Dance Teacher workshops not to be missed – this January and February across Australia.

Classes in Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Street Tap, Classical Ballet, National Character and Pre School.
Workshops across QLD, VIC, NSW, ACT and WA from Jan 20th.

Get inspired for the 2010 dance school year!

Email admin@atod.net.au for more information and to register.

Frame and Circle

The 2010 Adelaide Festival will host the world premiere season of Frame and Circle – a masterful new two‐part production from South Australia’s award‐winning Leigh Warren & Dancers showcasing the talents of two of Australia’s most creative contemporary choreographers, Leigh Warren and Prue Lang. Comprising two dance works – Rubicon (choreographed by Lang) and Meridian (choreographed by Warren) ‐ Frame and Circle will be presented at the Space Theatre (Adelaide Festival Centre) from 10–14 March 2010.

The production marks a home‐coming for Paris‐based Lang and is the first time the two award‐winning choreographers have worked in a program together. An internationally acclaimed dancer in her own right, Lang is also the creative force behind some of the most ambitious choreographic works currently being made in Europe. Born in Melbourne, Lang was invited to France in 1996 to join Compagnie L’Esquisse and later joined Forsythe’s revolutionary Frankfurt Ballet (1999–2004).

Over the past five years, Lang has created numerous critically acclaimed productions including the multi‐award winning performance‐installation Infinite Temporal Series (2006). Rubicon is the latest development away from Lang’s Infinite Temporal Series.

With a production team boasting two of Australia’s leading theatrical artisans – Mary Moore (set & costume design) and Margie Medlin (lighting design), Frame and Circle promises to engage, provoke and inspire audiences in this – its highly anticipated, world premiere season.

Leigh Warren and Dancers – Frame and Circle
Dates: March 10th‐13th, 7.00pm & March 14, 5.00pm
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Contact: BASS 131 246 or www.adelaidefestival.com.au

Photo:  Tony Lewis

On December 17th students from Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance took over The Palms at Crown for an evening of spectacular live performances including singing, dancing, and acting. The Dance Jam extravaganza showcased Melbourne’s hottest and freshest choreographers across all ages and genres.

Dance Informa was there to share in the excitement. Look out for the review in the Feb/Mar Edition.
In the meantime,  enjoy these photos taken by Dance Photographer Belinda Strodder.

All photographs are subject to copyright. Dance Photography by Belinda. www.dancephotography.net.au belinda@dancephotography.net.au

Love Latin dance, music and culture? Then make sure that you samba up to Sydney Olympic Park for the Sydney Latino Festival. The Festival is held from Thursday 28th January to Sunday 31st.

The Festival is a great chance to experience the passion and excitement of Latin dance, music and culture. Spanning over 4 nights and 3 days, the event attracts thousands of dancers from all over the world.

Here’s what you’ll experience: Live Dance Performances over 4 Nights!
During the year, the Festival’s artistic director, Jaime Jesus travels the world selecting Latin dance performers to fill the event’s 4 nights of shows. His selection for 2010 include International guests from Europe, USA, Mexico, New Zealand and Asia. You’ll get set to see some of THE BEST Latin dancers in the world!

For more information visit www.SydneyLatinoFestival.com.au
Tickets available from $45

So how do you stay in shape over the holidays?

By Paul Ransom.  

Do dancers take holidays? While the rest of us are pigging out over Christmas dinner and loading up at silly season parties, dancers – like athletes – are probably wondering how to survive the break in shape. (Or at least they should be, according to the experts).

After 45 years teaching generations of aspiring dancers, the doyenne of Sydney’s classical tuition scene, Tanya Pearson has arrived at a comfortable formula for surviving the holiday hiatus. She calls it “Limber, Stretch, Conditioning”.

“If my students go on holidays the one thing I say to them is ‘okay, your brain needs a holiday, probably your feet need a holiday, but to whatever music you like you can do the Limber, Stretch, Conditioning programme and that will keep you in shape and save you a lot of money going to Pilates, etc’.”

The core challenge here is to strike a balance between rest and maintenance. “I like them to rest for two weeks,” Pearson says. “No classes, no jumping, etc. Then, after that, I like them to ease back into classes; but mainly just for stretching and conditioning.”

Meanwhile, over in the searing dry heat of Adelaide, Move Through Life Dance Company don’t break for the summer. Artistic Director, Jo McDonald stresses, “I think it’s important to take time out and rejuvenate but of course this means you’ll lose condition. So it’s important to plan a holiday programme; for example, taking a break for a week while maintaining other exercise, like walking. It’s also important to plan your return to full training. Taking a complete break from dance and exercise can be dangerous because you are then primed for an injury when you return to class.”  

But of course dancing is not just about the body. “It’s important to maintain the mental focus,” McDonald emphasises. “Mental imagery and mental rehearsal can be very important. While you may not have the opportunity to practise exercises or choreography, it’s a good idea to mentally rehearse; maybe when you’re in the shower or something.”

One of the big challenges of the Christmas period is dealing with the temptation to over eat. Diet is considered to be an essential part of conditioning. Former SYTYCD star Anthony Ikin, who now runs his own schools on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, is no exception.

“We encourage our dancers to stay fit and healthy over the Christmas period,” he begins. “As we all know, it’s important to eat in moderation; y’know, two serves of fruit and five of veg every day. Remember to always stay hydrated too, especially over the warmer months.”

However, Tanya Pearson takes a slightly different view. Students at her Classical Coaching Academy are not entombed in the usual dietary pyramid. “I don’t look in their lunch boxes,” she says. “I believe you can be too extreme about that. You have to make the dancers accept responsibility for their own bodies rather than tell them. It’s the correct way of working that shapes your body, not just the diet. After hours, I say be a normal person.”

As much as the summer break might present hurdles, the warmer weather also provides advantages, particularly for those keen to stretch and limber. “Hot weather provides a great opportunity to work on flexibility,” Anthony Ikin points out.

However, there is a limit, as Jo McDonald is keen to stress. “Of course, no matter what exercise you do, during the more extreme hot days it’s really important to ensure you drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.”

In addition, as Tanya Pearson notes, not all exercise is ideal for a dancer. Whilst Pilates and the various forms of yoga are great for core strength and muscle lengthening there are some things she believes dancers should avoid. “I don’t think it’s good for dancers to do much jogging because it affects their calves and shins.”

And then of course, there’s the question of summer workshops. Although these tend to be aimed at only the ‘student’ market there is enough variety on offer to give anyone something to enrol in. As Anthony Ikin says, “The holidays provide mass opportunity to take structure out of weekly compulsory classes and allow students to expand their knowledge and skill set by attending casual classes and workshops.”

According to Jo McDonald the holidays are also an excellent time to stop and think about what you want from training.  “Think about your strengths and weaknesses,” she advises. “Maybe it’s technical (like pirouettes), artistic, physical, or even psycho-social; for instance, are you getting enough sleep? Once you’ve considered these aspects you can set some reasonable goals for the coming year.”

Point being, whatever you get up to over the summer break, your focus, no doubt, will be on your plans for 2010. So, may you all step-ball change into the New Year with renewed energy and passion!
Photo: Dancers of Move Through Life Dance Company. Cathy Chittleborough, Karen Humphreys, Kelly Mortiz

Are youth dance companies choreographing the industry’s next big steps?

By Paul Ransom.

“It develops artists, rather than just dancers,” says Ruth Osborne, Artistic Director of the QL2 Centre for Youth Dance in Canberra.

What she’s referring to is the burgeoning but still often overlooked ‘youth dance’ sector in Australia. From her base in the nation’s capital, Osborne works tirelessly to foster not only the next generation of talent but the whole idea of specialist, serious youth dance companies.

“A youth dance company can be all sorts of things to all sorts of people,” she expands. “It’s a really good base for those wanting a career in dance … For others, it gives them an opportunity to perform with other like-minded people who are willing to commit to a five or six month project together; but perhaps they’re not going to choose dance as a career. It gives those people a great opportunity to still have dance in their lives without having to take on the full commitment of a profession.”

Meanwhile, tucked away in Launceston, Tasmania, another of this country’s passionate youth dance advocates, Becky Hilton from Stompin’ is keen to dispense with some of the limiting misnomers that surround youth dance. “I think of it as a completely valid expression of the artform in itself,” she states firmly. “Young people have really incredible things to say about what it is to be young. Youth dance is not ‘on the way’ to somewhere, it is somewhere.”

For Hilton, ‘youth’ is not an excuse, not a convenient get out clause. “I’m not comfortable with the qualifiers,” she argues. “Its good art, rather than this patronising ‘let’s teach them how to dance so they can get a real job’ kinda thing.”

What that means for the dancers at Stompin’ is very clear. “Nobody wants to be in a piece of rubbish. It doesn’t matter how great the process was or how supported or validated you feel if the end result is something you’re embarrassed about, it kind of cancels all that out.”

Back at QL2, Ruth Osborne concurs. Of her own charges, she notes, “It’s great to see young people really committed to full length performances, rather than three minute numbers.”

youMove Company performing in This Way Up, Photography by Heidrun Lohr, Choreography by Jodie McNeilly

As the driving force behind Sydney’s youMove Company, Kay Armstrong is equally fired up. Companies like hers she contends, are absolutely critical to maintaining the health of the broader Australian dance community and, therefore, have a duty to insist on high standards.

“Young people are tomorrow,” she affirms. “They are the ambassadors of the dance form for the years to come; and the experience that they have now will impact on the depth of investigation that will occur in dance in the future … The word ‘youth’ doesn’t have to preclude sophistication or innovative ways of making dance. I think it should include all of those things and more.”

Beneath all the ‘industry’ and ‘career’ chatter though, youth dance companies serve an even deeper purpose, something that goes beyond mere apprenticeship. For young dancers, Armstrong insists, the experience is often transforming. “They find themselves in it. It’s about waking up to their own power. I’ve seen it happen this year with the guys in youMove; and you wouldn’t be able to quantify it, but you know that something has definitely shifted for each and every one of those performers.”

Stompin’s Becky Hilton underlines the point further. “Dance is such a discipline; just having to turn up and do it, repeat it and track getting better. They are really great, basic life skills.”

And yet there is a broad consensus that the youth dance sector in Australia is seriously under-supported. In fact, Kay Armstrong simply laughs when the question is raised. “I have failed to secure a single cent from the various funding bodies,” she reveals laconically. “Actually, I have often had to support youMove myself. But y’know, I haven’t done that to be a martyr; it’s much more like an investment I choose to make.”

QL2’s Ruth Osborne picks up the thread, “There are quite a few people doing really terrific work but with very little support … but even so, I’m really heartened by how many dancers are coming out of these companies and moving into a professional career.”

Assisting this process, Osborne explains that the sector’s peak body, the Australian Youth Dance Companies Group, helps individual members with resourcing, dancer exchanges and the like. “We certainly all help each other out where we can,” she says, “because in the end we’re all motivated by the same thing.”

There is no doubt that youth dance in Australia is being fuelled by the extraordinary passion of both young dancers and their dedicated mentors.

As Kay Armstrong observes, “I just know that if there had been something like this when I was younger how important and amazing that would have been … I think that what we do is to help young people enter the community with more confidence, not only in themselves but to create networks, build industry capacity and create new work.”

Indeed; create tomorrow. 

For more information about these three youth dance companies visit:
http://ql2.org.au
www.stompin.net
www.youmovedance.com.au

Very top photo: youMove Company, Photography by Heidrun Lohr from This Way Up, Campbelltown Arts Centre, June 09.  Choreography by Anton.

By Rebecca Martin.

Price: AUD $27.23
www.danceparentsguide.com.au
Authors Julia Monaghan and Kate Wilson

Choosing dance styles, tuition, costumes and more…

Written with the needs of dance parents in mind, The Dance Parent’s Survival Guide provides up-to-date information and practical advice on all things dance related, from comparing dance styles and schools, to applying stage make-up. The guide contains numerous tips on a variety of subjects, including preparing for dance competitions, dealing with common dance injuries, and selecting and caring for shoes and dance wear, along with detailed instructions on essential skills such as sewing and tying ballet shoe ribbons and making a bun.

Whether your child does ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, national or acrobatics, this well organised, comprehensive book is for you.

Julia Monaghan is a working mother with two girls who are both aspiring dancers. She has been a lecturer in nursing and midwifery at James Cook University and the University of Tasmania, but currently works as an educational consultant for professional nursing and midwifery organisations. Julia has been a dance parent for over 12 years, throughout which she has juggled the demands of work and supporting her daughters’ dancing. Her experiences and the knowledge she gained going from novice to veteran dance parent inspired her to write this book.

Kate Wilson has been involved in teaching dance for over ten years. Prior to a career in teaching, Kate took lessons in classical ballet, tap, jazz, national/character and highland dance. Kate received a diploma in Performing Arts, majoring in Classical Ballet at Dance World 301 in Melbourne and has also studied at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Rebecca Martin spoke with Kate in the lead up to the book’s release.

What was the inspiration for the book?
I was invited to co-write this book with one of my ex-ballet mums, Julia Monaghan, who even as an experienced ballet mum had so many unanswered questions.  The book came about because there are so many things for new and existing dance parents to know and it can become quite daunting.  Every year when older students stop dancing or begin their professional careers, a wealth of information is lost and not passed on to new dance students and their parents.  Also, Julia found that in most cases, the dance teacher is always too busy teaching the dance class to give any information to the parents.  Hence The Dance Parent’s Survival Guide.

Where did the book’s research come from?
Julia made a list of everything she would want to know as a beginner dance parent – how to find a good school, where to find dancewear and how to care for it, how to help her child practicse, how to sew ribbons on ballet shoes, how to style hair, etc.  We conducted a lot of research by asking other parents at ballet schools what they needed and wanted to know when their child began dance classes.  We also used Julia’s daughters and her husband as guinea pigs when it came to testing the descriptions in the book.  We also contacted a lot of dance schools and viewed many websites and dance books.

It is traditionally the mother who takes children to dance classes. Is the book directed at both mothers and fathers?
The book is absolutely for fathers as well as mothers!  When I was a dance student, it was my dad who assisted in making head pieces for costumes, props (as well as carrying them around back stage!) and he could even put my hair in a bun better than my mum could!  I think that fathers have just as much, if not more enjoyment from the dance classes that their child participates in.

Does the book cover information for boys as well as girls?
Boys are mentioned in this book from the very beginning.  It was the males who began most dance styles which are studied today by children – ballet, tap, jazz, etc.  We have included a section on boy’s dancewear, boy’s costuming and how to help the parent and the male dance student cope with any potential teasing or taunting they may be subjected to because they study dance.

With the constant evolution of dance and dance styles, will the book be updated in keeping with trend changes and product designs?
It has taken the best part of five years to complete the book as there have been so many improvements in all facets of dance during this time – dance tv shows, new schools and companies, the science of dancewear to enhance and improve performance.  As these are constantly changing and improving, Julia and I will be changing and improving our book to keep up with the times.

Will dance students find the book useful?
Absolutely, especially those who are at an age where they are starting to take more responsibility for their belongings and dance classes – how to sew ribbons on shoes, how apply stage make up, what to pack for a performance, caring for their own shoes and dancewear, and also how to help with the younger or less experienced students.

The Dance Parent’s Survival Guide can be ordered from www.danceparentsguide.com.au
Very soon it will also be available from Sansha Australia.
17 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, Victoria 3185
Phone: 03 9528 6066
info@sansha.com.au www.sansha.com.au

By Chris Bamford.

Due to the popularity of full time dance courses there are now multiple institutions that offer performance programs. Let’s face it, if you want to perform for a living it is becoming increasingly necessary to take a full time course to build the skills and connections you need in this industry.

However, with so many courses now available the exclusivity of these programs is becoming less and less. With multiple courses and hundreds of dancers and singers who all want be a star, it can be tough to secure work after you complete a course.

Some dancers have the misguided opinion that because they have done a full time course they have the right to get paid to perform, rather than the privilege. This may have been the case when only Dynamite and Brent Street offered courses and only a very small number of the best were accepted each year, but it isn’t anymore.

Unfortunately, I estimate that now only about 5% of all performers from full time courses go straight into paid work. Therefore many, many dancers across the country have to wait to get their lucky break. So what do you do next?  There is a certain expectation that those dancers who have completed full time studies will automatically get paid work, but the reality is that you will probably do more unpaid work in the first few years than paid.

Full time dance students from Dance World Studios in Melbourne perform a Bollywood number.

So what do you do until then?  The most important thing is to continue your training. A lot of performers don’t keep up their training and then miss out on opportunities. It can take years before you get that lucky break and you can just miss out if you’re not up to standard.

Now it is easy to keep classes up with many dance schools offering adult casual classes, but the problem is that they don’t look at the individual dancer and where they need to improve. Casual classes definitely have their place and are great for networking and learning different choreography, however they generally will not continue to build your skills.

So how do you continue to grow and improve your craft? You can do another full time course for another year and see how you go, but that can very expensive and can restrict you for auditions. I suggest that you find a studio where the professional dancer is catered for. For example, Caramell Dance Studios offers night time performance courses for the professional and advanced dancer (by audition only) in hip hop and contemporary/lyrical. This allows performers to work or audition through the day time and train at night to maintain and improve their technique. So look for an institution in your state that can cater to your advanced needs.

So you are keeping up your training, but you still don’t have steady work?
Here are a few suggestions to help you open some doors…

• Look out for dance festivals where there may be an opportunity to perform, teach or choreograph, and get involved. You never know who you might be working with and what opportunities may arise.
• Do non-paid productions in between jobs (musical societies, etc). Some professional directors and choreographers use these as a testing ground or a way to refine their skill and it can lead to an audition or an offer for a professional production.
• Get a new skill. Take classes in styles or art forms you are less familiar with. The more skills you have the more employable you are.
• Market yourself. Start to look at yourself as a product package and sell yourself like one. Make sure you know why you are the best for a job and be confident in yourself. However, don’t be over confident or arrogant – this can cost you work.
• If you commit to a project, paid or not, make sure you see it through. The entertainment industry is a ‘clicky’ business and once you have annoyed one person you have generally annoyed ten. This may cost you a job in the future.
• Doing something is better than nothing. Don’t knock back any opportunity, no matter how small. Take the work and run with it until a better opportunity comes along.
• Always be gracious and thankful for each opportunity. Don’t burn any bridges as you may need them again someday.

Don’t stress if you don’t get work straight away. Just keep focused and keep training in your craft. Make sure you don’t get complacent with your current level of skill as you wait for your big break. Keep learning and develop new talents.  Dancing is like any other job – you need to constantly work hard and improve if you want great success. Give yourself goals and reflect on your achievements often, rating your skill level, work ethic and attitude to ensure constant development.

Remember – the moment you become a professional performer you become a product, not a person. Don’t forget about the person behind the product!

Very top photo: Full time dance students of Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance, Melbourne. Photo by Belinda Strodder.

By Linda Badger

The Forum – Entertainment Quarter
December 7th

Industry night was once again an eclectic mix of dance and song.  Some pieces were fantastic….they were innovative and creative.  Others should have been given the chop.  The night was quite long, with two full sections of dance and a music/vocals section in the middle. 

A standout piece was Richard Tsunami’s hip hop choreography. Recently back from LA after spreading his wings and doing what we all dream of, he brought a really fresh flavour to the night. Stephen Tannos’ Digital Death was very entertaining and a clever flashback to old school computer games – brilliant. However, my personal favourite was the Too Much Bun boys, who danced a protest to too much bun and not enough filling in burgers – so funny!

In such a long program, the pieces that stood out were either full of entertainment value or a step above the rest in the talent department.  A highlight of the night was having the lovely Miss Jennifer Dinoia, a Broadway performer who has been playing Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, sing for us. She is here in Sydney for a short season playing the same role in the Australian production of the musical.  What a treat!  As Industry was on a Monday night, we were able to see a lot more artists who are currently in musicals attend and perform, which was great.

A-live Entertainment closed the night bringing their usual great flavour and energy.  Overall the night was a little long, but with some great highlights. I definitely recommend getting a ticket to Industry 2010!

The National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne recently held their 2009 Showcase.
And what a show it was! Photographer David Wyatt captured the young performers in feats of strength, bravery and artistry.
Copyright David Wyatt capturingimages.photography@gmail.com www.capturingimages.com.au

Trapeze act:  Caz Walsh and Hannah Cryle
Handstand performance: Jess Ward
Firefighters/fire juggling performance: Idris Stanton and Joshua Phillips