Table of contents for August-September 2019 in Dance Australia

PLEASE don’t call me a ‘veteran’, Karen!”, an “older” dancer once mock-pleaded with me when I was writing a story about her. I obliged, of course, and ever since have been wary of using the word in case it would cause offence. But now I wonder, why? Why do we consider it even slightly shameful or embarrassing to be outed as one who has had “long experience in an office, occupation or the like”, to give the dictionary definition? We should be proud to flaunt our longitude in a profession. Yet experience equals years and years equal age, and our society teaches us to be embarrassed about getting older. As one who is a “veteran” myself now in my profession, I’m starting to question all the obfuscating. Other societies, like…

MELBOURNE City Ballet has closed its doors. The company’s dancers were informed by artistic director Michael Pappalardo at the end of June that the enterprise could not continue. Signs that the company was in trouble were evident when classes at the headquarters in Preston were suddenly cancelled. Students turning up for class found themselves locked out of the studios, confronted by a breach of lease notice. The MCB’s last performance was as guests at the National Theatre Ballet School’s Diamond Gala on June 29. Melbourne City Ballet (MCB) was established in 2013, with headquarters at the new Pentridge Gaol development. From the beginning it aimed to fulfill what Pappalardo believed was a need for affordable family programs of classical ballet in Melbourne and country areas. The company had a very…

THE city becomes home to a collective of musicians, comedians, performers, dancers, singers and pyrotechnicians during Brisbane Festival, one of Australia’s largest arts and cultural events, from 6-28 September. Presenting his fifth and final Brisbane Festival program, Artistic Director David Berthold has expertly curated a sensory feast for lovers of contemporary and traditional dance. Housed in unexpected and surprising venues across Brisbane, the Festival’s five dance works spotlight world-renowned artists and musicians including headliners Rambert, Britain’s preeminent and oldest dance company; visionary Chinese dancer and choreographer Yang Liping; and Helpmann Award-winning contemporary dance company Dancenorth. Invisible Cities is one of Brisbane Festival’s most ambitious projects to date; a fantasy world constructed before the audience’s eyes by an international team of creative innovators, staged in a pop-up theatre within an industrial…

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE Maillot’s Lac (which was presented at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, from June 28 to July 6), invites audiences to challenge their expectations about Swan Lake. There are many versions of this ballet that bring different perspectives to the well-loved work but in some ways this one managed to jolt my perception in quite a different direction than others have. This is not because of changes in narrative but because of Maillot’s striking reimagining of a physical aesthetic that seems, at first, to be at odds with the work itself. From the start we find sharp, jagged movement that resists the lyricism of the music. Arms take on a determined strength and where the music is driving upward toward high suspended leg extensions, instead it offers fierce stabbing…

CO-CREATED by Co3 Artistic Director Raewyn Hill and Co3 Associate Artist and Nyoongar man Mark Howett, and presented at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA in May, The Line was performed by Andrew Searle, Katherine Gurr and Whadjuk Nyoongar man Ian Wilkes. The three dancers were outstanding, mastering complex, bold choreography that demands stamina, versatility and acumen. Set to a superb score by Eden Mulholland, the work’s minimalist, ambient stage settings (designed by Hill and Howett), evocative 1930s-style costume designs (Hill), and skilful lighting (Howett), produce fifty taut, tense, tightly-packed minutes of dance. A Welcome to Country from Darryl Kickett opened proceedings. Kickett also spoke movingly of the power of performance in growing relationships, and how traditional performance and dance has served Nyoongar culture for thousands of…

IT IS generally agreed that, as with any serious athletic pursuit, dance students need to train full-time if they are to develop the strength and technique required. The goal of full-time dance training is to “prepare the body and mind to have a successful career in dance and cope with the demands of modern day companies, but also sustain a healthy and long career,” as teacher Gregor Thieler says. However, a dance student’s training often spans the crucial years of adolescence, when the body is growing and developing. How much should they train without overburdening their bodies? Ausdance National’s Safe Dance Report IV identified that adolescence is a particularly challenging time for young dancers in terms of injuries. “Apart from periodic growth spurts that decrease muscle strength and flexibility, a…

Cameron Holmes grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, but moved to the inner west when he became a selective dance student at the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. He completed Year 10 before moving on to full-time ballet at the age of 17 at the Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy under the direction of Lucinda Dunn. He loved being surrounded by “passionate peers” and “encouraged by talented teachers who believed in me”. “That, with a supportive family, enabled my ability as a dancer to flourish,” he says. While in his second year of full-time, he was awarded runner-up at the finals of the Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship. He also won the Cecchetti International Ballet Competition in Italy and fulfilled a BBM (Big Brother Movement) Youth Scholarship,…

I BEGAN dancing at the age of three and I always knew that I wanted to dance professionally. I began my full time training at The Conlan College in Sydney at the age of 13, where I trained for three years. They then helped me to find my next home at the Hochschule fur Musik and Theatre in Munich in Germany. I trained in their Bachelor Program full time for two years on full scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2017. Tell us a little about your present job. I am currently in my second year in the Junior Ballet Company in Zurich and have been offered a contract with the main company where I will continue next season. I work five and a half days a…

Where are you from? South London, UK. Where did you undertake your full-time training? Victorian College of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. How did you find the transition from full-time studies to the profession? The closer I approached graduating the more I realised how desperate I was to have a career in dance, and the more I felt this was impossibly hard with everyone’s journeys into starting working being so disparate. I understood the linear audition-to-job journey, but was totally overwhelmed by the other “right time, right place” circumstances that I would hear over and over as people’s keys into the field of dance. I was fortunate to study with Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year directly after graduating for three months. This was a…

THIS year’s Brisbane Festival (September 6-28) will present what Artistic Director David Berthold describes as its “most ambitious project” to date: the multi-artform Invisible Cities, which will occupy a massive Yeerongpilly warehouse in an exclusive Australian season immediately following its world premiere in the UK. The production will bring together international artists at the top of their fields, directed by Leo Warner and involving art and technology wizards 59 Productions, Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and the full, iconic Rambert Dance Company. Not to be upstaged, however, Townsville’s Dancenorth will be premiering Communal Table – an interactive theatre-piece created by Artistic Director Kyle Page and Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines in collaboration with Global Philosopher-in-Chief of The School of Life, John Armstrong. This “genre busting” work will take place over…

HOW many professional dancers do you know who are over 35? The career span of a dancer is notoriously short, with the majority retiring in their thirties. We’re all familiar with the reasons for this. Most commonly, the physical demands of the artform wear the body down. Family can be another factor – the schedule of a dancer isn’t exactly conducive to parenting, with evening and weekend shows, and time away from home for those lucky enough to tour. But the small number of dancers working over age 40 isn’t solely the result of physical limitations or practicalities. It’s also about the perception that the art-form is best suited to younger bodies. Often there is pressure on dancers to make the move into teaching, choreography … or indeed, into a…

HAVE you ever felt concerned about someone you care about, and haven’t been quite sure what to do? You’re not alone. Or maybe you’ve wondered if your own eating habits are “normal?” Some topics are tough to talk about. This is one of them, but it’s important that we are willing in lean into difficult conversations for the safety and wellbeing of all. Over my 15 years of experience I have learnt that the vast majority of dancers fuel their bodies very well, making sure that regular eating is a priority and major nutrients are ticked off. But it would be remiss of me to ignore the research, which shows that elite vocational ballet training is an occupation with an increased risk of eating disorders and body image problems. To…

BANGARRA: 30 years of sixty five thousand” is a triple-bill, the centrepiece of which is Stamping Ground, choreographed by internationally renowned Czech choreographer Jiri Kylian in the early eighties, in response to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures. Making a return is 2004 work Unaipon, by Bangarra Dance Theatre’s recently appointed associate artistic director Frances Rings, while the third work in the program, to make fire, is a collection of highlights from a number of previous works, curated by the company’s artistic director, Stephen Page. At around two and a half hours (with only one interval) this is a much longer show than is typical of Bangarra. Importantly, it gives viewers a sense of the breadth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance that has been created…

Kristin Barwick was lucky enough to be offered a scholarship to join the West Australian Ballet immediately upon her graduation from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). She joined as a Young Artist, but within the year was promoted to the corps de ballet. She is revelling performing in various classical and contemporary works. “Earlier this year I performed in the contemporary season “In-Synch: Ballet at the Quarry” and I am now working on La Bayadère, which is one of my favourite ballets.” Kristin found there were many differences between life as a student and life in a professional company. “Although my training had prepared me very well, I still found certain aspects quite challenging. For example the number of hours spent in the studio, and the amount…

Where did you undertake your full-time training? I moved from Sydney to London at 16 to train at the Royal Ballet School. I graduated in 2018 and I am proud to say that I was awarded the Most Outstanding Male graduate of my cohort. Level of education? My parents always felt it was important for me to focus on my schooling. Prior to starting Year 6 I changed schools so I could study and train with like-minded students. I was thrilled to start at the McDonald College, where I remained until I was in Year 10. I then moved to London in August, 2015. I started in the UK equivalent of Year 12, which was challenging at first, but I am pleased I finished my academic studies. How did you…

FROM the age of 10, Nathan Brook regularly went to see The Australian Ballet perform at the Sydney Opera House and dreamed of joining the company one day. So when he wasn’t offered a contract after graduating from the Australian Ballet School, he was “disappointed, to say the least”. He had trained intensively up to that point. He left secondary school after finishing Year 8 and moved to Melbourne to study full-time at the ABS and continue his academic studies at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Before then he had attained his RAD Intermediate Certificate. His dejection soon turned to joy, however, when he was offered a position as a Young Artist with the Queensland Ballet (effectively an apprentice year). “While the disappointment of not getting my…

THE Imperial Russian Ballet will return to Australia with Swan Lake this September and October. Formed in 1994 by Bolshoi Theatre soloist Gediminas Taranda, the company acknowledges and respects the Russian imperial ballet tradition, so it’s no surprise that this production is a traditional one, with only subtle revisions and variations introduced by Taranda. The company, which comprises 40 dancers, will tour to Canberra, Geelong, Frankston, Melbourne, Launceston, Devonport, Hobart, Cairns, Townsville, Bundaberg, Maryborough, Caloundra, Ispswich, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Wollongong, Dubbo and Albury. More: https://russianballet.com.au/…

IT seems strange now, but when David McAllister was anointed the new director of the Australian Ballet in 2001, it was seen as a bold choice. McAllister had had no experience as a director and little overseas career experience, except as a guest performer. Instead, he had spent his whole career, his whole life really, within the familiar embrace of the company. His work colleagues were his friends, his employees would probably be his friends. And he was amiable and popular – not necessarily good characteristics for a leader who may have to make unpopular decisions. But he has proved to be a calm and steady hand – a welcome change after the turbulence of the Ross Stretton and Maina Gielgud years before. There have been no public controversies or…

NO, no, noooo, Matthew,” lamented my old ballet master from Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), Desmond Kelly. “Your gesture is too laid-back and Australian.” Mr Kelly was of course right. I mimed my princely “I love you” more “I love you, mate!” And Sir Peter Wright’s Prince Siegfried would never be so familiar. My foot position was all wrong as well, being more platypus inspired (flat-footed) than court trained (cocked knee at 45 degrees turn-out). The English love to rib the Antipodean’s supposed uncultured ways, and yet they also love to employ us. It may surprise you to know that the great southern lands typically represent the highest proportion of expat dancers in UK ballet companies. At a peak, eight years ago – when I was with BRB during David Bintley’s…

Dear Dancer, Learning choreography can be stressful, especially when you feel slower than others in the studio. There are a number of factors that affect how quickly we pick up steps and choreography in any given situation. Sometimes choreography just doesn’t make physical or musical sense to you. Sometimes it’s the time of day – you might be tired and your attention is not all there. But rest assured there are ways to get better at it. Our brains learn exercises and sequences by grouping or chunking movements together. It’s like learning lines. You don’t learn a word at a time. You learn a sentence or phrase that makes sense. With choreography, you learn chunks of movement as phrases that make sense – or eventually do. Basically, dancers who pick…

AFTER six years the Bolshoi returned to the Qld Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane for a 10-day season from June 27 with two ballets, both created by Russian choreographers in the 1960s, yet vastly different from one another – dramatically and stylistically. Both, however, epitomise the Bolshoi’s reputation for grandiosity and brilliance. Spartacus, created by Yuri Grigorovich in 1968 to the Aram Khachaturyan score, opened the 10-day Brisbane season. A product of the Soviet era, lovingly preserved, it is a beast of a ballet over three acts and lasting some three hours. Its now rather anachronistic choreographic style, with echoes of 1920s constructivism in its use of grand tableaux and mass movement of dancers, may not have the novelty factor it once did, but the dancers’ commitment to this performance…

WHILE staying true to Marius Petipa’s original production and concept, and set in India (as was the 1877 production), choreographer Greg Horsman’s engrossing, perceptive, re-imagined La Bayadère is an artistic triumph. Horsman pares back some of the plot’s intricacies, losing none of the dramatic impact nor the many exquisite pas de deux sequences, solos and fascinating variety of ensemble dances. This makes the narrative easier to follow and shapes a story-line with historical and cultural reflections, humour, pathos and myriad visual delights. A co-production between WA Ballet, Qld Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada, this Bayadère takes place in 1855. The armies of the princely kingdom of Cooch Behar and the British East India Company are at war, and a treaty is negotiated to end the hostilities. This treaty…

It’s arrived! Once again it is the time of year when full-time dance schools begin their search for new students. The number of dance courses seems to grow every year, offering everything from entry to elite pre-professional level. What do they offer? How do you make a choice? Within these pages you will find a comprehensive list of Australian dance courses, all in one handy pull-out guide. It includes the teachers on faculty, the audition requirements, outlines of subjects, course outcomes and career options. We have also collected an assortment of personal accounts about their experience of full-time studies from graduates now enjoying professional careers. So what are you waiting for? Your dream course awaits! The information within this guide is supplied by our advertisers and published in good faith.…

Where are you from? Mackay, Queensland. Where did you undertake your full-time training? Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay, Qld. What level of education had you attained before beginning your full-time training? Bachelor of Theatre, specialising in music theatre. What were the most important benefits of your studies? I learnt how to push myself, how to work with others and how to create, explore and play rather than copy other people’s performances. Falling into the trap of being a cardboard cut-out of someone else is very easy to do, so learning how to be my own performer was incredibly helpful! Tell us a little about your present job. My current job is performing in a comedy cabaret with lots of interaction with the audience and improvisation with other cast…

Where did you undertake your full-time training? I completed my Certificate IV in Dance with the Charlesworth Ballet Institute, in Perth, and then received both my Bachelor and Master of Arts in Dance from the State University for Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany. What were the most important benefits of your studies? Throughout my studies I learnt how to work through tiredness, and developed an efficiency that allowed me to continue to perform at a consistent level regardless of how busy I was. Consistency is key, and it is what we as professional dancers must strive for. “I developed an efficiency that allowed me to continue to perform at a consistent level.” Discipline is something that we learn as students and must maintain upon professional employment. My dance…