Steve Rooks, an amazing modern dance talent from New York, visited Sydney this January to join the faculty at the 2007 International Summer School, held at McDonald College.

Steve Rooks, currently the Associate Professor of Dance and Resident Choreographer for Vassar College, New York, was a principle dancer for Martha Graham Dance Company for ten years! Auditioned and taught by Martha Graham herself, Rooks joined the company in 1981 and performed in 24 worldwide tours, visiting areas such as Asia, Alaska, and South America.

Deborah Searle had the pleasure of interviewing the esteemed dancer, choreographer and inspirational teacher on his recent visit.

This is a must read interview for all those older dance students who are just starting training!

D: You have had such an amazing career. Where and when did it all first start?

S: Believe it or not, I was in college when I began dancing, at about 19 years of age. I was completing a music major and planning a career in music, not dance at all. But then the Dance Theatre of Harlem visited my college and my friends convinced me to go. As soon as the curtain went up I was transformed. Shaking with excitement I knew I had to dance!

D: So what kick-started your career?

S: With my new found love of dance I started to take some classes at night. Greg Reynolds, of the Greg Reynolds Dance Quintet (the first company I ever joined) saw me and told me to start training straight away, as I was starting quite late. So I began to train very hard and I auditioned for a scholarship and won it! My first international tour was actually to Australia! I toured with the Greg Reynolds Dance Quintet to Tasmania.

'As soon as the curtain went up I was transformed. Shaking with excitement I knew I had to dance!'

D: So do you think that starting late affected your career at all?

S: Well, I was more of a mover than a technician, so not really. I just had to work really hard and have no down time. I even went to the barre on my honeymoon! I loved the challenge. I wasn't intimidated by starting late. A teacher at Alvin Ailey actually pulled me aside one day and told me that it was too late, but I was determined, and doors opened. I am very thankful to God for opening so many doors for me.

S: Before Martha Graham I danced at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. I auditioned for a scholarship and was blessed enough to receive it so I moved to New York. It was a big shock to the system. I went from taking 5 dance classes a week to 18! I lost 20 pounds! It was very intense. I shared an apartment with many other dancers, so it was a real experience.

D: So was Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre your stepping stone to Martha Graham?

S: Yes, I was promoted to the Workshop Company and then the Junior Company at Alvin Ailey. I was touring with the Junior Company when I was offered a contract at Martha Graham. I was a scholarship student at Martha Graham and the General Director approached me and asked me to learn one of Martha's ballets - the Yellow Variation of Diversion of Angles. I then spent a month learning and rehearsing it and performed it to Martha - I was very excited to be given the opportunity to perform to Martha and did not expect anything out of it. Although, to my delight I was offered a position in the company! It was a dream come true.

'My first international tour was actually to Australia!'

D: What was it like to work under the legendary Martha Graham, known as the mother of modern dance?

S: It was an amazing experience. There were five fantasy companies that I dreamed about joining when I moved to New York and Martha Graham was one of them. When I was offered the position it was very clear to me that I wanted to stay and learn what I could from the amazing woman. I learnt the valuable and challenging Martha Graham technique, I technically improved and grew from strength to strength, plus I got to travel a lot. It was a rich experience. I was lucky enough to be under Martha's guidance for the duration of my career at her company, as she died just three weeks after I left the company.

I still do guest teaching at the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham Schools of Dance. I was actually teaching at Martha Graham just before coming to Australia.

D: So what were you teaching here in Australia at the 2007 International Summer School?

S: I was teaching modern and contemporary dance. I focused mainly on contemporary dance, rather than modern technique as the dancers were predominantly strongly ballet trained, not modern trained. I really enjoyed it and the students were very talented.

D: So what is very perception of young Australian dancers?

S: All of the students have been a pleasure to teach. They have so much focus and energy and they were very eager, really embracing the work.

D: Did you notice a difference in style and technique between American and Australian dancers?

S: Dancers have very strong technique here. It seems that RAD Ballet is serving Australia well. A lot of the dancers at the International Summer School had very good training and well formed legs and feet.

D: So you have enjoyed your time in Australia? Are you planning to come back?

S: I have loved it! Australia is wonderful. I would love to come back, I'd come back in an instant. The International Summer School was such a success, so I hope that it will be held in 2008. I would love to come back for it.

D: Finally, do you have any words of wisdom for young dancers who want to go professional with Modern dance?

S: These days dancers need to be prepared to move about a lot and do freelance work. They must be aware of that. I feel that it is important to realise that the journey is just as or even more important than the destination. You need to relish the process and take every class as a very important part of the journey. Your time in the studio is so precious. We need to remember that. Be process driven not product driven!

'the journey is just as or even more important than the destination. You need to relish the process and take every class as a very important part of the journey. Your time in the studio is so precious!

The 2007 International Summer School

The 2007 International Summer School was held at the McDonald College studios from January 15th to 27th for students 8 years of age to professional level. Offering courses in Classical Ballet, Traditional Spanish Dance, Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, National Character, Repertoire, Pointe, Variations, Pas De Deux, Conditioning and Exercise Programs, Pilates, Stage Craft and Theatrical Mine, the Summer School had wide appeal and offered a varied program for both dancers and teachers.

The International Summer School was an outstanding success in its debut year. It was directed by Jacqui Dumont (ARAD, Adv. Teaching Dip. Grad Cert Ed (Visual & Performing Arts)), who was the former Principal of the Outreach Program at The Royal Ballet School, London.

'It was very, very rewarding' says Ms Jacqui Dumont, 'It generated a wonderful feeling with students from everywhere and the calibre of the teaching faculty was amazing. It was a big undertaking, but so fabulous!'

The Summer School attracted over 230 students from all over the country, plus many international students, including dancers from Malaysia, Noumea and New Zealand. 'It was just magical', remarked Ms Dumont, 'the students all want to come back next year!'

With such a great reception to the program and teaching staff, Ms Dumont is already looking at holding an International Summer School in 2008!

Check this space for all the details! Dance informa will keep you informed about the 2008 International Summer School!