Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2016 i Dance Australia

“The arts can contribute big money to an economy ...” THIS issue contains our annual Full-Time Studies Guide. The Guide has become a much sought-after regular addition to our magazine. This time round, to supplement the listing, we decided to ask former students to describe the challenge of going through a dance course. I didn’t just want to learn about the skills they acquired, I wanted to know about the transformative effect the studies may have had on them as people. An education of any kind is challenging and often life changing. I thank those graduates who took the time and effort to contribute their stories. You will find more of their stories on our website. When I was in New York recently, I squeezed in a moment to go…

FOLLOWING the departure of Daniel Jaber as artistic director of Leigh Warren and Dancers, the organisation has redesigned itself to become the LWDance Hub. Led by the company’s eponymous founding artistic director, the plan is for “a groundbreaking dance hub of a type never before seen in South Australia, attracting artists from all over the country and the world and galvanising the innovation and creativity of our state’s dance culture”. “It is time for LWD to become more than just a dance company,” the company stated in a press release. “It is time to become what South Australia truly needs: a dedicated dance arts venue and incubator that supports and develops mid career, Independent and emerging artists who are the future of the art form.” A panel of nationally significant…

Pain is a message from your brain, warning you that your body is at risk. Obviously, you need to overcome the problem that causes the pain, allow any injured tissue to heal, and regain general fitness and technique. However, pain can have other effects on your brain and body. These changes are not always obvious, but they can affect your movement as you return to dancing and in the long term. When you have pain, your brain changes your alignment to reduce pressure on the painful part. Pain can interfere with your posture and sense of balance, and you may start restricting your movements. You may start over-using some muscles, while others may become less active than they should be. As you recover physically, you also need to return your…

HER MAJESTY’S Theatre in Melbourne is surely what everyone imagines backstage at a theatre to be. The maze of narrow corridors, the walls papered in posters and cobwebbed with the texta autographs of the many artists who have performed there, the cozy dressing rooms with their mirrors fringed by lightbulbs. Jack Chambers’ mirror is plastered with photos of friends and family, like the mirrors of performers in theatres all over the world. He is here performing the role of Cosmo Brown in the Melbourne season of Singin’ in the Rain. Singin’ in the Rain is a significant musical for Chambers. He credits it with being the show that set him on his path into musical theatre. He has loved the movie from when he was a child, and at the…

“Hundreds of dancers died this way ...” HER (Clara Webster) skirts caught one of the jets of gas which was too near the elevated place on which she stood. She began to run, and actually traversed the scene twice in a column of fire, amidst the shrieks of the people, which mingled with her own agonizing cries for help.” (Illustrated Times, Dec 13, 1844.) Have you ever heard of the “burning ballerinas”? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had not. Admittedly until recently I was in the grey. This ignorance is surprising, as their tragic final performances – catching alight and burning to death on stage – seem fit for a Hollywood script. Their horrific deaths will reinforce why today’s at times draconian health and safety measures are a blessing.…

There are a number of strategies teachers can employ to support students through a setback. 1. Reflect on the performance and weigh up the things that went well along with the areas requiring attention – there are always some positives! 2. Set goals for dealing with areas of the performance that need improvement 3. Keep things in perspective. Wendy Mollee, ex-professional dancer and now director at Dancefever on the Gold Coast, says: “I tell students – it’s not the Olympic Games!” 4. Remind students that they are on a journey that can sometimes be difficult but the challenges provide them with an opportunity to improve and grow. 5. Re-frame the concept of success – it is not the result of everything going right all the time – it is the…

“I began very unsure of where I was heading or even wanted to go, and finished knowing exactly where I wanted my focus to be.” Sales assistant at Bloch and dance teacher Studies I completed my full-time studies at Brent Street in 2015, after completing Year 11 & 12 alongside part time dancing at Brent Street Academy. What were your ambitions at the start of your studies? A few months before I started my studies at Brent Street Academy I had made a very tough decision to change my focus from ballet training and start focusing on a wider range of styles, so when I commenced Year 11 at Brent Street in 2013, I was still struggling with these thoughts of not really knowing which path to choose. During my…

LIAM Geck's ultimate goal was always to become a dancer with the Queensland Ballet. So he enrolled at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence (now known as Queensland Ballet Academy) because “it was connected to the company”. Another good reason was that it allowed him to dance full time as well as complete his normal school. “The structure of the Queensland Ballet Academy allows students to focus on ballet for half the day without neglecting academic studies,” he explains. “The course is structured in such a way that you can do both without either suffering.” The QBA provided him with opportunities to train and perform with the Queensland Ballet. He progressed to becoming a Pre-Professional Program student, at which level he could perform in mainstage productions. Next he became a…

SHANNON O’Shea has worked professionally in the entertainment industry for the past 10 years as a performer and more recently as a choreographer. She also teaches dance and is a qualified Pilates instructor. She was due to have a baby at the time of writing, though you could still find her in the studio with her students or choreographing. O'Shea grew up in Gladstone, Qld. “It is a relatively small town with little cultural influence. I knew if I was to make a career in dance I needed to move and study full-time,” she says. She moved to Brisbane where she enrolled at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence. “My sights were set on a career in the ballet/ contemporary world. Sydney Dance Company was always a company I admired…

ONE of Israel’s leading dance companies is about to make its Sydney debut with a blistering new work called ‘Horses in the Sky’. Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company was founded on a kibbutz by Yehudit Arnon, an Auschwitz survivor who was punished by Nazi soldiers for refusing to dance for them at Christmas. Surviving the camp, she dedicated her life to dance. She established the company in 1973 and developed a Dance Village which continues as the company’s home base. Artistic director Rami Be’er, a former pupil of Arnon, has led the company since 1996. Be’er joined KCDC as a dancer and choreographer in 1980. He has choreographed more than 50 works for the company and has credited both the company and himself with an impressive list of original creations, as…

AFTER a lifetime training under the likes of Rudolf Nureyev and directing ballet companies, the former artistic director of the Queensland Ballet, François Klaus, is releasing a book. Beyond the Barre is a candid look at the lives of dancers, teachers and choreographers in the dance world today. Drawing on his experience as artistic director, Klaus knew there was an audience eager for an inside glimpse into the world of dance. “Even among professionals there are a lot of misconceptions about ballet, and this book is a way to answer that, in a very light hearted way, of course,” he says. Packed with personal anecdotes, Beyond the Barre looks at the art of dancers, teachers and choreographers and their place in the modern world. A lighthearted but thoughtful must-read for…

Dancenorth IF WAS JUDITH WRIGHT CENTRE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS BRISBANE, JUNE Two choreographers, one musical score and design, rivetting theatre. RESEARCH into cognitive processes and neuroscience regularly informs the creative processes of Dancenorth’s artistic director Kyle Page, and was therefore also the catalyst for this intriguing program of two works. Inspired by Mental Inspiration Theory, two choreographers, Ross McCormack and Stephanie Lake, were challenged by Page to select from the same score, use the same costume pattern, utilise lighting from the same design, and create a work of a set duration that thematically filled in the blanks to the program’s title “If_Was_”. Page’s belief that the human mind is biologically predisposed to draw from personal experiences to create unique “sensory representations of objects, concepts and ideas”, sustained his conviction that…

CECCHETTI Ballet Australia has announced that the 2017 International Scholarships competition will be held at Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) on April 9. The scholarships are preliminaries to the CICB international competition held in Florence, Italy, in August, which will include a summer course for students and teachers. Application closing date is March 1, 2017.…

hat first sparked your interest in design? A pantomime at the old Tivoli Theatre in Melbourne. I was six or seven – there was an “underwater” sequence with a giant pearl shell containing a dancer – mesmerising! Were you designing costumes from an early age and, if so, what was your first major creation? No, but I WAS making puppets and toy theatres, and dabbling in acting. Fortunately well before the era of the camera phone! Where did you train in costume design? Effectively an apprenticeship as a designers’ assistant at the Melbourne Theatre Company. There were no courses available within Australia back then. What was your first big break professionally? My first commission was from John Sumner at the MTC – Brian Friels’ surreal Irish comedy, Philadelphia, Here I…

 I graduated from full-time dance studies many moons ago – completing a Bachelor of Dance at QUT in 1989 and the Graduate Diploma of Education in 1990. “It was a special time in our lives when we had open horizons, the sky was the limit and the possibilities were endless.” I have overwhelming positive memories of the time (four years) – some of the best years (and the most physically and mentally demanding) of my life. The lessons learned through this time have carried through to many areas of my life since – discipline, persistence, perseverance, dedication, hard-work, time-management, attention to detail and the importance of surrounding yourself with positive role models. I also learned that some of the most profound personal leaning and growth happens when you push yourself…

1 SHOWCASING TALENT Australian Dance Theatre’s “Ignition” program is all about emerging and mid-career choreographers. Each presents a work in the 2016 “Ignition” program are Thomas Fonua (ADT), Matte Roffe (ADT), Erin Fowler (independent) and Katrina Lazaroff (independent). http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/adt-igniteschoreography 2 NUTRITION QUESTIONS Wondering if superfoods are all that... super? Or if gluten-free foods are actually healthier than their regular versions? http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/nutrition-your-questions-answered 3 WIN TICKETS TO LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS The cult musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors is returning to Sydney after its Australian tour and we’ve got two double passes to give away to see the show at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Wednesday 20 July. http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/win/http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/win/win-a-double-pass-to-little-shop-ofhorrors-sydneywin-a-double-pass-to-little-shop-ofhorrors-sydney…

SETBACKS come in all shapes and sizes. They can be the result of an injury; a performance that didn’t go quite as planned or perhaps a botched audition. Setbacks are hard deal with. It can be difficult coming to terms with disappointment, rejection or the frustration of an injury. The reality is that, for performers, setbacks go with the territory. It’s how you deal with them that can make all the difference. You could treat them as a “catastrophe”– “the End of the World!” or a “total disaster”! Or you could treat them as a “learning opportunity”, a “fortifier” or a “resilience builder”. You get to choose. Let’s be frank: setbacks are not fun. It is okay to feel disappointed or disillusioned. As says Daniel Savetta, an artist with the…

MADISON Ayton (pictured) is a young dancer with the world at her feet. The 15-year-old Brisbane dancer was the Level 6 and Audience Vote winner at the Qld Jacqueline Moreland Awards held at the Edmund Rice Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane earlier this year. Madison performed a contemporary routine that had been choreographed by Paul Boyd that she had learned in a three hour session on the first day of the awards along with a variation from Esmeralda. The adjudicators were Christopher Rickert, Lisa Pavane and Rachael Walsh. Currently a student in the Senior Elite Programme at Annette Roselli Ballet Academy in Brisbane, her prize was a $1,800 bursary with a $300 prize for receiving the Audience Vote at the event. She has recently returned from the Youth America Grand…

“The best time of my life!" That's how many dancers feel about their experience of full-time dance studies. Not only does a full-time course allow you to immerse yourself in the thing you enjoy doing most – dance – there are many auxiliary benefits, such as being with so many like-minded people, the exposure to new teachers and new dance styles, the path it directs you into a professional career. For many, the education they receive is as much about the technique they learn as about the education they receive at such a formative time of life. Students graduate much wiser and more mature than when they first entered. Indeed, some find themselves changing and broadening their outlook radically. For that reason, in this year's edition of our annual guide,…

“I personally loved the choreography opportunities. You can have your piece performed in a professional theatre in Perth.” Dancer/Choreographer/Model/Teacher Studied: The Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) 2005-2007. What were your ambitions at the start of your studies? For my 18th birthday, a dear friend of mine bought me a ticket to Some Rooms, performed by Sydney Dance Company. I was from a rural town and it was the first time I had ever seen a professional contemporary dance company perform. I was awe struck. That was my inspiration at the commencement of my degree: I wanted to complete my studies and fulfill my dream of being in a reputable contemporary dance company. Did your ambitions change during the course of your studies? Yes, they did. About half way…