between the two.” You trained in conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium, but your first instrument was the tuba. What do you like about that instrument? The tuba has wonderful range of “voices”. There are the powerful and comical voices associated with the orchestral repertoire, then the amazing agile and lyrical voices required in solo repertoire and chamber music. It is also an instrument that makes you work hard to “master” it. In 2007 your received the Dame Joan Sutherland/Richard Bonynge Travel Scholarship. What did that involve? I spent time in Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin and at the Bayreuth Festival, studying with a number of conductors and having the opportunity, while in Vienna, to…