By Laura Di Orio.

Across an ocean is a land, a land rich in arts and culture and with a plethora of arts outlets that support its long history of dance. That land is Europe. Some dancers, curious about the scene in Europe, have ventured to that land to study or dance professionally. Although there are many factors that may require some adjusting – homesickness, language barriers, assimilating in a new culture – many of these dancers now call Europe home. Dance Informa had the chance to speak with three dancers – an American and two Australians – who share their journey of dancing overseas in Europe.

For 20-year-old Madeline Harms, who grew up in Mount Gambier, South Australia, and now studies at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in The Netherlands, that journey was initiated by a strong desire to hone her contemporary and modern dance skills. And what better place to do this than Europe, she thought.

“Europe is a melting pot of arts and cultures,” Harms says. “There are a vast number of modern dance companies, varying from all styles and inspirations, which allow opportunities to experience many different choreographers, dancers and teachers.”

Making the move overseas, however, took more than just that initial thought for Harms. After graduating from Australia’s Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), and after the encouragement of her sister, Anna, Harms left in January 2010 for a two-month tour across Europe in the search of a pre-professional school that would suit her. She moved to Rotterdam in September 2010.

Australian Madeline Harms, who is studying at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in The Netherlands. Photo by Barend Jan de Jong

Madeline says she prepared for her trip while still in Australia by talking to various people, researching on the Internet, and, through emails and phone calls, making contacts and arrangements to audition at various schools.

“Do your homework, research the schools or companies you are interested in, and contact them, even if it means staying up until all hours to call internationally at the right time,” Madeline advises. “It may be time-consuming, but be patient and you’ll be rewarded for it.”

Avid research was key in Madeline’s sister Anna’s transition to Europe as well. Also a graduate of VCASS, Anna sent audition DVDs to several full-time dance courses in Europe, was accepted to the École-Atelier Rudra Béjart in Lausanne, Switzerland, and now dances with Germany’s Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart.

“Know what kind of company you are looking for and what style you would suit,” Anna suggests. “Have a look at the repertoire and current dancers in the company to get an idea of what the company is about.”

Once in Europe, whether as a student or professional dancer, those coming from overseas may have other hurdles – being far from family and friends, having a language barrier, learning how to get around a new city and meeting new people.

For Madeline, coping with homesickness was made easier when she didn’t ignore it. “One must feel it and accept it, which then allows you to move on,” she says. “It’s always there and I think about it often, but I don’t let it get me down. Sharing my experiences and everyday life with my family and friends back home makes it feel like they are still a part of it all.”

Jarred Ramon Bailey, a dancer originally from Tennessee, who then relocated to New York City before moving to Germany, where he has lived since 2006, says not being able to talk so often with his family has been his most difficult adjustment during his transition to Europe.

Australian Anna Harms, now a dancer with Germany's Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart. Photo by Regina Brocke

“There is a seven-hour time difference,” says Bailey, who now dances at Stadttheater Hildesheim and also teaches at various studios and academies. “So at the end of the day at 11p.m. they may not be home yet, and at 7p.m. their time it’s 2a.m. here, and I must get up in the morning.”

But making new friends may help ease those homesick feelings. “Making friends has been good,” Bailey says. “It’s a different culture, but once you get to know people they are very nice.”

Anna also had an easy time gaining new friends because of all the time spent in the studio with others with similar interests, but she says meeting people outside work was difficult because of the lack of time.

“But I have always lived in a sharehouse arrangement, so I meet people through my housemates, which I’m so grateful for,” Anna says. “Joining a gym or doing some kind of other group activity creates opportunities to meet ‘normal’ people.”

Both Bailey and Anna had to overcome a language barrier, but agree that immersing oneself among the native speakers helps. Bailey says it was not as daunting because most people in the dance world speak English, and Anna also took a few German lessons upon her arrival. “But you have to want it and be prepared to make an effort,” Anna says.

Most dancers who decide to move to Europe are already drawn to the region’s culture and history, so the transition can become easier when they embrace that appeal. Some dancers also find that Europe is a place that tends to strongly support its arts.

Anna says that in Germany, the system takes good care of dancers and artists. The theatres are well-supported, and dancers have all the rights of other employees, including compulsory health insurance and pension funds.

Likewise, Madeline says that in Holland, “you can feel that the country and its people support and enjoy the arts so much more than in Australia.”

As in many other countries worldwide, however, the financial crisis is threatening the arts. In the Netherlands, the government is cutting financing for arts programs by 25 percent.

“I don’t think it’s better here or in America,” Bailey says. “It’s like everything else in life. Nothing is perfect. Here there are more stable lifestyle advantages for an artist and opposite advantages in America. A person must decide which suits his/her personality and wants and needs.”

One advantage for a dancer in Europe may be the proximity of countries and companies. Dancers can easily travel to other cities or countries to audition, travel and see other companies perform.

“The number of dance companies in Europe is huge,” Anna says. “Whether they be small, private companies, project companies, theatres, good or not so good, it creates so many more opportunities than at home.”

Both Anna and Madeline say they plan to stay in Europe a few more years before heading back to the Australian dance scene, and Bailey says that Europe suits him for now. All agree that a dancer’s experience abroad is a wonderful way to see the world and to grow artistically and personally.

“As dancers, we are lucky that our expression and art form can be understood and appreciated all over the world,” Anna says. “The many different cultures that one encounters can only enrich us, challenge us and mature us into the artists we aspire to be.”

Top photo: Jarred Bailey, an American who has been dancing professionally in Germany since 2006. Photo by Doreen Wronka

Sadler’s Wells- Peacock Theatre, London
November 2011

By Lara Bianca Pilcher

Some Like It Hip Hop is an original and highly entertaining dance theatre masterpiece that is fun, fun, fun! This innovative production showcases company founder Kate Prince as the director but also as lyricist, co-choreographer and co-writer.  

ZooNation attracts an audience to the theatre that is varied from long time dance lovers and children to even those who usually just watch MTV; attracted to commercial music and dance.

Many children were in the audience. It’s so refreshing that founder Kate Prince has made a family friendly show that will encourage many children to pursue the arts. The stereotypes of hip hop being violent and overly sexualised are broken and hip hop is portrayed in a way that creates a safe show for anyone to come and see.

The story hooks the audience in, continually introducing more dance characters and further evolving others. The live song and acting moves the company from a dance only company to a revue.

The number ‘Invisible Me’ was like a hip hop version of Chicago’s ‘Mr Cellophane’, showing an oppressed character.  It demonstrates how hip hop dance can be fused with music to further evolve the dance narrative and allow dance to be a much more communicative theatre language. 

I’m a big fan of clean comedy (believing that it takes more skill than reverting to toilet humor) and there are so many moments to make you smile. Natasha Gooden’s doll like face is simply delightful as the dance character ‘Oprah Okeke’. The dancers’ faces and acting skills move them beyond dancers alone into true performers.

The lighting design by Johanna Town, is intricately designed and sets by Ben Stones are well integrated. The sets are as big and transformable as any top West End musical. So often dance is executed on a rather empty and bland stage but not in this show, the sets move and are constantly changing. There is never a dull moment.

The music by DJ Walde and Josh Cohen is original, enhancing the dance communication. There is a symbiotic relationship between the movement and music, true to the foundation of hip hop in the 1970s in Bronx NYC. 

The big numbers at the end are a bonus and the whole cast, including the vocalists each have a short freestyle solo, reminding us of the spontaneous and competitive nature of street dance. Many of the performers move with explosive speed and risky air-born lifts and flips. The show is simply invigorating.

By Rain Francis

Hofesh Shechter, Artistic Director of Hofesh Shechter Company, is recognised as both a choreographer and a composer. Born in Israel, he studied at the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music before joining Batsheva Dance Company. In 2002 he moved to London to dance with Jasmin Vardimon Dance. Forming his own company six years later, Hofesh Shechter is currently one of the UK’s most exciting artists.

On a world tour, Shechter recently brought his bold contemporary work Political Mother to Melbourne International Arts Festival, and spent a few moments talking with Dance Informa about it.

Political Mother is a physical and gritty work danced to Shechter’s own score, featuring a band of live drummers and guitarists.  

Describe the experience that is Political Mother.

It is likely to be quite an intense experience. There are nine musicians onstage and there are twelve dancers. It’s a piece that sort of explodes on you and shouts at you. It has also some tender moments, but it’s rhythmic, like a demonstration that goes on and flickers through worlds – from one world into another. It’s a pretty intense experience. The idea is to create a sort of emotional build up and tension. It’s loud at times, it’s angry, and it’s fun, if you’re in the right mood.

What are the themes you’re trying to explore with that intensity? 

I’m a little bit scared of the word ‘themes’, but I do deal with human emotions and human experience below and underneath the pressures of modern life. But it’s not about these pressures, it’s not about politics, it’s not about politicians. It’s about the people that live underneath, it’s about the emotional experience, it’s about the way that we deal with it. There is a lot going on, but it’s definitely dealing with human emotions.

What sort of emotions in particular do you deal with in this work?

Anger and I think there is a lot of despair, and a feeling of hopelessness. But through that, sometimes at the bottom we find hope, we find a sense of perspective, a sense of brotherhood, a sense that we share this experience with other people. So it’s a lot about hope and the loss of hope.

What was the catalyst for the creation of Political Mother?

The work always starts with things that I deal with in my life. I did deal with collision of different worlds. I’ve seen and experienced in my own life, how you can see something that is happening just next to you, or very far away from you (something that is very powerful, very disturbing) and you can forget about it in five minutes. It can really disturb you, and then you just move on. I find our ability to have parallel worlds that are conflicting in a way, but actually exist sometimes very closely, kind of disturbing and worrying. But it’s also just the way it is. That’s the way we respond to the world. It started from this curiosity about our ability to care and then to not care.

In this work you use both traditional Jewish folk dance and live, hard rock music. What is the relationship between these two?

There are parallels between the social structures that allow people to feel connected to each other, and to feel connected to certain emotions that they need to express and want to experience. Rock can give you that angry experience, but it’s like a bubble in a way – you’re not doing anything, you’re just venting, you’re not changing the world at all, or yourself. Folk dance can give you this sense of belonging, a sense of identity. It helps direct people towards a certain way of thinking. I find this interesting – the social systems that help direct people to where you want to direct them. That’s the parallel that I’m looking at.

Hofesh Shechter Company is currently performing Political Mother and other works across Europe, and will be touring across the world well into the New Year.

Top photo: Israeli Choreographer Hofesh Shechter, photo by Carl Fox

My adventure to The Rotterdam Dance Academy,
The Netherlands.
By Madeline Harms.

Dear Readers,
My name is Madeline Harms and I am a student at The Rotterdam Dance Academy, The Netherlands. I recently graduated from The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Melbourne, and I’d love to tell you about studying in the Netherlands and how I came to be here.

I grew up in Mt Gambier in country South Australia, where I studied dance under the direction of Maxine Lockwood. During 2005, I auditioned for The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) where my older sister, Anna, had been studying for 2 years. My family and I moved to Melbourne to join Anna in the beginning of 2006, and I began year 9 at VCASS.

This past year has been a rollercoaster ride. Getting through year 12 and trying to plan what I was doing afterwards was not an easy process. With my eyes set on the New Zealand School of Dance, I had not put a lot of thought into what I would do if this plan fell through. So, when it did, I was left without a concrete plan and it was a scary thought, but I was told that when one door closes, another will open, and sure enough it did.

Photo by Vendula Pribylova

When my sister, Anna, graduated from VCASS in 2006, she headed straight to the Rudra Ecole Bejart School, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Having her heart set on Europe, she worked hard and made it happen. After spending two years there, she found her first job in the ballet company of Die Theatre Chemnitz, Germany, and is now going into her third year there.

One evening whilst speaking to her on the phone, telling her of my disappointment and worries for the next year, she said ‘Maddy, come to Europe, I will pay for your plane ticket’. At first I thought this wasn’t possible, however after many discussions with my parents, it seemed the right thing to do. In Europe there is a huge arts scene and to be in a culture where you are supported by such a large community is really exciting.

Over the next couple of months I did my research and got in touch with various schools across Europe, including the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, the London School of Contemporary Dance (The Place), Rudra Ecole Bejart in Switzerland, and The Rotterdam Dance Academy at The University of Codarts, The Netherlands. The necessary arrangements were made and it was agreed that I could either audition privately or join in with the early audition dates. So six weeks after I graduated, I had booked my tickets and was off to Europe in early January 2010! I travelled on my own, first to my sister’s home in Germany, and then to The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and finally London, England. What an eye-opening and enriching experience! I met many interesting people from all over the world; some I still even keep in contact with. It was quite daunting to travel on my own, but I felt safe. 

Whilst in Europe I looked at small ballet/contemporary companies to experience what it was like. My Mum had bought me the ‘Dance Europe Book of Dance Companies’ earlier in the year, so with that by my side, I emailed my CV and cover letter to a variety of different companies, explaining my background, and when and why I was coming to Europe,.

Photo: Vendula Pribylova

As a result of this, I visited the Geneva Junior Ballet Company in Switzerland, and Die Chemnitz Theatre Company, Dortmund Theatre Company, and Giessen Theatre Company in Germany.

When applying to audition for companies or schools, you just have to go for it. You can’t be afraid of how they will judge you because this is how you figure out where you belong. If they give you an audition or place, that’s great! If they don’t, it isn’t necessarily a reflection of you as a dancer, it can be purely because of the amount of experience you’ve had or what training you have done. This is how you find out what you need to do to get into the industry and it allows you to narrow down your choices.

For me, I realised that I wasn’t quite ready for a professional job just yet, both physically and mentally. I felt I still needed time to enhance my technical abilities and develop myself as an artist. Over the past year I had discovered that my passion lay in contemporary/modern dance, and I felt that I needed more experience in this area. I was able to narrow down my search to full-time schools with intense modern training and repertoire, as well as training in ballet and other styles.

This is how I decided to accept my place at The Rotterdam Dance Academy, at Codarts University. I was accepted into the third year, of a four year Bachelor Degree, which will allow me to do two full-time years of pre-professional training whilst still obtaining a Bachelor degree. I struggled to decide between The London Contemporary Dance School, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and The Rotterdam Dance Academy. However, after researching all three schools in detail, seeking advice, and looking at financial and personal positions, my family and I decided that this was the best place for me to be.

What particularly attracted me to Rotterdam was the large amount of new and existing repertoire taught, and the range of guest choreographers and teachers coming into the school, with greats such as Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe being among the many!  

Rotterdam Dance Academy

By this time, I had accepted a place at The Victorian College of the Arts, a faculty of the University of Melbourne, as I was not sure what would unfold overseas. I began the course there as soon as I arrived home from Europe in March 2010 and completed the first semester in July. In the end, it became a struggle to decide whether or not to leave Australia. I was enjoying the course, the student life, being with my friends, and my family. But with the support of my family, friends, and teachers I decided to grasp the opportunity whilst I could. I needed to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and studying on the other side of the world would definitely do this!

I am fortunate to have been given a scholarship, to cover some of my living costs, from The Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation, a philanthropic  institution based in Switzerland,  (www.ambrosoli.org). They do amazing work supporting young professional musicians and dancers to study at recognised schools all over the world.

I have now been here for just over three weeks and I am beginning to settle into the school, the city and living independently. I am feeling more comfortable everyday and I am very excited by it all. The Netherlands is a beautiful country and the people are so friendly. Seeing the Netherlands Dance Theatre perform live for the first time last weekend was an incredible reminder of why I chose to come here.

It is a very big change in my life, but I guess I am on to the next stage; who knows what it may bring?

Maddy.

Published by www.danceinforma.com