By Laura Di Orio.

At the age of 18 months, when most kids are perfecting their walk, Reed Luplau was beginning to dance. His mom ran a dance studio, Jody Marshall Dance Company, in Perth, Australia, and there Luplau grew up in the studio learning jazz, musical theater and acrobatics. His dancing allowed him a successful, memorable career in Australia and has since landed him in the United States, where he is now a permanent resident and lives in New York City. But he’s much more than just a dancer now; he also has choreographing, teaching and, most recently, acting, under his belt. And his expectations are still sky high. With his plate of skills forever growing, it is no doubt that Luplau, already a star, is growing brighter and brighter every day. He is a man on a mission, and nothing seems to stop him.

“I pretty much didn’t know any other life than dancing,” said Luplau, who ironically says he didn’t discover ballet until 14 years old when he saw his first classical production, West Australian Ballet’s Coppélia. He said he thought, “What is this? What’s going on? You can be paid to dance?”

This first sprouted more trips to the ballet, where he was also exposed to the company’s more contemporary works by choreographers such as Hans van Manen and Nacho Duato. Luplau was hooked. He decided to seek out a ballet school to train part-time, and then, at the age of 15, was accepted into The Australian Ballet School and packed his bags, left his family behind and moved to Melbourne to train full-time.

Reed Luplau in performance with Lydia Johnson Dance in NYC. Photo by Kokyat.

From there, Luplau ventured to Sydney to dance with the Sydney Dance Company under the direction of Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon. His dance career was beginning to blossom – he was the poster boy during his second year with the company for one of Murphy’s new works, he was nominated for numerous awards and he was often a chosen dancer for outside choreographers.

One of those choreographers was Aszure Barton, a New York-based choreographer who created a work on Luplau and two other company members.

“She really changed a lot of my view of dance in Australia,” Reed recalls. “She kind of pushed my buttons and was like, ‘Reed, do you need to move? What are you doing here? Grow up. You need to come follow me to the States.’”

So, when Luplau was offered another contract with Sydney Dance Company, he turned it down and, in February 2010, moved to New York for good. “Just a hunch,” he says of his decision to move.

Since arriving in New York City, Luplau has danced with Stephen Petronio Company, Aszure Barton and Artists, Lydia Johnson Dance and Compagnie Julie Bour, among others. In September 2011, Luplau joined Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, which, for him, has been extremely rewarding.

“[Lar] is such a legend and he’s a dancemaker. It’s been such an honor to be involved with him, create with him and dance his beautiful work,” Luplau says.

Also in New York City, Luplau works with his agent and books gigs, such as a promo for Teen Nick and a dancing stint for the Lucille Lortel Awards opening night. In this way, he finds life as a dancer in the Big Apple different from the life of a concert or contemporary ballet dancer in Australia.

“The opportunity to be able to do things that come up has been fantastic – the versatility that comes with it,” Luplau says. “It’s not so one-stream. In this city the way you survive is you’ve got to book that job and take whatever you can get.”

Still, as an Australian with an O-1 Visa, there were jobs that Luplau couldn’t go for because of his status. So, rather than renewing his Visa, he made the investment in his career and applied for permanent resident status. It became official in August of this year.

Reed Luplau. Photo courtesy of Energetiks. www.energetiks.com.au

“I didn’t want to reapply for another Visa because I was just going to be doing the same things, and, for me, I need to keep evolving and I need to keep pushing my boundaries,” Luplau says. “That’s why I moved here. I would not have moved out of my home and become the struggling artist, to be honest, if I didn’t believe in it and if I didn’t want to push it. It’s expensive, but it was something I had to do.”

Luplau is convinced it will be worth it. Already he has been to his first Broadway call and did The Last Goodbye workshop, where he met Sonya Tayeh and Alex Timbers, both of whom Luplau says he never thought he would have met in his life.

Then one day, Luplau got a casting call for a feature film, 5 Dances, a predominately dance-focused film directed by Alan Brown. Luplau, who had never read lines before and had never had to portray someone else, went in for the call. A month later he was called back, and after a less-structured, improv-based callback, Brown told him, “I really like you. You can’t act, but we’re going to hire you.”

So Luplau, ever-evolving in his skill set, tried his best. The movie wrapped and is slated for an early 2013 release. By the end of the process, Luplau was so inspired that he sought out an acting school in order to serve his next quest: Broadway.

“It’s doable and I can do it,” Luplau says. “I want to do so much in the short time that we have on this earth, and Broadway is the next thing I want to do, so it’s time to figure out what to do and how to get there.”

With the help of the 5 Dances casting agent and Alan Brown, Luplau found an acting school that would fit in well with his dance schedule, where he has been studying since September.

“It’s a struggle,” Luplau admits, “but it’s something I believe in and it’s something I want to transition into. It’s challenging. I’ve been dancing for so long. Not that I don’t find dance that challenging anymore, but to be able to speak and portray someone else is difficult. I’m only two months in and I’m like, ‘Give me more.’”

It is this determination and thirst for more that makes Luplau’s goals seem just an arm stretch away. He understands that the world of Broadway is a competitive and challenging one, but he continues to strive.

“I feel that with all these extra tools that I’m picking up, it’s something that I want to do, and I’m very serious about it,” Luplau ensures. “That’s what I’m focusing on.”

That said, however, Luplau points out that New York City is one that is best lived moment to moment. “I remember I used to have such a clear vision,” Luplau says. “I mean, I have a vision of where I’d like to be, but five years from now I can’t tell you where I’ll be. Not that it sets you up for failure, but sometimes it sets you up for disappointment because it’s just life. Life just changes like that. This city and the way that everything is, you have to live day by day. Or check by check.”

But no matter where Luplau may be one year from now, one month from now or one week from now, it is sure that he will still be pushing his boundaries.

For more on Reed Luplau, head to his website at www.reedluplau.com/index.html.

Top photo of Reed features fashion by Energetiks dancewear. www.energetiks.com.au

By Stephanie Wolf.

Since its launch in 2002, Aszure Barton & Artists has astounded audiences with its innovative productions. Performing the dynamic choreography of its artistic leader, Aszure Barton, the evocative troupe continues to carve out its own space in the vast genre of contemporary dance with an ambitious fall schedule that will take the company to three different countries and highlight two of Barton’s exploratory works.

With featured works for some of the world’s most reputable dance companies as well as original choreography for Broadway, film and television, installation projects, and special outreach initiatives, Barton has earned international acclaim as an artist on her own accord. Her accolades are impressive, including the Banff Centre’s 2012 Koerner Award for Choreography, and she is the Official Ambassador of Contemporary Choreography in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. But her progressive company of artists offers her the opportunity to delve in even deeper to her artistic vision, allowing for a more intimate atmosphere and extensive collaboration with other artistic disciplines.

Aszure Barton. Photo by George Lange

Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Barton began her journey with movement as a young child. She received her formal training at the prestigious National Ballet School in Toronto and, from early on, her choreographic voice began to take shape. “I choreographed when I was a child and then started showing the work publicly on stage at fifteen at the National Ballet School,” she says. Barton has always loved both moving and making movement, but she sites choreographing as her “deepest passion” and most “fulfilling form of communication.”

A number of different artists inspire Barton choreographically, including Brahms, Gene Kelly, and Samuel Becket, to name a few. But it’s clear that her dancers and collaborators are a highly integral part of the creative process. She is drawn to dancers who exhibit “honesty, commitment and trust” as well as an interest and willingness to collaborate. She finds artists in “many different ways,” and is thankful “there are so many incredible dancers in the world.” When describing the aesthetic of her company and the style of her movement, Barton uses adjectives like “constant evolution, heart-driven, fun, [and] sensitive.” Yet, her process is not defined by any specifics and varies from piece to piece.

Awáa by Aszure Barton & Artists. Photo by Kim Williams

This fall, ten dancers and a team of twelve collaborators will join Barton and embark on an international tour, which will take the ensemble of artists to Austria, Arizona, and numerous cities across Canada. The troupe will present two of Barton’s collaborative works, Awáa and Busk.

Awáa, one of Barton’s more recent works, received its European premiere in October in Austria. With an “original sound score” designed by Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin and Curtis Macdonald, Barton says the piece “considers the hard and the soft, the curved and the sharp memories of the feminine…the work has everything to do with the artists involved and the time spent creating together.” With a continuously developing and evolving artistic outlook, Barton hopes the piece will offer something new and engaging for its viewers and participants. “I am a strong believer in allowing the dance to speak for itself and I hope that each person present will have their own individual experience with no imposed limitations.”

Tobin Del Cuore and Lara Barclay perform in Awáa. Photo by Kim Williams

Creating Awáa involved a three-month process at the Banff Centre in Canada. During this time, Barton and her team of artists constructed each element of the work: music, film, lighting, costumes, and movement. “Everything was created simultaneously in residence. It was a dense and very intense process. The artists worked their [butts] off, and I am very proud of what we accomplished together.”

Barton says touring plays a “significant role” in the company. However, she stresses that “creation and process” are truly at its core. As the company and her commissions continue to grow, Barton maintains her humbleness and gratitude towards her collaborators and supporters. Her ambitions are unpretentious, candid, and to the point. In the coming years, she plans “to continue creating with fantastic people.” When asked what is on the horizon for her choreographically, she replies simply, “lots of creation.”

Aszure Barton is going to be awarded Canada’s Arts & Letters Award in November at the Maple Ball in NYC.

Top photo: AB&A’s Awáa – Aszure Barton by George Lange.

Baruch Performing Arts Center, New York City
August 2011

By Laura Di Orio

In its fourth year, The Latin Choreographers Festival is evidently evolving. This year’s program, curated by its founder and director, Ursula Verduzco (who also choreographed, danced and created costumes for pieces on the program), was expansive in its dance genre, musical choices and feel. It reaffirmed that every artist has a voice, has something to say, and should be given the opportunity to do so.

Works by 12 choreographers of Latin descent, and one by Aszure Barton, this year’s chosen non-Latin choreographer, were featured at New York City’s Baruch Performing Arts Center, a new home for the festival. Some of these names were new to me, while others I was familiar with, but in all I was greatly in awe of the choreographers’ dedication to their work and of the dancers’ commitment to it as well.

Steven Gray and Jennifer Pray in Eloy Barragan's 'Some Day'. Photo by Rachel Neville

A favorite, ‘Some Day’, choreographed by Eloy Barragan, and danced beautifully by Steven Gray and Jennifer Pray, blew me away. The pull between ‘Some Day’s’ softness and passion made you feel for the couple, clad in neutral, muted tones, during their times of loneliness and of harmony.

‘Maria’, Antonia Urzua’s work, featured passionate partnering between dancers and also between music (it’s set to a fusion of Tracy Chapman and Arvo Part, which worked unexpectedly well). At one point, one dancer lifted and swung another via a back brace with handles. The characters became, in more ways than one, less attached, and it was relationship full of reaction.

Another highlight was David Fernandez’s ‘La Danza del Fernando’, a dance with a strong undercurrent of narrative story and, at times, elements of humor, intrigue and surprise. Roberto Lara made for a stunning hero, and it was nice to see Fernandez on the stage as well.

Verduzco and Fredrick Davis were technically strong and funny in gestural dialogue in Benjamin Briones’ ‘Lights On’. And Alejandro Chavez’s ‘Triangulo’, with three nearly identical men in appearance and dance style, told the story of an intense love triangle. Music by Fazil Say accompanied it well, telling the story alongside the movement, and the moments of stillness were just as powerful as the most energetic ones.

Rounding out the program was Barton’s ‘Blue Soup’, with a diverse crop of dancers from The Steps Repertory Ensemble, all dressed in business suits. The piece was smart, funny, and certainly polished.

Aside from a few awkward lighting transitions (a couple of pieces were also unfortunately too dimly lit), and a somewhat lengthy program (although I’m sure it was tough to narrow it down), Verduzco showcased a batch of insightful artists. I’m excited to see what’s in store for next year’s Festival.

Top photo: Ursula Verduzco and Fredrick Davis in Benjamin Briones’ ‘Lights On’. Photo by Rachel Neville