Dance Australia

THE dance world has lost an important figure in Dame Margaret Scott. As Michelle Potter writes in her obituary in this issue, she was the woman who was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Ballet Foundation and the Australian Ballet Sc

WITH the setting transported in time to 19th century colonial India, Greg Horsman’s new take on La Bayadère made its premiere with Queensland Ballet last year. Now the work is travelling to Perth to be presented at His Majesty’s Theatre by the West A

DAME Margaret Scott, who has died in Melbourne at the age of 96, was the founding director of The Australian Ballet School. Maggie, as she preferred to be known, steered the development of the School from 1964, with the arrival of the first intake of

EVERYONE expects identical twins to be similar… it’s in the name, right? But West Australian Ballet demi-soloists Matthew and Oliver Edwardson have taken it a step further – they’ve had identical careers. Born in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, the

IF you’re a young woman aspiring to choreograph ballets, history might have you feeling lonesome. Beyond the great Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) and the indefatigable Ninette de Valois (1898-2001), whose 20th-century masterworks are still performed

THE National Theatre Ballet School are marking this event by hosting a ‘Diamond Gala’ on the 29th of June on their home stage at The National Theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne. The National Theatre Ballet School and school’s alumni Amber Scott, Princip

ANOUK van Dijk directed Chunky Move for seven years. Before then she was based in her homeland of Holland and had mainly worked in Europe. I asked her if she had any observations or comparisons she would like to make about the local scene. She replie

RYAN Gonzalez is 26 years old and his star is in rapid ascension. Most recently starring as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, he has also performed in The View Upstairs, Kinky Boots, Violet, Strictly Ballroom, Legally Blonde and In the Heights, for which

WHEN Garry Trinder took on the job as director of the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) 20 years ago, one of the first things he did was write to the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. Having always regarded that international competition as the pinna

IT was my 94th consecutive plié (approximately) that changed my life, and 24 years later, that mystical day still leaves its imprint. I remember standing at the barre on a cloudy afternoon at Auckland City Dance Centre’s studios – my first full-time

WHEN the Australian Dance Awards were cancelled last week, many people were sorry, but not necessarily shocked. Those involved were aware that the awards have been under threat ever since 2016 when Ausdance National (AN), the producers of the awards,

THE dance/physical theatre on offer at this year’s Sydney Festival could best be described as diverse. Australian artists and performers played key roles in many productions, and three performances reviewed here came to the 2019 Sydney Festival follo

IN Hebrew, lev means “heart”, so the themes underscoring the “Love Cycle” series that Israel’s L-E-V Dance Company brought to the Sydney Opera House couldn’t be more appropriate. Created by the company’s co-artistic directors, choreographer Sharon Ey

DON’T worry! Below we answer those tricky questions you were not sure to ask. When and why do I have to start wearing a dance belt? The simple answer is whenever you are ready! For young male dancers under 12 years old, I recommend the dance briefs y

FOR young Gold Coast dancer Jackson Smith-Leishman, the future is so full of opportunities, the only challenge is which one to seize. The 14-year-old full-time student at Amanda Bollinger Dance Academy (ABDA) has recently returned from overseas, havi

THE biennial Alana Haines Australasian awards (AHA) are back again this Easter at their usual venue at the St James Theatre in Wellington in New Zealand. Claiming to be the largest such competition in Australasia, this year’s event has attracted 670

THE Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is continuing to address the experiences of boys in dance with a number of initiatives focussed on both supporting and attracting male dancers. In the lead up to its centenary year in 2020, the RAD is building on its

THE 47th Prix de Lausanne, held in Switzerland every year, took place from Februray 3 to 9 and as usual presented plenty of outstanding moments. From 363 video selection entries as well as the pre-selections and invitations, 81 candidates from 19 nat

Where were you born and what was your parents’ occupation? I was born in Mildura, which is on the border of Victoria and NSW, and sits on the beautiful Murray River. My father Chester ran our farm as we had 30 acres of grapes, and my mother Beverley