Riverside Theatre, Parramatta, Sydney
March 2013

By Nicole Saleh.

What began as an idea penned on a napkin 12 months ago, The Tap Pack came to life and premiered as part of the annual Dance Bites season at the Riverside Theatre, Western Sydney, in a fun, stylish and energy packed hour long show.

Created by seasoned Australian performers Jesse Rasmussen (Tap Dogs, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Happy Feet and So You Think You Can Dance), Thomas J Egan (Fame, Tap Dogs, The Boy From Oz) and Jordan Pollard (Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, The Addams Family), and inspired by the original ‘Rat Pack’ of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr, the Tap Pack’s group of five classy guys in their suits and ties took to the stage with the same sense of cool confidence as  their predecessors.

With a loose storyline, narrated by performer Dion Bilios, we followed the journey of five very different characters performed by Rohan Browne, Kuki Tipoki and creators Jesse and Thomas, who worked through their own personal struggles, addictions, and strained friendships in their quest to get their show picked up by a Las Vegas producer.

Backed by The Tap Pack Bandits, a strong six piece band of drums, horns and keys, led by Musical Director Chris King, the five guys crooned classic big band numbers including  ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right’ and ‘Lady is a Tramp’ but also added a contemporary twist with Cee Lo Green’s ‘Forget You’. Comedic humour was threaded throughout the show with some cliché jokes and slapstick gags that had the audience amused and laughing out loud.

The definite highlight of the show, as its title suggests, is the tap dancing which was fast, intricate, rhythmical and entertaining. Whether it was creating beats as background music to their dialogue, or the challenging routines using pool cue sticks instead of canes, all five performers did a fantastic job of delivering complex cross rhythms and showcasing the creativity of this art form.

In a strong solo performance, Thomas wowed the audience with his acapella tapping and the ease in which he delivered difficult tricks with his fast footwork. His rhythms were smooth and his turning combination had speed and clarity. Jesse Rasmussen also delivered a memorable solo paying homage to the tap legends who have gone before; Gregory Hines, Fred Astaire and Jimmy Slyde.

Overall, all five performers delivered charismatic performances and finished the show on a fun note, dressed in leopard print shirts for the big tap finale. This show has great potential and gave audiences a taste of what The Tap Pack is all about.

Concert Hall – Sydney Opera House
January 9 2013

By Kristy Johnson.

It’s hard to imagine the iconic Opera House being turned into one big dance party, but that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday 9^th of January.

Blaze, the international dance spectacular, rocked the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall with 1.5 hours of high-octane music and slick moves to the soundtracks of pop superstars Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Rihanna.

Since its critically acclaimed premiere on London’s West End, Blaze has gone on to play for sold out crowds in Paris, Berlin and Bangkok where breakers and street dancers are at the top of their game.

Dancers perform in ‘Blaze’. Photos by Dan Boud.

With the continued rise of street dance thanks to reality TV shows, Blaze was guaranteed to delight both dedicated hip hop junkies and beginners alike. Demi Sorono, alumni of the 2008 season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia, is the newest addition to the cast, performing solos in her unique and signature hip hop style.

This theatrical spectacular is adorned with quirky sets: a wall of drawers and fridge doors used as entrances and platforms for dancers to bound across. Costumes are as you would expect: hi tops, sneakers, low slung jeans and street attire.

If you’re after a family-friendly event, Blaze ticks all boxes. The cast literally had the audience on their feet to perform a dance off, which left everyone erupting in laughter. An enthusiastic young dancer was even brought up on stage, to join in a few dance moves.

B-boys from Holland and the US left the crowd’s jaws open with their acrobatic ability and great stage presence. One encore was simply not enough!

By Rebecca Martin.

If you haven’t yet encountered Travers Ross, you are bound to at some point.  Hailing from Coffs Harbour, he is a dancer that can do it all and if he hasn’t done it yet, it won’t be long until he does!  Travers is a born choreographer and dancer. He started creating works on other dancers from the age of 12 at Julie Ross Dance Studio, owned and run by his mother.  Travers has performed overseas and he choreographed on Australia’s So You Think You Can Dance.  He also has his own dance band that comprises of a group of musicians who are also dancers, has been involved with a Bollywood company, and has a long standing association with Stalker Theatre which is Australia’s premier physical theatre company.  On top of all of that, Travers was the star of an ABC Australian Story documentary when he was still a dance student.

Travers movement vocabulary is so rich that he told Dance Informa that he can put on a piece of music of any kind and not only dance to it but create a piece simply by free-forming rather than pre-choreographing.  Travers also composes music and is interested in dance as therapy to help people heal. He has created workshops that allow dancers to achieve emotional and mental breakthroughs.

A scene from the trailer of ‘Just Dance’

A keen surfer, Travers was in Byron Bay last New Year’s Eve when he encountered Sheena Reyes who approached him to work with her on a movie script she had written.  Sheena had researched dancers on the internet and found Travers. She felt that he was a perfect fit for her work and that he would be able to bring her script to life.  Their New Year’s encounter lead to a friendship and blossoming partnership, and the exciting dance film, Just Dance, began to evolve.

A soon to be released teaser trailer for Just Dance features the following talented Australian cast:

Sheena Reyes (Neighbours, Offspring, City Homicide)
Maddy Tyers (Elephant Princess, Border Protection Squad, City Homicide)
Ben Nicholas (Neighbours – Logie Award Nominee ‘Best New Male Talent’)
Amanda Ma (The Jammed, Bed of Roses, Blessed, The Slap, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries)
Chad Homan (Instant Bun – Australia’s Got Talent Finalist)
Director: Stu Stanton
Music Performed by: Bliss N Eso
Music Credit written by: Dishon/ Notley / Mackinnon (Mushroom Music)

Still a work in progress, the film’s final cast is yet to be determined. Having just relocated to Melbourne to immerse himself in the city’s diverse arts culture, Travers is now overseeing the production of Just Dance and will be sourcing some of Australia’s best dancers, dance troupes, and performers.  The film will be shot on location around Melbourne and Travers and Sheena are seeking investors to bring Just Dance to movie theatres around the country.

When Dance Informa spoke to Travers, he talked about the fact that Australian dance films have been thin on the ground for many years now. He’s ready to bring dance back to the big screen, especially now that it isn’t on local TV anymore.

In Just Dance, the story follows a girl whose parents are very strict. They wish to see her become a lawyer, but she just wants to dance. The film follows her journey of self-discovery and Travers promises a twist in the story that will be surprising enough to enthrall even non-dancers!

If you are interested in being a part of the film, or becoming a supporter, contact Jessica Miller: 0401 212 691. For more information visit www.sheramaafilms.com.au (live soon). Stay tuned for the teaser trailer, coming soon!

Top photo: Travers Ross dances for the camera.

By Kristy Johnson.

When you think of Christopher Scott, more comes to mind than just a choreographer – he’s a dance innovator and storyteller. This can be seen in his choreography for the latest Step Up franchise, Revolution.

A familiar face on screen, Chris has lent his hand to Fox’s number one hit competition series in the US, So You Think You Can Dance, for which he received his first Emmy nomination at this year’s awards.

Dance Informa caught up with Chris to chat about the success of Step Up Revolution.

How was the experience of choreographing for Step Up Revolution?

I started off my role in the franchise as the character ‘Hair’ in Step Up 2: The Streets. So being behind the camera five years later was a little surreal! It made the experience extremely special. Not to mention getting to create routines with some of the most incredible dancers in the world, all while working under supervising choreographer Jamal Sims, who just happens to be one of my mentors, director Scott Speer, who set an endless idea of what we could do in this film, and executive producer Adam Shankman, who has been such a big part of bringing dancers to the forefront as he’s a dancer himself. And three months in Miami! Basically it was a dream job!

Christopher Scott. Photos by Gabriel Goldberg.

Which parts of the choreography did you have a hand in?

I was in charge of choreographing the ‘Office Plaza Mob’, with 65 dancers in suits shutting down an office building in a display of protest. I also had a part in the ‘Museum Mob’. Jamal Sims gave me the piece to choreograph with the Hoberman Spheres (expanding 3D spheres) featuring Twitch. Then we all came together for the finale where I was in charge of Adam Sevani’s section with the riot shields, the b-boy section and Madd Chadd’s robotic police officer section.

How inspiring was it to be in Miami?

Miami is a really inspiring place for art! It has such a strong culture that being there really influenced the outcome of the choreography in some ways.

Is the Miami dance scene very different to LA?

I actually know a lot of dancers in LA from Miami, so I felt very at home there. I have to say though, some of the best b-boys in the world come from Miami! They call it ‘Flava Florida’ and if you have ever seen Skill Methodz Crew, Flipside Kings or other Miami crews, you might know what I’m talking about.

Some dance movies don’t always do so well at the box office. Why do you think the Step Up franchise is always such a great success?

I think the fact that it was a franchise built by dancers and people who genuinely love dance. The executive producer Adam Shankman, and Anne Fletcher who directed the first installment, have had an amazing dance and choreography career of their own. Then comes along Jon M. Chu, who directed the second and third installments. He put so much care into making sure the dance was authentic and shot in a way not to distract from the dancers but to enhance them. He also just happens to be an amazing storyteller and I think he plays a huge role in the success of the franchise.

How important has the Step Up series been for hip-hop culture?

I think it has been extremely important! There’s a whole generation of kids out there that haven’t seen Beat Street or Breakin. The Step Up movies have given that generation a dose of what I got growing up. Step Up 3D actually opened with a montage that spoke about hip-hop. The franchise has done a great job of showing that style to the masses in a really great way. For some people it might still just be a bunch of people spinning on their heads, but I know personally that it has inspired kids to train in these dance styles and respect them as art.

Congratulations on receiving an Emmy nomination for this year’s awards. You must feel grateful to shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars for giving dance the recognition it deserves in the media.

Absolutely! They have created a place for dancers to be the stars. I am still amazed when I’m with Twitch and someone asks him for his autograph. He’s getting recognition for being brilliant at an art form, which hasn’t happened much since the Gene Kelly days. These shows have also given someone like me a place to tell stories through movement to a huge audience on a weekly basis, and has given us the opportunity to inspire a whole other generation of dancers who are going to continue to push the boundaries of dance in the future. So yes, I’m extremely grateful for shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars and America’s Best Dance Crew.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on some projects for Jon M. Chu’s new dance lifestyle channel on YouTube called DS2DIO. I have been directing various episodes of a show we have in the US called Studio City, which features some of the best freestylers in the world dancing in a very specific location to them.

Photos by Gabriel Goldberg.

By Rebecca Martin.

In September Melbourne’s The Space Dance and Arts Centre brought US dance icon Adam Parson back to Australia and New Zealand for a series of workshops.  Whilst down under Adam also conducted The Space’s full time course auditions and appeared as a guest teacher at the popular Australian Dance Festival in Sydney.

Having travelled the world a number of times over, Adam is an exceptional dance teacher, choreographer and performer from Kenya who is now based in Los Angeles.  He founded and is the Artistic Director of ‘Commonality Dance Company’ with an impressive CV of commercial credits including Pepsi, Prince, 3^rd Rock From The Sun, and So You Think You Can Dance.

Dance Informa spoke to Adam during his visit.

You began dancing at a later age than most. What inspired you to start dancing?

I was a 26 year old computer systems analyst and accountant working in a prestigious computing firm in Washington DC when my sister asked me to take one of her friends to dance class. Dropping them off I heard this BOMP! BOMP! BOMP! along with a high pitched voice yelling “5, 6, 7, 8, get those legs straight, catch her, higher, fight for it!” I had to go in and see what was going on! I walked in and saw these girls and boys jumping, dropping, turning, kicking, grooving and thumping along with a pulsating beat coming out of the speakers. My eyes widened, my head clicked and that was that. I saw this strong bossy lady (Terry Peyton) who would later become my master. I went straight over to her and said “I want to do this!” She looked at me and asked me how old I was and what I did for a living and after I told her, she said “Wow, you make good money in a good job, just stay there and be happy.”  I told her I was going to dance either way so she might as well help me.  Not only did she help me, but if I hadn’t gone to her there’s no way I’d be where I am today.

Adam Parson

Was it challenging starting at the beginning when many of your peers had been dancing for decades?

No.  I knew that this is what I wanted to do and there was nothing that was going to get in my way. The fact that these guys had the jump on me only amped up my desire to be better.  When someone did it better, I’d study them like a hawk. I went to shows, I studied videos and I read books. I would drive my teachers crazy with all of my questions. But the teachers that always answered me are the ones I still take class from – Keith Clifton, Terri Best, Helene Phillips, Cindera Che, Natsuo and Charles Anderson.

What keeps you inspired these days?

Knowledge on all subjects (did you know that dancers live longer and suffer from fewer long term health problems than non-dancers?), wanting to be a better person, teacher, and human being than I was yesterday, and seeing the young generation of dancers. They are helping elevate the status of dancers to what I call the artistic athlete!

You’ve been to Australia a number of times now.  Do you notice anything different about our local dancers?

Oh yes!  I LOVE Australian dancers!  They have an inner drive that’s almost a hunger in their dancing. I’ve had several Australian dancers in my dance company ‘Commonality’.  My friend, Aussie Lachlan McCarthy, has been in the company for almost eight years now and has to be hands down one of the most amazing dancers I know.  Australian Shannon Holtzapffel toured with the company to Europe. I picked him over 40 other American boys because of his ability to inhabit a style or movement; he’s really good at that. My good friend Abby Crossley (director of Global Dance Convention) was one of the most amazing dancers I’ve known. The list goes on!

What’s on your must-do list for this trip down under?

Take in some Australian dance shows, get my mother yet another batch of Darrell Lea Mango Liquorice, eat at Pancakes on the Rocks, surprise Ramon Doringo, visit my good friends Jo Bolden, Juliette Verne, Veronica Beattie, Joshua Horner, and my Melbourne favs Deb Cantoni and Ariel Bud!

What’s it like to take part in one of your workshops?

I know how to get the most out of a dancer. With insight, diligence and focus I make sure each dancer I encounter gets the right kind of information. I connect to dancers to help them find their strengths, direction and balance. We work, learn, have fun, and dance our butts off!

Photos: courtesy of Adam Parson.

By Rain Francis.

Across the Tasman, a dedicated team of artists has been working tirelessly to create a new dance company, The New Zealand Dance Company, to be exact.

Heading the charge is Shona McCullagh, who has been an integral part of the New Zealand dance scene for many years. A graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and a former member of Limbs Dance Company, she became a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate in 2002, and received a Senior Choreographic Fellowship from Creative New Zealand in 2007. Besides her many creations for various distinguished dance companies, she has made work for theatre, television and film, as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Now Executive/Artistic Director of the New Zealand Dance Company, McCullagh, along with General Manager Frances Turner, has relished the seemingly mountainous self-imposed challenge. And with the official media launch of the new Company taking place recently, the summit is in sight.

Founding Artistic Director Shona McCullagh. Photo by John McDermott

McCullagh notes that although the dance landscape in New Zealand “has always been rich, [it has been] operating in a predominantly project-to-project based paradigm for a long time.” This means of course, that most of the highly skilled and creative talent being produced in New Zealand every year is being forced to fly the coop.

The truth is that since the demise of Limbs in 1989, there have been no full-time contracts available to contemporary dancers in New Zealand. Remedying that is the Company’s ultimate aim – an aim McCullagh says it will take about three years to reach. She envisions for the Company “a beautiful home in Auckland [with] a core of eight full-time dancers and a dynamic infrastructure.”

Despite the “relentless nature” of the huge task they have undertaken, McCullagh and Turner have met with massive support from many arts and business individuals, companies and communities. Creative New Zealand is the core funder of the new venture, and Westpac has come on board for an initial three year contract. Leading performing arts venue The Edge has been one of the Company’s “most significant supporters”. McCullagh also credits Designworks for the crucial task of brand development, Auckland City for additional funding, and Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) for mentoring support.

The New Zealand Dance Company will officially leap into the spotlight in August, with its inaugural season at the ASB Theatre at The Edge in Auckland. Titled Language of Living, the programme will comprise five works commissioned specifically for this debut appearance. The choreographers on the bill include New Zealand icon Michael Parmenter alongside Justin Haiu, Sarah Foster-Sproull and McCullagh herself.

With the season encompassing the idea that dance is “the most beautifully truthful language of living,” McCullagh describes the programme as a mix of “earthy, funny, brave and beautiful.”

NZ Dance Company Dancer Sarah Foster-Sproull

“One of the works is a solo created for one of our global super-stars Ursula Robb, who has returned to NZ from a stellar career in Europe,” the Artistic Director explains. “Justin Haiu, of So You Think You Can Dance fame, has created a great solo with live music by South Auckland group The Electric Boutique, and the other works on the programme are group pieces with fantastic music, a stunning set, new technology and contemporary costume. Deliciously compelling!”

Following auditions last year, McCullagh has assembled a company of artists she calls “absolute individuals; funny, feisty, mysterious and astonishing.” These founding members of the New Zealand Dance Company are Robb, Haiu and Foster-Sproull, along with Craig Bary, Alex Leonhartsberger, Tupua Tigafua, Hannah Tasker-Poland and apprentice dancer, Lucy Lynch.

She adds proudly that all dancers and choreographers are born-and-bred Kiwis (with the exception of Leonhartsberger – who has lived in New Zealand for several years).

“We produce magnificent dancers here and have exciting choreographic talent,” McCullagh explains. “We need to be offering choreographers the opportunity to develop their craft in a more stable environment and beautiful dancers the chance to have a full-time profession.”

Another exciting initiative of the New Zealand Dance Company is the Youth Engagement Programme (YEP), which provides workshop and performance opportunities to young dance enthusiasts. This programme is part of the Company’s overall aim, which involves removing the “barriers and complexity” surrounding contemporary dance, to change the way New Zealanders see and experience the artform.

“The New Zealand Dance Company is a safe place for artists and audiences to be brave,” says McCullagh, “in essence creating a new connection to what dance is and can be.”

Language of Living opens on August 10 at the ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland.
For more information, go to www.the-edge.co.nz/Event-Pages/L/Language-of-Living.aspx

Top photo: New Zealand Dance Company dancer Hannah Tasker-Poland

By Kristy Johnson.

As an Emmy nominated choreographer on America’s smash hit So You Think You Can Dance, Travis Wall has come a long way since competing on the show. Along with the exposure has come plenty of job opportunities. Not only will we see his choreographic talents in the next Step Up installment – Step Up 4, but Travis has a reality show already in the works.

Dance Informa caught up with Travis from Los Angeles.

How grateful are you to So You Think You Can Dance for all the opportunities you’ve had since competing on the show?

I thank them as much as I can (laughs). They are pretty much responsible for my big break as a choreographer. I was doing the odd job here and there, but because of the exposure I got with the show as a choreographer, it really opened up all the doors and all the jobs I’ve actually had since then. I always call the executive producers and tell them all the time, ‘thank you so much.’ This entire experience has changed my life, and I’m very grateful.

When you were learning Mia Michaels’ Emmy winning ‘The Bench’ piece, did you already know or have a feeling it would garner so much attention?

I actually did not. I was so excited to do the piece with Mia, but at the time my partner was having trouble with it. I wasn’t dancing with a contemporary dancer; I was dancing with a ballroom dancer. So for me I wasn’t thinking about how the audience or judges would respond to it. I was constantly worried about whether my partner would even get through the routine. I didn’t even know if we would finish the routine because she was crying so much. I was worried about that. I wasn’t even worried about what everyone was going to think. I was making sure that we were actually going to have a piece. Right before dress rehearsals, she felt okay about it, so the next time we did it, it was on stage in front of everybody. It really just came to life. So the response from that piece…we weren’t expecting it because we weren’t seeing that product in rehearsal. It kind of just came out of the blue. It got such a huge response.

Teddy Forance, Travis Wall, Kyle Robinson & Nick Lazzarini of 'All The Right Moves'. Photo by: Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media

Congratulations on having your own show picked up – All The Right Moves. Can you tell us what the show will be about and your involvement in it?

The show follows my three closest friends and me. I started a dance company along with two of my best friends called Shaping Sound. The show is really about how to get a dance company up and running. I’m more of a choreographer and my friends are pretty much trying to break in as choreographers, so we’re just trying to get our name out there as much as possible. It’s following us, building this company off the ground, looking at how to get money, how to deal with dancers’ egos, how to deal with our own egos, and the whole process. And at the same time it follows our personal careers and our personal lives. Pretty much the show is what happens to us in our day (laughs). It’s very emotional and it’s definitely something to watch.

How did the concept for a show come about?

A producer approached me and asked what I would think about having my own reality show. I was like, ‘I don’t know about that’. We are all entertaining and together we have a great show. If it were just about me, I don’t know how entertaining that would be (laughs). I introduced my friends to everybody and we came up with this concept. It’s been a two-year process getting this TV show up and running.

How was the experience of choreographing for Step Up 4?

I had an amazing time on the movie. We had to do it pretty fast. We had to choreograph in two weeks! We shot the whole movie in I think two and a half months. We started at the end of August and finished right before Halloween. It was a great experience. It was my first movie choreographing and I can’t wait to do more because of it. I love choreographing in movies!

Did you have a say in casting?

I didn’t have a say in the hip hop casting and I had to actually work with the hip hop dancers. The dancers who I did cast were Miami locals, so I did have a say in some casting. I had a great group of dancers, so I was very happy with whom I found. Sometimes when you’re not working in Los Angeles or New York, you don’t necessarily get the best dancers. I definitely picked the best dancers from Miami, so I was very happy with that.

Top photo: Dancer and Choreographer Travis Wall by Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media

By Rain Francis.

A little over three years ago, household dance fans across the country sat biting their nails as they waited to see who would win the third season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. But having made it to that stage meant that Jess Hesketh was already winning: her dream was about to come true. Crowned runner-up of the reality TV show, Jess was awarded one of the most coveted posts in the dance world – a contract with Australian Dance Theatre.

After a decade of adoring the Adelaide-based contemporary company, just knowing that the contract was available helped Jess propel herself through the competition. Even now, having worked with the company since September 2010, she says it’s “still a bit surreal”.

ADT is currently rehearsing to take its acclaimed work Be Your Self to Sydney, as well as performing an excerpt in Let’s Dance, a gala season that is part of The Australian Ballet’s 50^th anniversary.

Jess in rehearsals with ADT. Photos by Chris Herzfeld

Be Your Self draws on investigations into neurobiology and Buddhist philosophy. These two positions in one sense are worlds apart, in another, they are two sides of one coin: the science of poetry – or the poetry of science. To use Jess’ own eloquent description of the work, “it cross-examines the vast complexity of who we are and what we’re made of. It really looks into the subject of selfhood. Not only the physical aspects, but the emotional aspect of what makes us human, and how the physical and emotional sides do work together to create us as humans.”

As with all of ADT’s works, Be Your Self, with its fusion of contemporary dance, breaking and tumbling, is incredibly demanding physically. However, Jess says that the emotional side of the work is equally challenging. In the research stages, Artistic Director and Choreographer Garry Stewart consulted with Professor of Physiology Ian Gibbons from the Flinders Medical Centre. The insights he shared into the neurobiological functions of the body have greatly informed the work. The result? An added depth and dimension to the movement, which Jess says she is “really attached to”.

To add yet another dimension, Stewart engaged leading design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro to create a set piece. The cutting-edge New York-based firm are responsible for multi-million dollar architectural projects, such as the complete refurbishment of the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts, and the expansion of the School of American Ballet. With their backgrounds in the visual arts, DS+R like to, as Stewart says “keep one foot in the arts” and “were kind enough to lend their support to Be Your Self”. The resulting set piece seeks to reconstruct our perspective on the body.

Jess in rehearsals for 'Proximity'

Be Your Self is in fact the first piece that Jess worked on when joining the company. At that time, the work had already been created, however the whole second half was about to undergo a drastic revamp. This would be Jess’s first real experience not only as a professional dancer, but as a creative collaborator in the developmental stages of a dance theatre work – a role she still finds challenging.

“Creating and choreographing are areas that I haven’t really delved into a lot throughout my training,” she explains, adding that she is grateful to the familial atmosphere at ADT. “The other dancers are awesome. They’re so supportive and they’re always helping me and giving me tips. It’s almost like my own personal choreography lesson every time I have to make up a new solo.”

With the freshly developed Be Your Self in their arsenal, the formidable ADT embarked on a three-month European tour early in 2011. Returning home, they collaborated with visual artist Thom Buchanan and third year students of the Adelaide College of the Arts on a new multi-media project titled Worldhood. Next, they developed and performed Proximity, in conjunction with French video engineer and artist Thomas Pachoud. After the current season of Be Your Self, it will be back to Proximity for another European adventure.

“It’s just one thrill after another,” says Jess. “I’m living my dream. ADT is something that I’ve wanted to do for such a long time. Actually being here and being part of these amazing  productions is a heap of fun every day.”

And it seems she has fit well into her new home. Stewart calls Jess “a really beautiful dancer with incredible facility, remarkable versatility and the ability to do anything that she puts her mind to.” He adds that it has been “interesting with her coming up through the commercial field and through television, but that has given her a lot of ability to connect with a performative presence.”

Another thing that television exposure gave her, Jess says, is a diverse wealth of experience. She acknowledges that after full-time training, dancers and other artists often find it difficult to find work and transition into developing themselves professionally. “Having SYTYCD was the perfect bridge to close that gap,” she says. “It opened so many doors for me. The amount of choreographers that I was exposed to and I got to work with on the show was just incredible. It set me up for a great start – and the ball continues to roll.”

Australian Dance Theatre’s Be Your Self Sydney premiere season
31 May – 3 June
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine -covering dance in Australia, dance training, dance auditions, dance teacher resources, dancewear and fashion and more.

By Bonnie E. Erickson, Director of Educational Programming, Broadway Dance Center.

As Broadway Dance Center master theater teacher Jim Cooney and I looked around the room, we saw lovely young dancers standing in groups with other dancers in the identical leotards of their respective studios, with arms crossed, hips out, and expressions of trepidation – we looked at each other and smiled: a beautiful blank canvas for our work!

Jim and I had come to Australia for two weeks of workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, and we were excited to bring our message of kindness between dancers, of supporting one another in the classroom, at the audition, and on the stage to Australia’s dancers, and especially to fellowship with other dance educators to bring the dance world ever closer. Jim is the Faculty Advisor for our Educational Programming and I am the Director of Educational Programming at Broadway Dance Center – in these roles, Jim and I teach this message to all the dancers who come through our full-time programs at BDC, creating dancers who are “happy to be here, and ready to work!” – a quote I must properly attribute to the extraordinary Lucille DiCampli of MSA dance agency, with whom we work on our mock auditions.

Jim Cooney of Broadway Dance Center teaches Australian students

At each of the eight workshops we taught, it was exhilarating to watch these dancers go around the room, shaking hands with other dancers to get acquainted and to get past their fears, and then expanding that energy as they learned Jim’s wonderful musical theatre choreography. It was wonderful to see their hearts and minds open, and fully enthralled in the joy of dance.

We were fortunate enough to secure a segment on Australia’s popular television show The Circle, and at the behest of the show’s producers, Jim quickly put together a flash mob for the show, recruiting dancers we’d met at our Melbourne workshops through the lovely directors of the studios The Space and Dancescape to perform on the show. It was so gratifying to be able to immediately put into practice what we’d taught them – life is the audition, and you never know what might lead to a gig in this industry, and quite simply being nice can get you the job.

After each of the workshops we had a talk-back with the students, answering their questions about Broadway Dance Center and New York. We were especially excited to announce the planned opening in April of two new studios on the first and second floors of the building, bringing us to seven state-of-the-art studios. The students were, as you can imagine, ecstatic to imagine a schedule of over 300 classes a week in ballet, contemporary, jazz, theatre, hip-hop, tap, yoga, pilates, flexibility, belly-dancing, acting, Latin, partnering, and so many more. We also spoke of our new offerings like the Original Broadway Choreography Series, the Contemporary Variations Series, our Industry Insider Series, and the exciting introduction of Parsons Dance in Residence at BDC.

While BDC’s main demographic is and always has been the walk-in dancer — New Yorkers and others who come in and simply sign up for whatever classes they want to take that day — we’re also home to four full-time programs: the International Student Visa Program, the largest and oldest of the programs; the BDC Training Program, its counterpart for American dancers of varying levels; and our two professional elite training programs for US dancers, the Summer Intern Program and the Professional Semester. The students of the ISVP hail from more than 35 countries worldwide. They comprise of a vibrant community of talented, multi-cultural dancers who take 12 classes weekly, enjoy special master classes, rehearsals, performances, the benefit of a full-time staff (including a student advisor), and one-on-one faculty mentoring. They join us for three months, six months, or a year initially, and then can extend their programs for up to three years. It is quite simply a joy to watch these students progress as they study closely with our world-class faculty, many of whom are working choreographers. Often our teachers offer the students incredible performance opportunities available only through their participation in the program.

Workshop students with Jim Cooney, Bonnie Erickson and Jessica Orcsik

A recent graduate of the ISVP, Jess Orcsik, is herself a studio owner in Sydney, and an ambitious young entrepreneur, as well as a lovely dancer indeed. Jess loved her time at BDC, and upon her return to Australia felt that the training she’d received was so powerful that she wanted to find a way to share it with the dancers of her country, perhaps during shorter visits to New York. When she contacted me with her idea, we jumped at the chance to work with her to develop The Australian Intensive, a program designed by Jess through her J.O. International Productions, whereby groups of young dancers can come to BDC to study intensively in a similar structure to the rigorous ISVP course.

As a longtime Australiophile — I have a sister who lives in Yeerongpilly, Brisbane — I had a trip planned to take a respite from New York’s winter months to the lovely Aussie summer, and so in chatting to Jess about my trip, it became obvious to both of us straightaway that we ought to combine pleasure with business and offer some workshops and reach out to the burgeoning dance community of Australia. We’ve had many Aussie dancers in the ISVP through the years, and have been delighted to watch them get better and better — the training in Australia is clearly on the rise. We’ve had gorgeous dancers like Amy Campbell from So You Think You Can Dance and Dena Kaplan from Dance Academy come through the program, and we’re seeing more and more dancers of their calibre apply to the program.

I like to think that the founder of BDC, the late Richard Ellner, would feel that his dream of one all-encompassing studio, with the best dance faculty in the world, offering the finest dance instruction and a veritable “home away from home” for dancers, is indeed thriving here in the heart of the Broadway theatre district. Even more, I hope he’d feel proud to see that rather than resting on our laurels, we’re all working hard to further this dream and welcome more dancers from around the world into the BDC-red hallways of our studios.

Photo: Students enjoy dancing Jim Cooney’s choreography.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.

By Kristy Johnson.

They already are familiar faces in the dance scene, however Stephen Tannos and Morgan Choice are yet to cement their status as choreographers of the new generation. This is all set to change when they bring their creative vision to life in Tannos + Choice: a cutting edge performance that So You Think You Can Dance judge Matt Lee describes as a “non-stop joy ride”.

Prior to their February debut, Dance Informa caught up with the pair to discuss how Tannos + Choice came about.

We’re excited to see your first live performance this month. Can you tell us what we can expect from the show?

Stephen
I think the main thing we hope you go away with after seeing our show, is a sense of empowerment and inspiration. You should expect a few surprise cameos and appearances, as well as a soundtrack that will blow your mind. Along with that, you should expect to see Morgan and my favourite dancers in the country kill it!

You have been likened to American power couple Napoleon and Tabitha. How does it feel to be compared to such icons?

Morgan
It’s a massive compliment! Both Stephen and I have been huge fans of their work over the years, not just as choreographers but also as dancers. Their work and achievements have been a constant inspiration for Stephen and me. One of their biggest achievements was the Emmy Award they recently received. Stephen and I hope one day we will also be that lucky.

Does Tannos + Choice seem like a natural progression? Has this always been something you have worked towards?

Stephen
I’ve always had a passion for choreography and knew that I had a point of view I wanted to voice. However, this was something I used to do by myself. After Morgan and I became a couple, it seemed like a natural progression to bring the two of us together as one force. It was not an easy thing to convince Morgan to get into this with me. She claimed she was “just a jazz dancer” and had no choreographic ability, which I told her was ridiculous!

Marko Panzic is producing the show. He seems to be on fire at the moment. How thrilled are you to be working alongside him?

Stephen
When Marko approached the two of us about his idea of producing a show for us, we were truly overwhelmed. Marko is an ‘ideas man’ and a huge inspiration to both of us. The fact that he wants to put this much time, money and effort into this project, is such a beautiful thing. Marko is producing and co-directing, and has so far put in a huge amount of input. Morgan and I really take in every single piece of advice he gives us creatively, and apply it the best way possible. Together the three of us can put on an amazing production, I’m sure of it!

Have you already received great feedback and support from your peers?

Morgan
Stephen and I have received phenomenal feedback and support not just from our peers in Australia, but all over the world. We are so grateful that people are respecting and appreciating the work we are producing. It was always a risk to try to create movement that is not commercial and a bit ‘left of field’. We are so happy we have been accepted.

What do you think makes a great choreographer?

Morgan
I think it’s being able to relate to your audience on a personal level. It is creating movement that people are going to watch and feel emotion. I respect choreographers that can make me feel happiness and joy, but I also love dancing something that makes me feel uncomfortable and sometimes sad. I feel like it makes you grow not just as a performer but also as a person. There are many choreographers that inspire me such as Wade Robson, Kelley Abbey, Jason Gilkison, Tony Czar and Erica Sobol. They have always been major inspirations to me, mainly because they are all so different yet still manage to let me connect and relate to what I’m dancing.

Why do you think the two of you work so well together as choreographers?

Morgan
Stephen and I have gradually found our niche when working together. We are both comfortable in what we excel at most, so now when we are creating we can produce better work. When working with someone so close, it takes time to figure each other out. You disagree and things can be hard, but you always get through it in the end.

Stephen
We make up for each other’s weaknesses and we have the ability to finish each other’s sentences creatively. We have strengths in opposite areas. My strength is finding music and creating visions, whereas Morgan’s is in translating those things into beautiful and expressive movement.

You can catch Tannos + Choice on February 22-24 at the Parade Playhouse in Sydney. Visit Ticketek for tickets.