By Rebecca Martin

“With over 20 years of experience behind me I have seen the evolution of dance through the 90′s and the following decade and can honestly say that MBC has evolved faster than I ever would have dreamt. The technique and quality of the dancers do justice to the demanding choreographic works. The dedication and skill of our artistic team, our dancers and, of course, our audience has brought us this far. In order to maintain a high quality of dance and a well earned high profile we now look to New York for dancers with goals and drive, passion and precision and a true adoration of dance.” -Robert C Kelly, Ballet Master/Choreographer

Melbourne Ballet Company is thrilled to be holding its first auditions outside of Australia in 2012. On January 15^th, Artistic Director Alisa Finney and Principal Dancer Sharon Fernandez will utilize the world famous Ailey Studios on 55^th Street, New York, for its auditions. Consisting of a classical class, MBC contemporary repertoire workshop, pointe work, and partnering, the audition will put dancers through their paces, ensuring the high standard of performance expected of Melbourne Ballet Company is upheld. Short-term season contracts will be offered as well as traineeships to young graduate dancers.

Having returned from Las Vegas in August 2010 where Finney and Fernandez were guest lecturers at the Dance Teacher Web Conference & Expo, they realized there was a huge demand from dancers in the US to work with Melbourne Ballet Company. In addition to interest from American dancers, Australians living abroad were also keen to have the opportunity to dance back home.

Melbourne Ballet Company has previously featured international dancers including Mikhael Plain from California, Shannon Ellis from Canada, three dancers from Paris, two from Italy, two from Japan, three from New Zealand, and one from South America. The company hopes to take a full season to the US in 2013.

Alisa Finney and the staff at the Gay Wightman School of Ballet in Melbourne will also be taking 100 people to Los Angeles in April 2012 for a 10-day student performance and study tour. The dancers have five performances in venues including Disneyland, California Adventure Park, Universal Studios and Hollywood Boulevard. The students will also be attending Master Classes and workshops at top LA dance institutions.

Alisa Finney in 2007, with resident choreographer Simon Hoy and Principal dancer Sharon Fernandez founded the Melbourne Ballet Company. The team had a vision to create a contemporary ballet company that upheld a commitment to classical technique. Over the past four years the company has presented nine original programs, incorporating over 30 works that have been acclaimed by MBC audiences.

New York Audition
Sunday January 15th 2012, 3pm – 5pm
The Ailey Studios The Joan Weill Centre for Dance
405 West 55th Street New York, NY 10019

Candidates will be auditioned in a classical ballet class, pointe work, partnering and contemporary workshop conducted by Melbourne Ballet Company Artistic Staff. Depending on the number of candidates, there may be more than one class. Candidates will be grouped into classes in order of sign-in. A recall class may follow the initial audition class, and a brief interview with Artistic Staff will also normally be conducted for the final short-list. Audition cost: $30.00 payable on the audition day.

For further information, contact the Artistic Director Alisa Finney on +61450959769 or info@melbourneballetcompany.com.au
www.melbourneballetcompany.com.au

Project Six: Moment of Inertia Photo Michelle McLellan

By Grace Edwards.

Melbourne Ballet Company auditions are underway for its sixth project, Moment of Inertia, to open this December. Applicants are lining up around the block. “I’m getting about ten applications a day from beautiful, highly trained dancers in Australia and internationally who all want to be a part of Project Six”,  says Artistic Director Alisa Finney. “When I see all these beautiful resumés coming in, it just makes me more determined to keep MBC going so that we can continue providing opportunities for them.”

Determination has been Melbourne Ballet Company’s driving force since day one, and in the two years since their ‘relaunch’ in 2007. The company has created twenty world premieres. For Finney, the company’s success has been a dream come true. “I always knew that it would be my destiny to one day take Melbourne Ballet Company into the future and make it something big”, she informs me, “I just needed the right people around me.”

Enter Sharon Fernandez and Simon Hoy. Although in one sense Melbourne Ballet Company has been around since 1963 when Finney’s mother, former Borovansky ballerina Gay Wightman, registered the name and under it ran full-length ballets, the company really began to take shape after Finney met Fernandez and Hoy.

“Sharon is the perfect muse for Simon’s choreography”, Finney gushes. “The way her body moves and her talent, just brings out the best in his choreography. He gets inspired by her, so they really work well together, much as they sometimes frustrate each other in the studio”,  she adds with a wry grin.

Moment of Inertia will feature three works by Hoy, one of them in partnership with Robert Kelly, as well as a new work from the Australian Ballet’s Remi Wörtmeyer entitled Impromptu Fantasy. The company’s previous project Believe gained positive reviews and Hoy’s fluid, contemporary-edged style particularly caught the attention of critics. Though Hoy is currently in Europe working on Switzerland’s Rosenberg Ball production and with Quorum Ballet in Lisbon, he will no doubt return in time to begin preparations for Project Six.

Alisa Finney, Artistic Director. Photo Michelle McLellan

Dancers involved in the upcoming programme will need to be able to cope with the company’s tight production schedule. “It’s really important”, Finney stresses, “because each day they will be learning so much content, particularly in the first week and a half.”

Typically, Hoy and Fernandez get into the studio as early as possible, workshopping and filming movements before the dancers are chosen. “The piece is pretty much done before the dancers come in”, says Sharon Fernandez. “Simon and I workshop together and he comes up with different phrases. Then the dancers come in and I teach it to them and Simon will change bits and pieces and then cast it. So the backbone is done before the dancers get there, but then again”, adds Fernandez earnestly, “we obviously don’t know what dancers are going to come in so there’s a lot of work. It is definitely a tight schedule.”

Each Melbourne Ballet Company audition involves an open class followed by a pointe class, a contemporary workshop with repertoire from previous seasons and finally, a partnering class. Fluidity, clean technique, good floor work and correct detail are among the qualities which Finney and Fernandez will be eyeing. “They really have to be able to take on board corrections”, Finney insists. “Even with the pliés, we won’t be giving your standard pliés that dancers would do every morning. We vary it a little bit to see who listened to that different arm or leg.”

Aside from the hustle and bustle of production preparations and auditions at MBC, the company also runs workshops and a thirteen level training programme for talented, young dancers. The first group will be sitting their MBC exams in December. “The ultimate goal is to train dancers into the company. I’m passionate about correct training because it’s always so sad to see young dancers who haven’t had that and it’s upsetting for the dancers when they realise that too.”

Alternately frustrating and exhilarating, dance is clearly the tie that binds the ballet trio of Finney, Fernandez and Hoy together. “I love dancing, give me a stage and I’ll just jump on it”, chuckles Fernandez. As for Finney? “Dance is my whole life, it’s my passion and it’s what I was born to do. I just love it, and I feel so lucky every day that I’m doing what I love as my job.”

For more information about Melbourne Ballet Company’s  audition tours, training programme and  upcoming season, Moment of Inertia, 16-20 December 2009, see their website www.melbourneballetcompany.com.au or become a fan on the company’s official Facebook page, which also features footage, interviews, blogs and reviews.

Very top photo: Tom Bradley by Michelle McLellan