A Reserve Double Passes are up for grabs!

NUTCRACKER ON ICE

The international ice dance sensation The Imperial Ice Stars make a triumphant return to Australia this winter with a dazzling new production of The Nutcracker on Ice.

Over the last seven years, The Imperial Ice Stars have performed to more than three million people across five continents, at some of the world’s most prestigious venues.

For their latest production, The Nutcracker on Ice, acclaimed Artistic Director Tony Mercer – the world’s leading creator of contemporary theatre-on-ice – has once again teamed with four-time figure skating World Champion and dual Olympic gold medallist Evgeny Platov, and dual World Champion Maxim Staviski to create choreography that further raises the bar, with ever more breathtaking high-speed leaps and throws, and awe-inspiring acrobatics, coupled with the most graceful and sublime ice dancing.

Sydney: Capitol Theatre – 6-10 June
Canberra: Canberra Theatre Centre – 13-17 June
Brisbane: Lyric Theatre, QPAC – 20-24 June
Adelaide: Adelaide Festival Centre – 18-22 July
Melbourne: The Arts Centre – 25-29 July
Perth: His Majesty’s Theatre – 2-12 August

www.imperialicestars.com

OPERA WARRIORS

Direct from the award-winning creative team behind the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Opera Warriors showcases the best of Chinese modern theatre arts in a show that tells a story of the Peking Opera through martial arts and modern dance. To celebrate the closing of the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia, Opera Warriors will premiere at the Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House with four shows only from 14 to 16 June.

Opera Warriors is choreographed by Mr Xing Shimiao, and scripted by Ms Pik Wah Li (Lilian Lee) – one of Hong Kong’s most popular columnists, whose screenplay Farewell My Concubine won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. Mr Sha Xiaolan, the Lighting Designer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of Beijing 2008 Olympics, will light the Opera House stage.

Leading Chinese dancer Mr Wang Di, who performed the painting scroll sequence in Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, and Mr Huang Doudou, China’s most famous male dancing artist, who performed Chinese Kung-Fu in the Closing Ceremony of 2004 Greece Olympic Games, will lead the troupe of 60 dancers.

Brought to Sydney by the Shanxi Huajin Dance Art Troupe, Opera Warriors is an exquisite visual feast that combines an elaborate set, beautiful costumes, dynamic lighting and original music with a story that encompasses the dramas of life.

www.operawarriors.com.au

Win a Double Pass to:
Nutcracker On Ice at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre or Opera Warriors at Sydney Opera House!

Just email info@danceinforma.com with subject: “WIN TICKETS” and tell us What show you’d like to win tickets to and why. Dance Informa’s Editors will pick the best responses to win.
* Please include your full name, postal address and date of birth.

Competition open until May 24.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance auditions, dance news, dance events and resources for dance teachers.

West Side Story with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sydney Opera House
27 January 2012
As part of Sydney Festival

By Elizabeth Ashley.

The iconic film West Side Story, with its musical interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is seen as one of the greatest film musicals, winning an unsurpassed 10 Academy awards in 1961.  Central to the film’s success is the interplay of Leonard Bernstein’s music and the brilliance of Jerome Robbins’ choreography.

In an attempt to highlight these two elements, West Side Story was screened to the live music of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra this Sydney Festival. It was a collaboration which drew attention to the film’s musical vibrancy and conveyed an immediacy that can seem lacking in the film.

Part of the collaborative process required the original film to undergo technological surgery, digitally deleting the musical score whilst retaining the singing and speaking voices. Ensuring success would demand perfect synchronisation of the present music and past film. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, led by Hollywood’s David Newman, achieved this feat whilst interpreting the music.  Newman recognised the risks involved, “You feel like you are on a tightrope going step by step from A to B to C to D.”

Emerging in the Sydney Opera House Concert hall was the vividness of the score and an appreciation of the musicians’ performances as one could hear and see them toiling onstage to give life to the musical.  A disconcerting aspect was the feeling that the orchestra could reach across time and space to cue the actors to their present performance.

But while we can say that Bernstein’s score benefited from this deconstruction and reconstruction how did Robbins’ choreography fare?

Remastering the score drew our attention to Jerome Robbins’ continuing relevance to a new generation of dancers and audience. Robbins’ capacity to convey an emerging urban energy through combining the discipline of ballet with the social and racial tensions of a modern city underlines the film’s iconic dance scenes.  There is no mistaking Robbins’ influence in such movies as The Warriors and the music video of Michael Jackson’s Beat it which strongly quote Robbins’ vision of urban America.

West Side Story also highlights Robbins’ ability to bring a classical ballet sensibility to the production, freeing it from the usual confines of stage and studio and allowing it to explode and expand onto the streets of New York – a city that he loved.  While other choreographers may be content to convey the city on a stage, Robbins’ determination to place dance squarely in the cityscape resulted in a transformation of the balletic body as it interacts and attempts to circumvent the concrete and steel environment of NYC.

This vision of the street may seem quaint and somewhat at odds with our contemporary sensibility, but with West Side Story we have the opportunity to experience one of the earlier versions of street dance.  Dances such as Cool are capable of capturing all the tension of territorial urban posturing and yet remain unencumbered by the earthbound, technologically distracted manner of much contemporary dance.  The raw energy of the urban street conveyed in Robbins’ choreography is in many ways purer in its roots to classical dance and also much more innocent in its vision.

The film’s costumes and general aesthetic is saturated with the American pop culture that reflected the country’s post-war prosperity of the 1950’s. It suggests a time when the dance world was more integrated and reflective of the wider cultural atmosphere. West Side Story was an opportunity for Robbins to comment on the very real inter-racial gang wars that were ravaging NYC at this time.

From a 21^st century perspective that has been saturated with American urban culture in its music, dance and fashion, the movie’s innocence can seem out of touch and jarring to younger generations. Particularly the almost all white “Caribbean” cast with their fake tans.  One also gets the impression that Robbins’ interpretation of Puerto Rican street dance is closer to a Spanish interpretation of the ballet Carmen rather than Afro-Latin folkloric forms that rule the streets.

Nevertheless this retrospective exercise, with its combination of resonating energy and synchronisation, allowed the audience to suspend disbelief and be transported back in time to experience Bernstein and Robbins afresh. The synergy of past and present masters enthralled and inspired.

Photo source: www.moviesoddity.com/20-best-new-york-movies/

Playhouse, Sydney Opera House
January 2012
As part of Sydney Festival

By Elizabeth Ashley

While Nijinsky’s L’Après Midi d’un Faune may be 100 years old this year, it still packs an inspirational punch for  choreographers, dancers and other performers.

The original performance premiered in a storm of scandalous success to a 1912 Parisian audience eager to see the iconic Ballet Russes.  To its detractors in the dance world Nijinsky was accused of being “anti-ballet” when he delivered a performance that attempted to strip ballet of its sentimentality and stressed instead a feral, instinctive and coldly sexual quality.

These qualities seem to be the inspiration for choreographer Martin del Amo as he worked with renowned dancer Paul White to create their Anatomy of an Afternoon. Underplaying the mythical and classical elements of the original work, del Amo emphasises the natural and the animal that is in the dance. Also in this work, the mythical aspect of the faun, a strange creature of half man half goat is replaced with a meditation on the potential qualities of an afternoon with its mix of languidity, frustration and possibility.

Paul White’s solo performance is a marvel of animal magnetism as he captures the inherent grace of various animals from upright cassowary-type bird to slithering lizard and underwater squid. The juxtaposition of effortless animalistic grace with human form creates an uncanny sense of mythological faun and the beast inherent in man.

Without narrative or emotion, White holds the audience spell-bound as he evokes the native life forms of a forest conveying the heightened sensitivity of an animal in response to its environment.  From the hypnotic head movements of a snake charming its master to a satisfied cat licking its paws, White effortlessly fascinates us with the centrality of the body in the natural world. 

At times this bodily love is shown in a joyful, undressed and yet aimless running, perhaps conveying the excess of Nijinsky’s Faun.  Yet del Amo and White’s work is objective, studied and appropriately named Anatomy. The body’s centrality is performed with all the strength and graceful control that is Paul White’s forte, but in contrast to the introversion and self-absorption of Nijinky’s Faun, this creature is very much outward-looking. He gazes intently at the audience, proudly rippling his muscular frame and teasing us with a barely-covered pair of animal glutes.

Martin Bradshaw’s eclectic music, played by a small ensemble, attempts to convey the ‘elusive nature of the afternoon’. While there is a strong sense of the longing inherent in an idyllic Queensland afternoon it seems a touch too insipid to convey the rhythmic essence of the wild body.  The sense and mood of an afternoon isn’t helped by Matthew Marshall’s light and design on a bare stage, which while beautiful, suggests more of a moonlit forest rather than a sunlit afternoon.

Anatomy of an Afternoon may not instigate the same controversy as its predecessor, but it does provide a timely reminder that much of what is graceful is centered on the feral, untamed body and instinct; and it can still hold us spellbound. The Faun of the 21st century reflects our increasing fascination and anxiety about our relationship with nature in its various forms.

Sydney Opera House
December 2011

By Linda Badger

There are many advantages to creating a new version of something old.  Audiences are familiar with the old, and love to see the creativity that a new artist can bring to the original.  Graeme Murphy has created many brilliant, fresh interpretations of various classics for companies worldwide.  He has successfully managed to take on this new season in his career with gusto, and the critics have been raving about his work.

In December, Murphy’s adaptation of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet was showing at the Sydney Opera House.  His long time collaborators shone throughout the work, with Akira Isogawa on costume design, Gerard Manion on sets and Damien Cooper managing lighting.  Isogawa’s costumes were stunning.  The use of colour, line, texture and concepts woven into each detail of every costume was art within itself.   It brought new meaning to each character, and freshened up the entire look of the production.  However, it felt at times like we were watching a fashion show. I felt major sensory overload.  The costumes were just gorgeous, but they completely overtook and distracted from the choreography itself.  It was a display of costumes with dancers in them, not costumes with the purpose of complimenting the choreography.

The most memorable performances were that of the characters of Romeo and Juliet played by Daniel Gaudiello and Leanne Stojmenov. Both wore fairly simple costumes, and therefore their movements were the focus. The company all danced well, but the dancing was just not as memorable as the costuming. This was highlighted with the addition of a random second wedding scene, set in a Bollywood style. This again was a chance to show off the talents of Akira Isogawa, but it didn’t necessarily add to the storyline, nor did it fit in with the cultural setting of the show.

One of the most interesting changes, although slightly out of context, was the addition of a holy man who married the fated lovers. He was portrayed as a Buddhist monk. Within the scenes that involved this holy man and his acolytes, we saw some of the most inventive choreographic moments. These scenes were mesmerizing, but they once again added a completely new culture to the mix, which didn’t really make sense. 

I wondered the purpose of all these additions? In this case the additions were not in line with the story, the culture, or the setting of the ballet. If in the program there could have been some explanation for the choices Murphy made, we may have been able to piece together this work a little more easily. 

Choreographically, Murphy’s use of motif for Juliet’s character was interesting. It seemed very well thought out and her interpretation of the role was undeniably realistic and mesmerising, taking us on her journey through the work seamlessly. Murphy’s reputation for bringing something special out of a dancer was brought to life in this casting.

The use of multimedia within the work was ingenious. With screens being an interwoven part of the setting, not an added extra, they helped make each scene come to life.

Death was added as a character, and he was fantastic, adding a new interpretation on the lead up to the character’s deaths.  He made cameo appearances throughout the work, and the context within which Murphy weaved him into the story was clever.  If every addition had this much relevance to it, it would have made the work that much better.

The most captivating scene was within the final moments of the work, where the two lovers both committed suicide to be with each other in eternity. Gaudiello and Stojmenov’s acting was realistic and they gave so much emotion in their portrayal of their characters.  It was an awesome scene to observe. It really drew one in.  In this moment the show took us back to the original version, and we were finally able to focus on the dance, the story and where the two were emotionally.  Notably there were not the distractions of extravagant costumes or sets. The dancers felt more tangible, and their movement and role-play was what stood out.

This version of Romeo and Juliet is one that audiences either love or hate, or walk away confused with all the ideas that are thrown at them.  I think Murphy definitely pitched this ballet at a contemporary audience. Lovers of the classic may leave the theatre feeling as if this revival was not justified.  There were so many great ideas and concepts, but not every idea and concept needed to be used to make the show great.  The original ballet was definitely in need of a revamp to make it attractive to the modern theatregoer who may not normally attend the ballet, so bravo to Murphy and collaborators for such a bold attempt at bringing to life a classic.

Photo: Kevin Jackson and Madeleine Eastoe of The Australian Ballet. Photo by Georges Antoni

Sydney Opera House
November 2011

By Kristy Johnson

Over the course of The Australian Ballet’s 49-year history, The Merry Widow is one of the most successful ballets for the company. Not only is it the epitome of elegance and glamour, one could say it’s also the most enjoyable production to watch.  Character ‘Hanna Glawari’ is the wise and beautiful widow; ‘Danilo Danilowitsch’ is the lofty idealist. As each act takes place, the audience watches them spar, squabble and flirt, whilst the music reveals their perfect harmony.

On Tuesday November 15^th, I had the pleasure to attend The Australian Ballet’s 389^th performance of The Merry Widow at the Sydney Opera House, and was not disappointed. As an adaptation of Franz Lehar’s romantic operetta, dancers took the audience through a love story, choreographed by Ronald Hynd. Hanna, played by The Hong Kong Ballet’s Jin Yao as part of The Australian Ballet’s dancer exchange program, was a perfect fit to play the astute and striking widow. Jin’s technique was impeccable and I was simply drawn to her.

Performances by male dancers Brett Simon, Andrew Wright, Matthew Donnelly and Jacob Sofer, were right on the mark. Each dancer displayed copious strength, height and stamina throughout the entire performance. Their athletic ability and execution was of a high calibre, which you would expect to see from soloists of The Australian Ballet.

While acts one and three were of a more traditional approach to ballet, act two definitely catered towards those who favour a more contemporary and abstract form. With the scene taking place in the garden of Hanna’s villa, there was almost an element of national character to the movement, with accents in footwork.

It was quite fitting to see Artist in Residence Colin Peasley, play the role of Baron Mirko Zeta in this much-loved classic. Continuing to perform character roles with the company, Colin’s comic ability and stage presence stands out as one of the most memorable parts of the performance.

With a production evoking elegance and glamour, you would not expect any less than a lavish set design and wardrobe. Designed by Desmond Heeley, the audience was left captivated by a flurry of eye-catching ball gowns and fans, top hats and tails. I almost wanted to step inside the scene, and be immersed in the opulence.

All in all, this is by far one of the most enjoyable productions I have seen by The Australian Ballet. The dedication and tireless effort the company puts into each production, with beautiful scenery, decadent costuming and a high standard of technique and performance quality is evident. I would highly recommend this production to ballet lovers everywhere.

Photo: Andrew Killian and Madeleine Eastoe. Photo by Jeff Busby

Spring Dance
Sydney Opera House – Studio
August 27

By Dolce Fisher

Well I liked ‘I Like This’!

Chunky Move’s new work is a perfect example of what can be created when two people brainstorm a brilliant concept and work to see it come to life. ‘I Like This’ was shaped around the creative process behind choreography. Stripped bare from the technology that us audiences have grown so used to, it is actually the simplicity of the work what makes it so different. There are no ‘costumes’, just some hand held lights, a few chairs and a sound system. ‘I Like This’ proves that you don’t need a big budget to create ground breaking new work.

The artists’ theatrical performances must be commended, showing their full talent as artists rather than just dancers. Choreographers/performers Antony Hamilton and Byron Perry highlighted so many different elements of the choreographic process and executed them with humour and a little mischief.

The show has been impeccably rehearsed. The timing of the all the positioning and the lighting required perfection and this couldn’t be faulted throughout the performance.

There is a great rebound effect created with dialogue shared throughout, from the choreographers, dancers and audience.  The audience are included in the process, almost making it feel interactive.

This work is definitely more suited to an audience of other dancers/performers, as we instantly resonate with the creative process and understand the humour behind it. However, if you take a non-dancer friend along with you they’ll still have a laugh and enjoy the show. Go and see ‘I Like This’. I hope you like it too!

Sydney Opera House  
July 2011

By Lynne Lancaster

Belong gives us two very strong, exciting and powerful works from Bangarra in a new double bill entitled featuring About by Emma Kris and ID by Stephen Page.

All the hallmarks of the Bangarra ‘house style’ are evident. The magnificent dancers are strong and powerful, performing a blend of modern/contemporary and traditional Aboriginal/Islander dance. David Page and Steve Francis’ music is haunting, evocative and quite complex, sometimes including speech and/or Aboriginal chants. Emma Howell’s wonderful costume designs are full of delicate, flowing lines integrating well with Matt Cox’s subtle atmospheric lighting. Jacob Nash’s sparsely, elegant set design and the audio-visuals by Declan McMonagle enchant the eye.

Kris’ About is in four parts, exploring the idea of the four winds or seasons that scurry through the lives of her people in the Torres Strait islands. There are four fluid, turbulent sections – Zey, Kuki, Naygay and Sager, linked by Kris as an eerie storyteller figure in white, who emerges rocklike from dry ice at the beginning . Zey, the south, wind has four female dancers in aqua tunics and another in a long feathery dress, all in cool, fluid motion. There are many strong, diagonal arms that can be quite angular, use of the Graham deep plié, and an interesting style of retire and straight foot. Kuki, the northwest wind, is thunder and lightning, and is far ‘earthier’ than the previous section. The dancers are in greyish/brown costumes with arm and body markings, with the men in distinctive feather necklaces. Bodies seethe in a sculptural mass, performing sailing and rowing like movements and mimicking the kangaroo and other land creatures. For this segment the design is a fascinating hanging linear twisted wire almost like calligraphy. Naygay, the north wind, is the calmest, gentlest, of the four. Here we see some magnificent bark painting designs and dramatic use of silhouette as the dancers whirl and fly in layers of sinuous movement. Sager, the final segment, is based on the south-east wind. We enjoy a ghostly pas de deux where the dancers represent the movement of the dust, sand and wind. 

After interval comes Page’s strong, powerful, thought provoking, but at times meandering, ID. Tracing bloodlines and reconnecting with traditional culture, it is a meditation on what it means to be an Aboriginal in this day and age. It has a timeless feel to it – at times futuristic, yet at others as if from the Dreaming .You can see the Graeme Murphy choreographic influence blended with traditional Aboriginal/Islander dance forms.

It is a searing, scathing comment on our society and Australian history, with the dancers ‘blacking up’ (with Vegemite) for the class photo, and shocking prison scenes where a dancer is eliminated, tortured and fumigated like an insect. Talented Patrick Thaiday has an extraordinary solo where he is trapped and asphyxiated. There is also reference to the Stolen Generation and the terrible laws of the time. Towards the end there are wonderful spooky scenes with forest-like totems, again demonstrating the link with the land and nature. We enjoy marvelous set design and lighting, as well as magnificent choreography.

The final scene builds from a winding, snaky conga line of dancers leading to a volcano like circle of energy where the dancers toss white chalk into the air. ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust’, or is it more hopeful? There are so many layers of meaning and so many issues to ponder. What a challenging visual feast.  

Photo by Jason Capobianco

Sydney Opera House
June 8 2011

By Elizabeth Ashley

‘A dictionary of Cuban Dance’ is the way Artistic Director Nilda Guerra describes Havana Rakatan, a dance spectacular which has been one of Cuba’s most popular exports over the last few years.

With little story-line, Havana Rakatan is a showcase of the vast array of Cuban dance styles presented from their African roots through to the second-half razzle-dazzle of Cuban salsa tinged with popping and locking.

With 13 dancers selected from the prestigious National School of Dance and backed by the dynamic 8-piece band Turquino, Havana Rakatan exemplifies the integral and intertwined evolution of dance and music. Seemingly boundless energy is expressed through excellent choreography and simple but effective back-drop scenes of Havana.

The opening is a sequence of entrancing Afro-Cuban swaying and circling, juxtaposed with the technical finesse and structure of Spanish flamenco to symbolise both the African roots and Spanish colonial influence. However, Havana Rakatan is no history lesson but rather an infectious celebration of the vibrancy of Cuban music and dance culture.

Daytime Cuba is followed by Havana nightlife complete with shimmering costumes and shimmering footwork. After intermission there is an entertaining mix of sparkling clean mambo, spinning salsa and an unexpected humorous zombie sequence. The men steal the show as they leap and turn in spectacular fashion displaying cool macho bravado as well as bare chests. Geydi Chapman combines her powerful voice to the pulsating Cuban rhythms of the band to add yet another dimension.

Despite the lack of narrative thread, Nilda Guerra manages to infuse light and shade through the ebb and flow of pace and style. These dancers are in no way ‘street dancers’ doing salsa, cha-cha and mambo. Rather, they are supreme technicians blending contemporary and traditional dance as they move with sophistication through the bolero, rumba and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Havana Rakatan highlights a dance culture that is integral to the social fabric of Cuba whether day or night, on the streets and in the clubs. This is not a dance culture construed for theatre performance, but the spectators on opening night are celebrating these Cubans on centre stage.

As the show builds to a close, the audience is on their feet moving and clapping to the sultry salsa beat, caught up in the infectious Cuban energy of Havana Rakatan.

What better place to be during a cold, wet winter than on the hot and steamy streets of Havana?

23 August – 4 September 2011

2011 will mark the third year of Sydney Opera House’s Spring Dance – Australia’s only international, contemporary dance festival. Curated by Wendy Martin, highlights of the festival will include a world premiere from Lloyd Newson’s UK-based company DV8, the first ever Sydney performance by Alain Platel’s acclaimed les ballets C de la B from Belgium and Spain’s avant-garde flamenco artist Israel Galvan who will perform in Australia for the first time.

This year Spring Dance will be dedicated to the legacy of Pina Bausch, one of the most influential and innovative choreographers of the twentieth century. Martin said, ‘By showcasing the work of choreographers Lloyd Newson and Alain Platel, we will bring together two artists who cite the enormous influence Bausch has had on their work. This seems like the perfect springboard to explore the influence this iconic dance maker has had on the landscape of contemporary Australian dance.’ A series of films and discussions will look at the singular vision of Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal.

Artwork - Ros Warby, Monumental, photo: L. Tomasetti; les ballets C de la B, Out of Context – for Pina, photo: C. Van Der Burght

In 2011 Spring Dance will take over the Western Foyers with performances in the Drama Theatre, Studio and Playhouse and a series of talks, masterclasses and exhibitions in the Western Foyer and precinct.

Sydney Opera House will host the world premiere of DV8’s, Can we talk about this? choreographed and devised by Artistic Director Lloyd Newson. Like his recent productions that have combined dance with verbatim theatre to tackle social and political issues head-on, Can we talk about this? will explore ideas around freedom of speech.

Alain Platel’s company, les ballets C de la B, will present the award-winning production Out of Context: For Pina. For its first Sydney season, it will include a ‘Pina Intervention’ by acclaimed Australian choreographer Meryl Tankard who was a star of Pina Bausch’s company in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Israel Galvan, the daringly innovative Flamenco artist from Seville will come to Sydney Opera House with the Australian premiere of his award-winning production Le Edad de Oro which uses the techniques and artistry of Flamenco while building on tradition to create a new, pared-back aesthetic for the genre.

Chunky Move returns to Spring Dance with I Like This – a witty and irreverent take on the making of a dance piece, created by two of Australia’s finest contemporary dancers and emerging choreographers, Byron Perry and Antony Hamilton.

The work of Melbourne-based dancer and choreographer Ros Warby has been acclaimed by critics around the world. She will return to Sydney to perform the award-winning Monumental at Spring Dance, in which she explores ideas around two iconic symbols of classical ballet: the swan and the soldier.

And for younger audiences, Sydney Opera House will present The Forest by the UK-based performance company Fevered Sleep. The Forest will reflect their interest in creating design-focused productions that develop theatrical environments to envelop their audience and draw them into a world of fantasy, intrigue, movement and storytelling.

This year’s Spring Dance festival will offer the rare opportunity to be taught by some of the world’s great dancers and choreographers with 6 master classes on offer. There will be a series of panel discussions, hosted by Caroline Baum, with prominent dancers and choreographers looking at Pina Bausch and her legacy. They will be accompanied by a program of film screenings.

Top photo:  Ros Warby – Monumental, Photo: Lisa Tommasetti

 By Jessica Innes

2011 is jam-packed full of festivals celebrating dance. With Sydney Festival, The Adelaide Fringe and Dance Massive all behind us you may think that the dance fun is over for the year – but it isn’t! Check out these amazing events yet to come. 

Melbourne Latin Festival VIC
A celebration of Latin dance, Melbourne Latin Festival is three nights of parties, two days of workshops, 150 dancers, 50 workshops and 60 hours of absolute fun featuring celebrity dancers from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars! The festival, now in its third year running, is one of Melbourne’s largest Latin dance events.  The festival features daily workshops that cater for the complete novice right through to the advanced professional in a variety of Latin genres such as Salsa, Bachata, Street Cha, Flamenco and Tango with some of the best Latin DJs and live Latin bands. With international stars and artists from Cuba, Colombia, Italy, Brazil and New Zealand, it’s definitely an event not to be missed. 
8-10 April, Darebin Arts Centre, Preston
www.melbournelatinfestival.com.au

Ali Curung Dance Festival NT
Our Indigenous heritage is an inspiration for dancers and The Ali Curung Dance Festival allows talented artists to share their history and culture through different performance mediums. With traditional dance, storytelling, art and music, the Ali Curung Dance Festival is a free event for the whole family to enjoy.
2 – 3 July, Ali Curung Community Centre
http://en.travelnt.com 

Spring Dance NSW
Hosted by Sydney Opera House, Spring Dance is a celebration of all things dance with a program of cutting edge local and international artists. This year’s third annual festival is still being curated, but it is sure to be a treat. The performances will take place across various venues at Sydney Opera House from 23 August – 4 September. That’s 13 days of exceptional artistry, athleticism and grace from some of the world’s most exciting choreographers and dancers!  Keep an eye on this website for the program to be announced in May. www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/program_Spring_Dance.aspx  
23 August – 4 September, Sydney Opera House

Brisbane Festival QLD
Boasting artists from all over the world, Brisbane Festival embraces all styles of performing arts including dance, theatre, opera, circus, symphony and sideshow. Last year’s program presented over 330 performances and 62 events over 22 days and the 2011 lineup is sure to be just as impressive with the program being released midyear.
3 – 24 September, Multiple Venues.
www.brisbanefestival.com.au 

Youth Dance Festival ACT
Our nation’s capital is host to the Youth Dance Festival, which is a high calibre, non-competitive event allowing secondary school students to showcase their dancing.  It is a valuable experience for young teens as all involved are given the opportunity to work with an artistic director that mimics the process of the professional world. This year’s theme is ‘Messages’ and the opportunity to participate is open to all high schools and colleges with entries closing April 15.
14 – 16 September, Canberra Theatre.
www.ausdance.org.au/act/production-folder.pdf

Australian Dance Festival NSW
ADF is a highly interactive three days full of workshops, performances and competitions. Get in on the action by learning from the best in the business with previous years’ classes taught by Kelly Abbey, Jason Coleman, the Squared Division and Sarah Boulter. This is a high profile event with performances and competitions targeted at all styles of dance so you won’t want to miss out!
16-18 September, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
http://www.australiandancefestival.com.au/

Melbourne Festival VIC
Melbourne Festival is one of Australia’s flagship international arts festivals and one of the major multi-arts festivals of the world, in terms of quality of work, innovation of vision, and scale and breadth of program. Each Festival brings an unparalleled feast of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events from renowned and upcoming Australian and International companies and artists. This year’s program, directed by Brett Sheehy, is yet to be announced.
6 – 22 October, Multiple Venues
www.melbournefestival.com.au  

Photo: The Chooky Dancers peform ‘Wrong Skin’ at last year’s Spring Dance