By Rain Francis.

Collaboration The Project strives to provide Australian dancers, choreographers and artists with performance and creative opportunities on Australian shores. The Melbourne based company produces and stages several original works each year, both for its main company and its youth company, Project Y.

Earlier this year, Collaboration launched a regular event called Underground – a platform for emerging and independent choreographers and companies to present their work. Held at Revolt, a unique arts venue in Melbourne’s north, Underground brings together the vibrant and dedicated dance community. From hip hop to contemporary and tap to ballroom, artists across all genres unite to support each other and share their passions. I spoke to Collaboration’s Artistic Director, Paul Malek about this new dance event.

Why did you start Underground?
Underground has been in my thought processes now for the past three years and we at Collaboration are so pleased that we can finally have the support to hold such an event. There is so much creative talent here in Melbourne, without a tremendous number of platforms to showcase and celebrate it. Underground gives just that. It’s a chance for dancers and choreographers to regularly showcase their work, which keeps the industry motivated, moving forward, intertwining genres and making new creative partnerships.

What’s your ultimate vision for Underground?
I’d like it to be so successful and the need for the platform heightened to a level where we can hold it on a more regular basis, rotating acts and showcasing a plethora of different choreographers throughout a yearly period.

How has it been received so far?
The reception has been mind-blowing. I personally have made so many new friends and future colleagues through this avenue of performance. The audiences have been brilliant and the camaraderie is exactly what the dance industry should be. No pressure, just pure and unrelenting dance celebration.

Are you going to continue to run it every season?
I do love that we are currently holding it seasonally. We have delved into Underground Autumn and recently had a wonderful night at Underground Winter. Personally, I cannot wait for Spring. Being seasonal, there’s a different vibe each time. It’s not themed as yet, but that is what we will be looking to work on in the future.

What’s been the biggest challenge in organising it?
At the moment the only challenge has been how to better the event each time. We’re looking forward to how we can improve and make it the number one dance night in Melbourne. All the acts and choreographers have been so understanding, organised and passionate in helping, so it really has just been such an enjoyable experience so far.

What is the best thing about Underground?
The camaraderie, hands down. All egos are left at the door. No-one is judging – it is not a competition. Pure dance takes over for one day and everyone is there for one reason and one reason only – to celebrate this wonderful world that we live in.

How important is the venue?
The venue is the key. Revolt Productions in Kensington is absolutely PERFECT for this event. The support we get from the team there is amazing and everyone who has been so far cannot stop raving about what a great venue it is. I definitely recommend that everyone hits up their website, www.revoltproductions.com and checks it out.

You also run another industry night called Immersed, with the third one coming up in September. How will that differ from Underground?
Immersed Melbourne Dance Industry Night is a theatrical event; one for the whole family, and lovers of dance. It is where we can all unite in a packed theatre, with high quality performances from around Melbourne. Underground is an 18+ event with an earthier feel, while Immersed has the gala, dress-to-your-best, champagne kind of vibe.

What’s the plan for Immersed?
Immersed is stepping up a gear. 20 acts will grace the National Theatre stage in what I feel will be the biggest Immersed yet. We have six full time performing arts schools confirmed so far and some of the best independent dance companies in Melbourne, including youth companies. We also have a competition running where one lucky dance school will get to perform. People can head to www.cornerstoneevents.net/youtube-competition to find out all the details. It is going to go off!

How can people get involved in Underground?
People can like our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/melbourneundergrounddance for all updates, including Underground Spring applications, which will be opening in September.

Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance, North Melbourne
October 2011

By Deborah Searle

Paul Malek’s Project Y presented the twisted, quirky, and intriguing Gallery at Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance in early October. Using the unique glass viewing windows of each dance studio, the youth dance company transformed the classrooms and centre walkway into a museum like space, as the audience was taken on a tour of the live art gallery they created.

The feeling was eerie and the dancers enjoyed making us nervous and uneasy as they muttered, screamed, slammed doors and danced with a grunge like rawness similar to that of Wade Robson’s Emmy winning Ramalama.  Dressed in differing shades of white and almost ghost like, the young dancers were engrossed in their characters and controlled, or out of control, when they needed to be. At times it felt like we were looking inside the windows to a mental asylum, although these young disturbed people could dance with strength and precision just as well as they could twitch and squirm.

I was impressed by the large troupe of young eager dancers, some as young as twelve. They performed with maturity and conviction. Although I thought the theme may have been a little dark for the younger dancers, they seemed to enjoy tapping into their crazy side and gave it their all.

A piece titled ‘The Ladies Who Morn’ was captivating. Three female dancers dressed in white and covered in little lights moved, melted and isolated with blank expressions and an almost creepy calmness. With only small movements they created a big effect.  I was impressed by both the dancers and the clever choreography, proving that sometimes less can be more.

Another stand out piece involved the dancers standing as couples in the photo frame like windows of one of the studios. They turned on little lights on the side of the glass to illuminate themselves and give the illusion of being a moving photo. One wondered what the real stories were behind the dancers in each photograph.

The dancers of Project Y are a new generation of standout artists who will have a big impact on the Australian dance scene as they mature. With regular opportunities to perform and work with some of Melbourne’s best choreographers these young dancers are being given an invaluable opportunity.

Theatre Works, Melbourne
June 1 2010

By Rebecca Martin 

Upcoming choreographer Rain Francis took the helm of Collaboration The Project’s Project Y, a youth company developed to provide performance experience for young dancers, and created tonight’s work titled The Dream Machine. 

The piece tells the story of Ariel, “a heartbroken young girl who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.  One night she experiences a lucid dream, where she discovers she is able to manipulate anything she desires, and has the courage to face her mysterious fears.  After her night of adventure, Ariel wakes to see the world through fresh eyes, with the knowledge that when you combine your waking, rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams, the world is your oyster.  They say that dreams are only real as long as they last; couldn’t we say the same thing about life?”

A synopsis such as this made me nervous, as it was doing the one thing that contemporary work fails to do on most occasions, and that is to tell a detailed story.  The tale of Ariel was particularly tricky given that a young girl was apparently capable of experiencing heartbreak and the burden of the world’s weight.  Lauren Thomson was cast as Ariel, and had the difficult job of bringing Rain’s character to life and telling the story without appearing trite. 

The Dream Machine opened with an amusing take on the daily bus commute with a cast of colourful characters, my favourite being the sleazy drunk guy that we’re all familiar with.  It became apparent early on that Thomson was perfectly suited to the role of the tortured lead protagonist.  She had a wonderful presence on stage and brought genuine maturity to the character, and from a technical point showed grace and some beautiful lines.   The dream sequence was mesmerizing – a pas de deux took place downstage while the corps moved in the background like the subconscious, seen but unnoticed, felt but untouched. 

The piece was quite busy, with much taking place on stage at any given moment, but it slowed significantly when the corps took to their knees in a line basked in a shaft of golden light.  As each dancer raised their hands above their heads, their hands were illuminated by the light, creating an ethereal effect.  It felt like the moment when a plane reaches cruising altitude and everything becomes quiet and calm, almost like floating.  At this point, Ariel began to interact with her subconscious for the first time, eventually commanding it.  At last, she had become the manipulator and was in control.

The Dream Machine gave the young cast the opportunity to develop characters and explore new ways of moving while performing on stage in front of a supportive audience.  Francis’ task was no easy one, but she created a piece that was complex yet very enjoyable to watch.  Her strengths as a choreographer lie in creating movement that tells the audience something while remaining beautiful and pure.  She combines bodies and movement into something greater than the sum of their parts.  Congratulations must go out to Francis, and the young dancers who executed the piece well and showed great enthusiasm and energy on stage.  Paul Malek’s Project Y deserves the industry’s support in order to continue to foster young dance talent.

Theatre Works, Melbourne
June 8 2010

By Rebecca Martin

Paul Malek’s Project Y followed up the previous week’s performances of The Dream Machine, choreographed by Rain Francis, with tonight’s premiere of Move.  The night promised a performance that would not let the audience sit still and a piece that combined contemporary and hip-hop dance styles.  Move delivered on both counts.

A performance without a story, Move presented us with a dance piece purely for the sake of dance and entertainment, which is a glorious thing for an audience member.  There’s nothing quite like being inspired and entertained by dance that is fun, well executed and choreographed with innovation.  The concept was a collaborative effort between Malek, Zoe Marsh, Jack May and Freya List, and their vision came to life through impressive use of the stage, lighting, music, and video footage.  Combined with urban choreography and costumes, the addition of street footage of Melbourne transported our city into another version of Los Angeles. 

While the choreography wasn’t groundbreaking – there are many creative hip-hop/contemporary works around – it was still inspired and imaginative.  The dancers themselves were in their element, clearly having the time of their lives.  The audience responded in kind, cheering and clapping enthusiastically throughout the piece.  The looks on the performers’ faces during the curtain call was quite something – they must have felt like rock stars with the enthusiastic reception the audience gave them.  While they may not (yet) be rock stars, the cast of Move were definitely stars this evening, and their youthful exuberance left me wanting to bust a move.

By Regina Green.

Emma Tierney is a young Melbourne dancer who has been performing with Paul Malek’s Project Y – a youth company which gives professional experience to dancers aged 12-22. Emma has been dancing for ten years, and currently dances every day at The Edge Performers School.

Would you like to make a career of dancing?
Yes. I want to do it all – musicals, contemporary, cruise ships. I like Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, and 2^nd Toe Dance Collective. I’ll keep doing Project Y for as long as I can, if I keep getting in.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learnt from Project Y?
To be friends with the floor, to put your whole body into it.

Emma with her dance friends

And what has been the best part of this experience?
Making new friends, learning new dance styles, and dancing with different people.

What is Paul Malek like as a director?
Lots of fun. He’s really funny, but strict at the same time.

Describe a typical day of rehearsals.
We do a warm-up and then get straight into choreography. We learn pretty much all of it in the first four or five rehearsals, so after that it’s mostly cleaning the routines and changing little things to make it better.

We have half an hour break for lunch and then a few drink breaks, but otherwise we’re very busy the whole time – we’re really tired by the end of the day. We started with a four-day workshop and then rehearsed every Sunday from 11am til 5pm.

iOverload is about using technology too much; do you think you have iOverload?
Yeah I probably use it too much – mostly Facebook!

Would you recommend other young people to audition for Project Y?
Definitely. Go for it –everything about it is really fun!

Project Y presents ‘The Dream Machine’ and ‘Move’ this month at Melbourne’s Theatre Works, St Kilda.
Get your tickets at www.theatreworks.org.au

By Regina Green

Paul Malek must be one of Australia’s busiest dance professionals.  Just a week after presenting Stratagem, his latest work for his company, Collaboration – The Project, the tabs opened on iOverload, the latest work for his youth company, Project Y.

In 2009, Malek organised Immersed, a Dance Industry night held at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, and plans are afoot for a second showcase, tentatively booked for this September. He also has his own dance school, Metropolitan Academy of Performing Arts, based in Seddon.

Between all this, he somehow finds the time to teach at Melbourne’s top studios, including The Edge Performer’s School, Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance and The Space. I told you he was busy!

What’s the most challenging part of what you do?
We, as a team, get together and create these performances on low budgets, so we wear a lot of hats. Instead of having the avenues to outsource assistance for things like graphic design, marketing and promotion etc, we have to do it ourselves. So there are many long hours and tired eyes getting through what we do, but when we get our desired result, it makes it all worthwhile.    

What gives you the greatest satisfaction?
The applause our performers receive after that first show, and then every consecutive show until we close – whether it’s 30 people or 500 people. The appreciation level from the audience, the relief and joy from our performers when they have succeeded in not only creating a dance work, but creating something that reaches out and makes the audience think about what they are witnessing. That is great satisfaction. 

How was Stratagem received?
It has been received wonderfully. It definitely makes the audience as a collective discuss quite in depth life, and the means to the end. This topic doesn’t always sit well with some people, so when that is the case, they instead focus on the performers. They watch in complete admiration of what the performers do with their bodies. The effort, commitment and true fearless attack to their work are something to be in awe of; I think that sums up most people’s reactions.  

What do you think has made Collaboration’s shows so strong?
I think the collective is very important – the group’s commitment to the show and the project. Everyone who comes in and works with us and creates with us feels that we are striving to make a difference, make something special and in turn continue to develop dance and the scene here in Melbourne. It is never about just one person, it is about the end result and what we then give the audiences to enjoy. 

A lot of your work features death as an idea or theme. What is the attraction to this theme?
I think death was always the unspoken aspect of my life. I couldn’t deal with the thought of it, and it has been frustrating- that endless question of ‘what is next’?

In saying that, it has never been a conscious decision to create works with a focus on death, except for Stratagem.  The focus is more on the experience of life, and because life ends in death, it as an element that features in our shows.

When you set out to create a work, what are you hoping to achieve?
A work that connects with the audience. Each individual is affected in different ways, and I want each audience member, whether they understand or not, to be activated mentally, and leave with not just the answers but also a few questions as well. 

In your opinion, what makes a great show, as opposed to a good show?
A show should take those watching it on a journey – whether literal or not – heightened with highs and lows, climaxes and resolutions. All avenues of the performance should also highlight each other: lighting, sound, choreography, and also the direction of the choreography and staging is very important. 

Which choreographers do you admire most?
Those choreographers who push the boundaries, who don’t necessarily follow trends, but create their own. Those who are true to themselves and their work. 

What are your goals with Project Y?
To give young artists the opportunity to expand their craft, whether that is with performances in Melbourne or interstate, with workshops or with rehearsal processes. To give as many people – who may or may not have future careers in dance – this chance to share in the production process, to go forward in their lives instilled with a love and passion for dance and performance. 

Are Project Y and Collaboration mutually beneficial? How do they work together?
They are. Collaboration is about giving Australian artists the opportunity to work together to produce works and perform on Australian shores. With Project Y already giving the opportunity to over 100 dancers since its inception, they are well on their way to achieving this. A lot of Project Y members also help out with Collaboration productions, giving them technical experience in the theatre as well. 

What is next on the horizon?
We have a couple of projects on the go including the full length production, Collection of Forgotten Treasures, which will be held over three weeks in November. 

Could you impart some advice to budding choreographers?
Just do it. Remember, dance may have expectations of what it should be, but that does not mean it is the way it has to be. Dance is movement, arranged in different formats, with differing dynamics, emotions and energies. The greatest choreographers of our time are those who, against critique, stuck true to their work, no matter how long it took for them to gain respect. Believe in yourself, and when someone tells you ‘no’, don’t dwell, take the comments and move forward. There is enough room in this world for everyone to create dance, so create, create, create. 

www.collaboration-project.com

Theatre Works, St Kilda, Melbourne
February 2011

By Regina Green

Project Y is the sister company of Collaboration – The Project. It has an ever-strengthening reputation for providing opportunities for young dancers to gain experience in a professional environment. Each season around 30 dance students and graduates aged 12 to 22 come together for six weeks to create a new work, which is then presented at Theatreworks in St Kilda.

iOverload is the latest Project Y creation, choreographed by Artistic Director Paul Malek, along with James Elmer, Freya List and Zoe Marsh. As the title suggests, it’s a comment on today’s world of excessive technology use, and its perils, through the eyes of young people.

 This is a huge step up technically from the previous Project Y production, It Sounds Silly by 2nd Toe Collective’s Adam Wheeler. Physically, the young dancers are pushed to their limits in the style we have come to know from Malek, through his choreography for Collaboration. A large element of hip hop is also present, which is perhaps the influence of the co-choreographers.

Each and every dancer in iOverload should be commended for his or her performance. As individuals they performed with conviction. As a team they worked with awareness of each other and of the stories they were expressing. The obvious enjoyment and dedication of the next generation of dancers is a joy to watch.

This is an exciting new company which is going from strength to strength. Project Y really does live up to its goal of creating opportunities for Australian dancers and emerging choreographers, opening the world of dance up to a wider audience. The success of their shows is a testament to the passion and commitment of the creative team, the young performers, Paul Malek and Executive Director Merryn Tierney.

Melbourne based companies Project Y and Collaboration the Project teamed up to perform two shows: It Sounds Silly and Parkland Avenue in April. Dance Informa was there to enjoy both!
To read the review click here

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photo: Belinda Strodder

Photos: Copyright ‘Photography by Belinda’ www.dancephotography.net.au

Project Y with The 2^nd Toe Dance Collective
and Collaboration The Project

Theatreworks, St Kilda
Thursday April 15

By Regina Green

Project Y is the youth-based sister company of Artistic Director Paul Malek’s Collaboration The Project. It Sounds Silly…  is their second work, devised and choreographed by The 2^nd Toe Dance Collective, in conjunction with the dancers. With 29 performers, aged between 12 and 22, it’s an ambitious undertaking, but Project Y pull it off with impressive professionalism, no less.

It Sounds Silly… is an exploration of early childhood events. It opens with a schoolyard hand-clapping game which builds into a complicated rhythm, gradually becoming thunderous with the force of 29 pairs of hands and feet. That those hands and feet kept in time for as long as they did at the speed they were going, is an accomplishment in itself.

The company has obviously gone through a lengthy research and development process to draw on memories from their not-so-distant childhoods. What was most touching was that some of the ideas that were dug up were ones that as the audience, we all knew, but perhaps had forgotten we knew, for example the spooky chant ‘In a dark, dark house there was a…..’. This gave a real sense of the universality of being a child, from our fears, hopes and joys, to our jokes and games.

Photo Belinda Strodder

What a great experience for young people, and a fantastic insight into and preparation for both the life of a professional dancer and the process of creation.

The second work, Parkland Avenue, was presented by Collaboration The Project. It is the story of three inseparable best friends, David, Annabelle and Michael. The concept was clever in its simplicity: to tell the story of the demise of a friendship over a decade, through a series of isolated scenes. The storytelling was assisted by video footage and moved chronologically.

The opening scene of Parkland Avenue was an absolute triumph. We met the three characters as young children, pajama-clad, hyperactive and in the carefree throes of an elaborate play-fight. What could easily have been the cringe-worthy acting of adults pretending to be kids was in fact so believable and so infectious I found myself laughing out loud and itching to take part in the delirious giggling heap of ‘stacks-on’.

The subsequent scenes depicted the trio at various stages of growing up blissfully together, while the video projections hinted at some unnamed impending doom. After the initial scene, at times I found it difficult to relate to these characters who were in danger of becoming caricatures of intoxicated cheerfulness. Call me cynical, but the idea of three people being constantly and equally enamoured seems unrealistic. I had to make a conscious mental switch to allow for this fantasy and let myself be swept up in the story. I am quite probably in the minority here, as I noticed a few people in the audience had an untimely attack of ‘the sniffles’ during the final scenes, and we all know what that really means.

Brendan Yeates, Ashleigh Perrie and Matt Holly performed with absolute commitment to the movement, the characters and the story. All are gorgeous dancers: athletic, accomplished and well-matched.

Hats off to Paul Malek and assistant choreographer and member of 2^nd Toe Dance Collective, Adam Wheeler, for an inventive and highly entertaining evening. I look forward to more from these two innovative young companies.

Photos: Photography by Belinda www.dancephotography.net.au

2 new works in 1 show!

In a night of two halves, the 2nd Toe Collective (Adam Wheeler, Benjamin Hancock, Madeleine Krenek, Tyler Hawkins, Frankie Snowdon, Jo Vriensendorp and James Andrews) choreograph Project Y’s latest work featuring 30 dancers aged 12 – 22 years of age. Project Y is a fresh youth dance company taking Melbourne by storm.

“The events of our childhood make us who we are today, we would like to share them with you.”

Following this is Collaboration The Project’s new Parkland Avenue. Written and Choreographed by Paul Malek, Parkland Avenue is a tale of companionship, lust, love, jealousy and sorrow as three friends watch their perfect relationship unravel violently around them. 

Dates: April 14th (preview), 15^th -16th, 18th, 20^th-24^th, 7:30pm
Venue: Theatre Works, St Kilda
For bookings visit www.theatreworks.org.au or phone 03 9534 3388