Table of contents for October-November 2019 in Dance Australia

AS I write this editorial, Amelia Drummond, our inaugural Emerging Female Classical Choreographer, has taken up her residency at the Sydney Opera House and is developing her new ballet with pre-professional students from the Tanya Pearson Academy. By the time this magazine comes out, she will be rehearsing with the Australian Ballet, and preparing for her premiere in the company’s BodyTorque season, which opens in Melbourne on October 17. Amelia (pictured) will be presenting her work alongside six others. Three are company members – Tim Coleman, Francois-Eloi Lavignac and Mason Lovegrove – and three, like Amelia, are from outside the company – Lina Limosani, Rani Luther and Petros Treklis. They will be accompanied by musicians from Orchestra Victoria. Talking to Amelia beforehand, it was interesting to be reminded how much…

RAFAEL Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company, is joining forces with Gideon Obarzanek to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. The double bill will comprise Bonachela’s award winning 6 Breaths and culminate in Us 50, a grand-scale work by Obarzanek performed by 50 performers made up of former and current SDC dancers and members of the public. Explaining his inspiration, Obarzanek says that, because dance is ephemeral, “the history of the company is in the bodies of the dancers and the memories of the audiences.” Us 50 will run from November 2 to 9 at the Roslyn Packer Theatre. This will be followed by the annual “New Breed” season, year showcasing new works by independents Josh Mu and Lauren Langlois and company dancers Ariella Casu and Davide Di Giovanni. New…

When Amy Hollingsworth approached photographer David Kelly for a series of photos for the 2018 Queensland Ballet’s “Bespoke” season, she said she wanted “to unleash him”. “Unleashed” in the end became “Reserata” (“Unlocked”), the title for the 44 large images to hang on the walls. He took the photos as the dancers improvised to Fratres, by composer Arvo Part. “I’m constantly in awe of these dancers, their fitness, strength, control and expression,” he says. Would you like to be featured here? JUST DROP AS LINE VIA FACEBOOK MESSENGER OR EMAIL DANCE@YAFFA.COM.AU.…

I believe a child that loves to dance around at home will be nurtured in a ballet class. Their natural abilities will develop within the structure of ballet and, importantly, the right ballet school will nurture their creativity, too. I think shying away from formal ballet training is the equivalent of having a child who loves playing around on a piano but not giving them lessons for fear it will stifle them. Ballet is traditional but I don’t think that means it is old-fashioned. We are a particularly traditional studio but we embrace individuality of children so that each child can be their own personal best and grow in their own unique way. (I’m probably biased here) I also think that ballet breeds more creativity than something like jazz because…

FROM the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne to the bright lights of New York City, 26-year-old Bridie Clark is living a dancer’s dream. Clark began her early dance training at the age of five and joined the National Theatre Ballet School under the tutelage of Beverly Fry in 2008. She completed her Advanced Diploma in Dance in 2010 and during the following years performed in a number of musicals in Australia, including The King and I, Cats and 42nd Street. In 2015 Clark successfully auditioned for the Peridance Capezio Centre in New York. She relocated to New Jersey and began the daily commute to New York City each day for classes, graduating with honours. The program covered ballet, modern, contemporary, commercial and ethnic dance and Clark describes the intensive…

Most of us learn best in a collaborative environment with input and inspiration from multiple sources. So Expressions Dance Company wanted to bring together some of the best dancers from around Australia for its 2020 EDC Contemporary Dance Intensives, to pass on their collective genius and experience to the next generation of movers and makers. EDC is thrilled to have some of the nation’s most highly-recognised and award-winning dancers as guest facilitators. These amazing mentors will join the critically-acclaimed EDC ensemble in helping participants explore and push the boundaries of their creativity and challenge and nurture their abilities, all while cultivating a strong sense of health and wellbeing through mindfulness and sustainable practices. The workshops will focus on honing technique, improvisation, task work, choreographic practice and performance artistry and, for…

The Village Nation International Summer School, from January 2020, will be a week of classes from leading choreographers from all over Australia, Europe and the US! This is an incredible opportunity for students to take class from industry greats and get a taste of what it’s like to be apart of Team Village. There are five classes per day and throughout the course of the week students will cover every genre of dance, singing, acting and acrobatics. At Village Nation we offer the best choreographers worldwide. As an example, previous teachers include Jacqui Howard, Matt Lee, Marko Panzic, Stephen Tannos, Matthew Gode, Amy Campbell, Talia Fowler, Jason Winters, Robbie Kmetoni, David McLean, Gaynor Hicks, Lauren Elton, Katie Sanchez, Lauren Elton, Blake John Wood and many more! During the Summer School,…

NSW DOLLSPOINT/RAMSGATE Deidre Bronner School of Ballet Principal: Deidre Bronner, ARAD (Lond) Solo Seal. Classical (grades and majors), character, jazz, contemporary. Hawthorn St, Ramsgate. P: 02 9529 7545 M: 0412 529 755 NEWCASTLE National College of Dance Artistic Director: Brett Morgan. Delivering national accredited courses in Dance Performance – CUA40111 Certificate IV in Dance, CUA50111 Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance) Studio Cnr Young & Lloyd Rd, Lambton NSW 2299 P: 02 4952 9294 E: nc.dance@optusnet.com.au www.mwmdance.com North Shore Dance Academy Principal: Anne Gray, ARAD Teaching Diploma (DIST) RAD ballet, jazz, character, contemporary, pilates and hip-hop. Children from 3 years to advanced and Solo Seal. Studio: St Ives P: 02 9983 0365, PO Box 509, St Ives, 2075 www.northshoredanceacademy.com.au NORTH STRATHFIELD The McDonald College Australia’s Leading Academic and Performing Arts College: The…

THE West Australian Ballet is looking forward to its premiere of ALICE (in wonderland). Not to be confused with Christopher Wheeldon's version staged by the Australian Ballet, this production is choreographed by the artistic director of the Hong Kong Ballet, Septime Webre, and was originally created for the Washington Ballet. The company promises a jaw-dropping fantasy that will enthral the whole family. The music is composed by lauded ballet composer Matthew Pierce (whose brother Benjamin is a former principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet). ALICE (in wonderland)’ will run from November 21 to December 15 at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth. Carina Roberts in the WAB's new production of 'ALICE'.…

IT WAS at the end of an in-house Studio Sessions showing of contemporary works by full time students that Michael Pappalardo announced the immediate closure of Melbourne City Ballet. It was the evening of June 27. Four days earlier, company members had received an email stating that activities would be suspended for 14 days. This was the first they had heard that the company was in peril. By the next morning, MCB was no more. The company's wonderful purpose-fitted studios in Melbourne’s Pentridge precinct in Coburg bore a ‘breach of lease’ notice. The company was debarred from entering the premises. It was all over. In the following days there was an outpouring of sadness and sympathy for Melbourne City Ballet. Dance Australia’s Karen van Ulzen broke the story with an…

ONE of the featured works in the Queensland Ballet’s forthcoming “Bespoke” season will be a premiere by choreographer Loughlan Prior. This rising talent is the resident choreographer of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, so it is a bit of a surprise to discover that, though he is an adopted Kiwi, he is originally from Australia. This will be the first time his work has been presented by an Australian company. Prior was born in Melbourne. The eldest of four children, his mother wisely steered him into dance classes at the age of six to stop him “terrorising the other children in the kindergarten with his dance moves”, as he jokingly tells. He never looked back, spending all his school years at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. He…

IT IS not news to say that dancers aspiring to a career in musical theatre need to be able to sing. But even if music theatre is not your ambition, having a good voice will make you a more versatile performer and enhance your employment prospects. The discipline to be a great singer is very similar to the discipline required to become a great dancer – you need to study with a good teacher and focus on the physiological and technical aspects of the craft while building your voice. Leontine Hass is a vocal and performance coach and the founding principal and CEO of Associated Studios Australia and London. In that role she has worked with dancers in most of the large West End shows and many Australian shows. She…

The Royal Academy of Dance’s two summer workshops in Adelaide will deliver high energy, fun-filled, full days of dancing including classes in ballet, contemporary, tap, hip hop (plus jazz, repertoire and Pilates at DANCE 20). DANCE 20 (January 6-11) is open to male and female students aged 7-18 and Boys DANCE 20 (January 3-4) is just for the guys, also aged from 7-18. Both programmes will bring together the most exciting industry expert faculty, including Jake Burden (Ballet Brothers), Vicki Attard (ex-Australian Ballet and SDC), Jesse Rasmussen (The Tap Pack), Joel Rasmussen (X Factor, SYTYCD), David Williams (SDC and EDC) and Kylie Goeldner (Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre). A winning male entrant will have the bonus of attending both workshops, plus the option to also take part in Boys DANCE challenge,…

The Bolshoi Ballet Academy will offer a unique opportunity for the Australian dancers to learn the method and repertoire from the current full time Master Teachers of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy at its 2020 Summer Intensive. The teachers coming to Australia enjoyed careers as the soloist dancers with the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre. Several scholarships will be given at each audition in every city. The intensive program serves as an audition for the full year program in Moscow and summer programs in Europe. At the end of each week of the program the students perform the repertoire. Students will learn at least seven classical variations and four full character dances during each week of the program. This year Irina Pyatkina, Ekaterina Trunina and Liudmila Ermakova will lead the workshops in Australia.…

THE Australian Ballet will stage a new version of the Tolstoy classic Anna Karenina next year. The ballet is choreographed by former Bolshoi dancer Yuri Possokhov and is the company's first co-production with America’s Joffrey Ballet. It opened to great acclaim in Chicago in 2019 and will make its international debut in Sydney in April, before seasons in Melbourne in June and in Adelaide in July. The AB has an Anna Karenina in its repertoire, by Andre Prokovsky, but it was commissioned way back in 1979 by then artistic director Marilyn Jones. Anna Karenina will be one of many highlights of the company’s 2020 season, entitled “Limitless Possibilities”. They include Graeme Murphy’s long-awaited The Happy Prince, whose premiere last year was postponed due to the choreographer’s illness, and Alice Topp’s…

1 OUTRAGE OVER GOOD MORNING AMERICA COMMENT Video footage of ‘Good Morning America’ host Lara Spencer mocking young Prince George for taking (and – gasp – enjoying) ballet lessons. Male dancers responded by holding an open class in front of the GMA office on Broadway. 2 IN HER WORDS “It is challenging to make dance in Australia in 2019. The ephemeral nature of the form presents paradoxes and survival issues for Australian choreographers.” Read an excerpt from Sue Healey’s ‘Capturing the Vanishing’, A choreographer and film recently released by Currency House. 3 BEYOND THE PHYSICAL Read an account from our Full-Time Studies Guide by Anna McCulla, graduate of The Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA), dancer for Bonnie Curtis Projects and Twisted Element, dance teacher.…

PERTH'S Co:3 is partnering with the Art Gallery of WA to celebrate the gallery's 40th anniversary. Company in residence since 2016, Co:3 will perform a short excerpt from its Reason For Being development series – a response to the gallery’s architecture. Audiences are invited to sit and observe artistic director and choreographer Raewyn Hill, with five company dancers, unpacking the creation of a new work from 10am – 3pm October 30 to Friday November 1, culminating in a public performance at 6pm on Friday November 1. Co:3 dancer Katherine Gurr holding up AGWA.…

Regarding “unsecured funding”, “everybody is doing the same thing”, he says. “That’s the model. You don’t apply for [government] money and then organise the tour – with all funding applications you have to plan the tour first. “If you don’t get the money, you either cancel the tour, or make it happen another way.” Did he really believe he could succeed with his plans without underpaying dancers? “We tried to pay the dancers as much as possible, and I would argue that we gave us much money as we could to dancers who otherwise would not have had any work.” He argues that the community and the government have to “invest” in the arts for projects like his to succeed.…

REMI Woertmeyer joined the Dutch National Ballet in 2010 and is now not only a much celebrated lead dancer with the company but also an established choreographer. He has created a substantial portfolio of ballets which have been performed internationally. Born in Adelaide, Remi started lessons at the age of three. He began full-time studies at the Terry Simpson Studios in his hometown, and then later at the Australian Ballet School, where he completed his secondary education. “I do think it is very important to continue to study into your career,” he says. “During my career I have completed multiple certificate courses in Art Studies, Fashion, Textile Design and am currently studying Business and Arts Management.” Looking back, he says a main benefit of full-time studies is the structure it…

• Find a good vocal coach • Don’t judge yourself and don’t compare yourself. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! • Go to a good musical director for a few repertoire sessions and help getting your audition cuts together. • Let go of your pre-conceived notions about your singing ability. If you want to improve, you will. • Realise that having fun singing songs, and real practice, are two different things. Both are great. But if you only sing what you are good at, you will not progress. • Sing songs you are obsessed with. Then practice is easy. • Once you feel ready for auditions, have a meeting with your agent. Make sure your agent understands that you want to be put up for…

NATALIA OSIPOVA is one of the most famed ballerinas of her generation. At only 33 years of age, she has spent most of her professional career as a principal dancer, and has performed around the world with companies like the Bolshoi Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Currently a principal with the Royal Ballet, her need to experiment with more contemporary styles of dance has been sustained with a vigorous side career as an in-demand freelance dancer, and now curator and star of her own program – “Natalia Osipova’s Pure Dance”. Produced by Sadler’s Wells and co-produced by the New York City Center, it is quite an achievement for the Sydney Opera House to have brought her here in a program of six short works (four duets and two solos) from…

All you have to do is go to www.danceaustralia. com.au/win/win-a-week-at-a-summer-schoolin-2020 and enter the draw! ANNETTE ROSELLI DANCE ACADEMY QLD Annette Roselli Dance Academy is delighted to offer one lucky winner a full scholarship to the 2019 ARDA International Summer School from December 16 to 20. ARDA is excited to announce their partnership with the Royal Ballet School and classes will be offered in classical ballet, repertoire, contemporary, jazz, Pilates and more. It will offer dancers the opportunity to audition for the Royal Ballet School (RBS). Faculty from the RBS Upper School includes Nicola Tranah and Paul Lewis, who will be teaching alongside some of Australia’s most prestigious classical and contemporary teachers. An opportunity not to be missed! www.annetteroselliballet.com.au TURNING POINT DANCE SA Turning Pointe Dance are thrilled to give away…

ABROTHER and sister scooped the pool at this year’s annual Ballet Teachers Workshop. Charlie Dashwood won the Paul Hammond Award, while his younger sister, Lilysophia Dashwood, was awarded the Frances Naylor Award, which goes to the outright winner. They will both go home considerably richer – Charlie received $2500, while Lilysophia not only received $5000 for the Frances Naylor Award, but also won a further $2000 as the winner of her section D (for ages 13-14). Both are pupils at the Jane Moore Academy of Ballet in Melbourne. The BTW is not restricted to any particular syllabus and was conceived back in 1964 with the purpose of creating opportunities for students to be “exposed to the broader world of ballet”, as recorded in the program notes. This year’s event, held…

Do you have an early memory of ballet? As a young child I was captivated by the ballet Coppelia, totally convinced the dolls were real. When taken to the theatre I always loved that moment when the lights went down and you heard the orchestra tune and start playing the overture, a moment I still love to this day. What was your first experience as an orchestra musician for ballet? It was for the Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake in Brisbane with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. A great first ballet. What is your rehearsal schedule? It changes depending on the season we are preparing. Generally for a major ballet we will have a strings-only rehearsal, two or three days of rehearsals with the full orchestra alone and then two…