Table of contents for January - March 2021 in Dance Australia

MELBOURNE company Chunky Move has announced that Joel Bray is to become its inaugural choreographer in residence. Beginning this year, Bray will undertake an $80,000 two-year residency, an initiative in partnership with the Tanja Liedtke Foundation. The residency is designed to provide Australian choreographic artists with extensive support to develop and present new work, further their artistic practice, gain organisational knowledge, extend their professional networks and build a meaningful ongoing connection with Chunky Move. The new position comes as Chunky Move celebrates its 25th anniversary. A celebratory digital media archive can be found at cmarchive.net, where a wealth of fascinating images, video and other material can be accessed.…

QLD Ballet has said farewell to two beloved artists of the company. Principal Artist Laura Hidalgo will retire from the stage following an international career that saw her grace Queensland’s stages when she joined QB in 2015. Hidalgo has danced all the major roles in classical and contemporary repertoire to critical acclaim. She will be remembered most for the title roles of Mertuil in Dangerous Liaisons, which was created for her, and The Firebird, both choreographed by Liam Scarlett. Company Artist Tonia Looker has also retired from the stage after her career in Royal New Zealand Ballet and QB. She will take up a new role in QB’s Foundation team. Joining QB in 2021 as First Company Artist is former Australian Ballet and National Ballet of Canada dancer Joe Chapman.…

FOR many of us involved in the performing arts 2020 was a tough year. As one of the industries hit hardest by COVID-19 restrictions entire seasons were cancelled, with premieres postponed, rehearsals in the studio not possible and dancers (both students and professional) taking their classes at home. Happily, 2021 is shaping up to be a much brighter year with dance companies returning to live performances right across Australia. Here are some of Dance Australia’s highlights and favourite picks of dance performances coming to a theatre near you. If you can, do support your favourite companies by purchasing tickets to their performances. And if you want to hear about upcoming shows and events throughout the year that are yet to be announced, hop online and subscribe to our FREE weekly…

FOR Tene Ward, Australian corps de ballet member of the National Ballet of Canada (NBC), trying on her first pair of pointe shoes matched to her skin tone was a “momentous occasion”. This moment, late last year, was filmed by fellow NBC company members and shared on Ward’s Instagram account (@Ward_ward), receiving an outpouring of support she never expected. Ward, who was born in Sydney, identifies as Sri Lankan and African-American. Before joining the NBC in 2018, she trained at Canberra Festival Ballet School, the Australian Ballet School and the Dutch National Ballet Trainee Program; she describes her experience as a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) ballet student as “generally, tough”. “No one looked like me,” she reflects, “It was hard to have any form of inspiration to…

CADI McCarthy is a company dancer, independent artist, choreographer, artistic director and educator. Since 1996 she has traversed Australia, performing all these roles across a range of dance companies and organisations. But a move to Newcastle from Perth in 2014, where she had spent four years as artistic director of the youth company, Buzz Dance Theatre, led her to found a new organisation – Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub. Coming from Perth’s vibrant contemporary dance sector, she could see that Newcastle seemed to have many highly regarded dance schools and training institutions but little in the way of professional dance or professional choreographic opportunities. Looking back, McCarthy says: “At first I was very unsure what to do, how to keep my own practice as an artist going, and how I would…

“As I sat watching a group of Grade 4 Tap students in the exam room, I suddenly realised that at that moment, I was extremely privileged to be their only audience. I realised that due to the crazy world we’d found ourselves in, these students had not had any opportunities to perform to anyone other than their teachers. Usually by this time of year, the majority of students would have performed at eisteddfods, fetes, local events, school assembles, etc. So for them, I was their appreciative audience and all the hard work and preparations they had put into their exam was to be enjoyed by only me. What a special and extremely humbling experience!” COMDANCE examiner, Diahann Maude…

How long have you been teaching? In Australia I’ve taught on and off since 2007 in a variety of contexts. What drew you to teaching dance? I was very lucky to have had joyful experiences with really great dance teachers in my life as a young person. My teachers celebrated all bodies and styles of music and dance practices which meant that we got to work in various vocabularies, time signatures and expressions. Because I grew up in this safe, encouraging and creative environment I naturally wanted to create a space for other people to enjoy the body through movement and build trust, strength and joy with others. Do you specialise in a particular age group? At the moment I am working on the lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people…

BROOKE has always been passionate about dance and so, along with her nurturing nature, it was a natural progression for her to move from dancing to teaching. “Being able to help students achieve what they didn’t think was possible, encouraging and developing their technique and artistic qualities, is why I love what I do,” she explains. She teaches all age groups, both recreational students and vocational. The 2020 pandemic has made her grateful to go to the studio and teach her students in person. The simple routine of walking into the studio now feels an empowering act. “It’s amazing how a mindset can change the way you teach, in the sense that you make the most of every class, every turn and every jump.” “The lockdown, and having to make…

LAYLA was a dancer with American Ballet Theatre Studio Company before returning to her home on the Gold Coast. She has been teaching now for four years. Teaching has enabled me to share my passion and experience. I always knew I wanted to be working in a field where I was able to help others. After being plagued with injuries I knew I could make a difference preventing the next generation from going through something similar.” She enjoys teaching children “at an age before their neural pathways for technique have been formed”. “A lot of dancers tend to grow bad habits which are extremely hard to replace and often lead to injuries. In saying this I also love watching any age improve over time and it’s never too late to…

What level of education had you attained before beginning your full-time dance training? Before studying dance full-time, I finished my high school education at Mosman High School (Sydney). I graduated in 2018 after completing my HSC, with an ATAR above 97. Regarding my dance background, I had trained since I was about eight years old in classical ballet and contemporary dance, and was completing my RAD Advanced 1. I had also completed HSC Dance at high school, undertaking the subject accelerated in Year 11, to allow more time for dance training while I was in Year 12. Most recently, I have just completed my Advanced Diploma of Dance from Sydney College of Dance. Did you make any unexpected discoveries while undertaking your full-time studies? I think the most important things…

AUSTRALIAN Dance Theatre has announced two new artists-in-residence. Artistic Director Garry Stewart chose two “exceptional” recipients whose multi-disciplinary approach to dance made them stand out in a field of high calibre candidates. They are Tanya Voges, an Adelaide-based choreographer with a background in painting and visual arts, and Dianne Reid, also from Adelaide, a teacher and filmmaker who begins at the Centre in early 2021. Each residency is supported by a stipend of $6000.…

SHAUN PARKER AND COMPANY In a departure from the traditional school excursion, Shaun Parker & Company is taking The Yard to schools across Sydney. More than just entertainment, The Yard is an award-winning work that deals with themes like social exclusion, peer pressure, bullying and emotional resilience in a way that empowers students to think about their own behaviour. March 15-23, Sydney school incursions. SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY I Want To Dance With Somebody Developed in conjunction with the NSW Government's Festival of Place and Sydney Festival, I Want To Dance With Somebody is a virtual community dance party. Anybody can take part, wherever they are. Registration is free on-line. Particpants learn a short and snappy dance routine across a series of free on-line classes in January. Then on January 23…

In Australia, the demand for pointe shoes in colours other than pink is quite small, making it difficult for retailers to stock them. However, most pointe shoe manufacturers are responding to global demand and shoes can be obtained through special order. Capezio’s CEO and President Michael Terlizzi (whose US head office received a petition of 300,000 signatures demanding greater range of colours) told ABC News (US) that the company is embracing the issue as an opportunity to contribute to change for the better. “The conversation we had internally was ‘how did we miss this?’ We have to find out how we can meet their needs and help them feel included and not neglected.” Like many dancewear manufacturers, Capezio does have a range of products, such as tights and ballet flats,…

DANCERS are artists, so we understand the importance of creative and intellectual copyright. However, as says Catherine Guiliano, the director of the music licensing agency OneMusic, music is probably the most complicated of all copyright licensing. With so many modes of delivery and broadcast, knowing your responsibilities and who owns the copyright to what can be confusing. We asked our readers to send in their questions which we then passed on to OneMusic. Here is a brief extract in print. Make sure you watch our longer conversation with Guiliano on our website. One of our readers asked about master copyright on live-stream: "Does this cover the master copyright as well as the composition/song copyright?" Yes! If there is a live-stream dance class in place from OneMusic after January 31, 2021,…

Adelina trained at DOCH, Stockholm, and CODARTS, Rotterdam. Since moving to Australia in 2007 she has choreographed and performed for the Melbourne Festival, Federation Square, Sydney Opera House, the State Theatre Centre of WA, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra Theatre Centre, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), The Lock Up, Newcastle and Fremantle Arts Centre. Adelina has worked with BighART, intermedia artist David Pledger’s Not yet it’s difficult (NYID), Ql2 Dance, STRUT and LINK company. She is the founder and director of Strange Attractor Lab – an interdisciplinary lab that focuses on experimentation and artistic research. Adelina received an Australian Dance Award 2019 for Independent Dance for her work In the Rite II: Solo – a commission by performer Laura Boynes and WW project. She was Associate Artist at Critical…

How long have you been teaching? Approximately 33 years. What drew you to teaching dance? I think it was always in me to want to teach. I remember as a five-year-old saying I wanted to be a school teacher when I grew up. This was before I had attended any dance lessons. During my time as a dance student, I would often assist my peers who may have been struggling with a movement or an enchainement. It gave me great pleasure to see them improve and gain confidence. This continued through my entire training (even while I was at the Royal Ballet School, I would coach my peers for our assessments and performances) and then when I was performing professionally, I would often assist a peer with something he or…

How long have you been teaching? 27 years. What drew you to teaching dance? Growing up as a dancer I had always idolised my own teachers, not only for their expertise in dance but for their nurturing and their role in enhancing my own sense of confidence and self-belief. Later, while I was studying for my degree in education at the University of Newcastle, I found myself drawn back to ballet with an ignited passion for specialising in dance teaching and nurturing the students as my teachers had done for me. Do you specialise in a particular age group? I enjoy teaching all ages but especially from about five years up to advanced. The younger students are particularly enthusiastic and it is a pleasure watching them as individuals developing a…

JASON Coleman (pictured) is the CEO and artistic director of the Ministry of Dance in Melbourne – a huge enterprise that encompasses full-time senior and junior schools, a talent agency and a production house. Last year he was poised to produce some “massive” off-shore shows in Singapore and Japan when everything was brought to a standstill by the pandemic. “I lost a million dollars in the first eight weeks alone,” he says. So what was his immediate reaction to the lockdown? “I believe we’ve done the right thing as a nation and as a state in Victoria. I don’t know how we’ll ever make that money back but I really think we have to put life before economics and I’m very proud of us as a nation for making the…

Where are you from? Originally from Auckland, New Zealand. Where did you undertake your full-time training? Queensland Ballet Academy. What level of education had you attained before beginning your full-time training? In ballet I completed my RAD exams to Advanced level 2 and NZAMD jazz exams to advanced level. Academically I completed my NCEA level 1(year 11) in New Zealand, before moving to Brisbane and the Queensland Ballet Academy where I continued my ballet training and academic studies (Year 12 QCE) Did you make any unexpected discoveries while undertaking your full-time studies? I made so many discoveries about myself and my dancing. I feel that full-time is when you really discover who you are as an artist and dancer, and that you can grow on from there in a company.…

EIGHT talented aspiring choreographers were awarded a special two-week mentorship program at Adelaide’s Dance Hub in December, thanks to its Young Artist Program (YAP). The participants were drawn from an open call for applicants. They are Andrew Barnes, Cayleigh Davies, Sam Hall, Jazz Hriskin, Jacinta Jeffries, Chloe Moir, Petra Szabo Heath and Mimi Yoshii. They were mentored by South Australian choreographer Alison Currie in a program of practice-led composition, performance tasks, sharing and independent studio sessions to develop a short choreographic investigation. At the end of the fortnight they presented the outcome at Dance Hub SA’s studio at the Lion Arts Centre. Their choreography can be further developed through career pathways offered by Dance Hub SA, such as its flagship Artist in Residence program or presentations at arts festivals.…

“TO me dance is everything. What I love about dance is that you're able to escape from reality, you become a different person, your spirit comes out and takes over.” When dance is everything there are no unsurmountable obstacles and fear only makes you try harder. Lillian Banks is still at the beginning of her story, but that beginning is already infused with triumphs. Confidence has been Lillian Banks’s ally from the start. “My sisters and I would always perform in front of the family, singing songs and creating dance routines,” she recalls. “I would be leading them, telling them what to do, while they would be following behind me. I was always in the centre-front.” In primary school, the young Lillian was part of the Dream Time Dancers, a…

ALBERT Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. This is a mantra that syllabus organisation and dance societies in Australia embraced during the year of uncharted waters. Never have the benefits of belonging for dance studios, teachers and students been more keenly felt than in 2020. Mental health and wellness support; business and technical assistance; Covid-safe templates for studios; syllabi resources and online competitions as well as opportunities to connect and support each other are just some of the initiatives syllabus and dance teaching organisations have put in place to support their members. As the growing enormity of the health crisis started becoming apparent and people were reeling from the disorientation of lockdowns and life-interrupted, dance societies such as ATOD, Cecchetti and COMDANCE became beacons of hope,…

The Youth America Grand Prix has been forging ahead despite the pandemic. The YAGP 2021 Season Asia Pacific Virtual semi-finals were held in December, 2020, and featured more than 400 students, aged nine to 20, of which 202 were from Australia. All performed in studios and in their homes while 16 directors and representatives of the world’s most prestigious dance schools and companies – from seven countries and many different time zones – tuned in to watch the performances and teach master classes virtually, via zoom. As a result, more than $150,000 in scholarships were awarded to 113 talented young dancers to attend eight of the world’s leading dance schools. Fourteen Australian dancers placed among the top winners – and 45 won scholarships to such pre-eminent schools as the Royal…

Just in time for lockdown, in March 2020, the new arts and culture streaming platform Marquee TV became available in Australia and New Zealand. It currently has around 250 dance titles in its catalogue, from the Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake starring Svetlana Zakharova to English National Ballet’s modern Giselle by Akram Khan and the recent Crystal Pite offerings: Betroffenheit and Revisor. Kathleya Afanador, Head of Content, says that contemporary dance is doing particularly well on the platform. One of the reasons is that contemporary dance lends itself so well to being filmed. Crystal Pite’s Betroffenheit is a prime example. Not only did Betroffenheit win the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 2017, the film itself, directed by British director Jeff Tudor, won the Rose d’Or (Arts) and Golden…

How long have you been teaching? During my professional career I coached and taught ballet classes sporadically. However for the last two years I have been more involved in teaching as daily work. What drew you to teaching? The journey to become a dancer requires intelligence, physical attributes and a hunger for the pursuit of excellence. This sounds like a simple formula; however, it is a difficult path and requires absolute commitment. Having spent thousands of hours refining my art and honing my body I wanted to pass on what I have learnt. It is my hope that perhaps I can help to make a young dancer’s journey that much richer by helping them to understand how unique and special they are. I believe it is their vulnerabilities that can…

Do you specialise in a particular age group? Initially, I taught pre-professional students and professionals. I began teaching in the degree program at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University, as well as classes for American Ballet Theatre and Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company. On my return to Australia I continued teaching these groups as well as teaching children from their first ballet class upwards at the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet (now Melbourne Conservatoire of Ballet). Has the coronavirus lockdown left you with lasting changes to the way you teach? Yes, I feel it has. I had to ensure corrections were more positive and verbally accurate on “how to improve” as I was aware of the difficulties each of my students were coping with daily and the commitment that each…

AT the time of writing, I was expecting to hear the result from my COVID test. As thanks for being a dad, and living with young snotty noses, this was my third such occasion; never has the family cold been so inconvenient! In fact, life has become tiresome by necessity, with uncomfortable tests and awkward rubbing of elbows, while keeping 1.5 metres, all within a seated two metres squared. Do not forget the COVID survey, and sterilising, before another Zoom, showing off your rounded “iso-body”, to hear you are now paid less, and then perhaps not at all ... after-all, who can predict the future? Anxious and depressed anyone? Oddly, considering all the inconvenience, hardship, lives lost and news channels spreading ubiquitous pandemic gloom, I have also been buoyed by…

“It’s not all about how high your legs are or how many pirouettes you can do, it’s all about how you do it.” Where are you from? I am from Wellington, New Zealand. Where did you undertake your full-time studies? National Theatre Ballet School, St Kilda. What level of educationhad you attained before beginning your full-time dance training? I have level 1 NCEA and have credits towards level 2. Did you make any unexpected discoveries while undertaking your full-time studies? I had to really work on adage in pointe shoes. I find adage the most hardest thing in ballet and adding a pointe shoe was very hard! I took a lot of time just standing on one leg balancing in a pointe shoe just to get a feel for it…