Parramatta Riverside Theatre
October 27 2011 

By Dolce Fisher

The latest installment from youMove, presented by Form Dance Projects, showed how this company has graduated to the next level. Previously being known in the community as a youth dance company, youMove has taken its place as a pre-professional company offering real opportunities, training and mentorship for its dancers. youMove has a very different vibe to that of other small companies of a similar nature. This can only be put down to its leadership under Kay Armstrong and her generational vision.

4Tell featured five small works, each very individual in theme visually and artistically. Interjected between each work were short solos that came out of the company’s blog. These were highly entertaining and well-rehearsed.

The show opener was Boundaries choreographed by Ian Colless. The work showed his Bangarra background. The dancers captured the style and the smooth quality of the movement and were really grounded into the floor.

Next, Kevin Privett’s work By Looking featured twisting and swirling effects created by the dancers’ movements. The creative lift work was an intriguing and integral part of the choreography.

youMove dancer Angela French choreographed and performed a solo work entitled 3^rd Time Over. The movement had a repetitive nature but a very deep emotional element made the work very intense.

Last Pace to Go, danced by Anna Healey and Sean Marcs, was a virtual work choreographed by Davis Williams. The dancers and choreographer used Skype to bring the work together, showing how we can take advantage of technology to develop our art. The choreography was extremely intimate and showed many facets of a relationship. The work was performed so well that at times I felt like the moments created were really just for the pair, and not the audience. The feeling of looking into the pair’s relationship became very real.

Lastly, Anton’s Multiplicity was precision perfection. There was one section that had all of the dancers moving their arms frantically in a circular motion, incredibly fast. This alone had me on the edge of my seat.

4Tell is an exciting sign of what is to come from this company, going from strength to strength and producing some talented young artists. The only downside was that the season was so short and wasn’t seen by more audiences in Sydney, across NSW and the rest of the country.

Photo: Wendy McDougall

April 8 to 14 2012

Ausdance NSW will present the Australian Youth Dance Festival 2012, hosted at NAISDA, Australia’s National Indigenous Dance Training Institution, situated at Mt Penang Parklands, near Gosford, NSW.  The Festival will be presented during the NSW Easter school holiday period from Sunday 8 April to Saturday 14 April.

Dance to Discover is an exciting week-long dance intensive workshop which provides a unique opportunity for young people to have access to some of the finest dance experiences available in Australia. The AYDF is unique in its structure, and the way in which it allows young people to engage in creative exchange with professional dancers and choreographers, and their peers.  The AYDF takes place in a supportive, non-competitive environment that encourages participation and learning.  The AYDF program includes dance workshops in a wide variety of styles, choreographic activities and performances led by significant Australian professional dance artists.

Choreographic sessions throughout the week will culminate in the creation of a new site-specific dance work, Shades of Us, at Mt Penang Gardens with all participants. The Artistic Director for this work is Rowan Marchingo (NSW), whose national and international professional experience includes performing, choreographing and directing productions that range from large scale site-specific aerial works to intimate works of theatre. The team of choreographers and tutors includes; Philip Channells – Artistic Director Restless Dance Theatre, Vicki Van Hout (NSW), Kay Armstrong – Artistic Director youMove Company (NSW), Lee Pemberton – Artistic Director Fling Physical Theatre and Ingrid Kleinig – Legs on The Wall, with others to be announced.

“The Australian Youth Dance Festival is a fantastic opportunity for young people to engage with professional choreographers over five days of intensive training, creative development and performance. One of the principal aims of the festival is to broaden the experience and knowledge of dance and choreographic practice for young dancers”, says Rowan Marchingo.

For more details and to register visit www.ausdancensw.com.au/Aydf2012RegistrationsOpen/

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

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.

Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
November 20

By Dolce Fisher

Fash + Fresh Dance 2010 was a celebration of young choreographers.

There was an immense range of styles performed including hip-hop, jazz, lyrical and contemporary from Sydney’s up-and-coming dance creators. 

After three heats, 16 artists made it through to the grand final judged by Lisa Griffiths, Robert Love, Pam Thornton, Verity Jacobsen, Heath Baldwin, Patrick Harding-Irmer, Anca Frankenhauser, and Loretta Busby. 

With a high quality and diverse range of works the judges were left with a tough decision. But the winners were:

Most Outstanding Female Dancer
Natasha Kay-Newling for her performance in My Body and Me

Most Outstanding Male Dancer
Josh Denyer for his performance in Cameron Beard’s Shut Up and Let Me Go

People’s Choice
Sarah Worthington’s Green performed by North Shore Dance Academy.

Best New Talent
Alyssa Skye Mahony for Altar Ego

Most Outstanding Choreography
Brandon Attoui for Shifted Gears 

You Move’s Kay Armstrong offered two winning artists a place in her company’s mentorship program as part of their prize. Natasha Kay-Newling, who recently graduated from Ev & Bow, and Brandon Attoui, a student at the Australian International Performing Arts High School, were both offered a place in You Move’s program. This is a wonderful opportunity for both dancers to be exposed to other choreographers and gain more experience in the industry. Both dancers showed sound technical ability and their choreography was quite mature for their age. Natasha Kay–Newling will surely become a very successful professional contemporary dancer.

After success at Fash + Fresh, Cameron Beard’s Shut Up and Let Me Go will appear at Riverside Theatre’s Deck Chair Flicks as part of Sydney Festival this January. Cameron’s choreography was very appropriate for a school group dance and displayed some creative elements.

Another piece, Busta Move by Melvin Bautista, will be performed at Casula Powerhouse in 2011. Busta Move was very entertaining and showed Melvin Bautista as a talented young choreographer.

Most works presented showed much potential and should be applauded. There was so much creativity bundled into one evening! Fash + Fresh Dance aims to encourage young artists, and it has by providing a launch pad for these choreographers.

On a high note there was definitely an abundance of male dancers in the lineup this year, which is so exciting! On a low note there were some dancers performing tumbling unsafely and without correct technique. Choreographers- your dancers shouldn’t be performing these moves without detailed training; it will just jeopardize their longevity as a dancer.  Allow your dancers time to master the correct technique before adding tumbling into a dance.

Fast + Fresh Dance, in its third year, is on the ‘on and up’. Recognition must be given to all involved.

 Fast + Fresh Dance is collaborated through a partnership between Western Sydney Dance Action with Parramatta Riverside Theatres, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Liverpool City Council.

Top photo: The People’s Choice – “Green” choreographed by Sarah Worthington, North Shore Dance Academy

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

By Paul Ransom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indeed; create tomorrow. 

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

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