Dance Australia

ONE boy in a class of girls – it’s a common sight in dance schools, and particularly ballet schools. One lonely soul in a sea of girls. It’s no secret that very few boys take up ballet. Those boys that do take up ballet often don’t stick it out for l

CO3, Perth’s contemporary dance company, has secured significant financial support for its Commission Fund. Established in May, 2021, the Commission Fund directly supports Co3’s Pathways Program IN RESIDENCE, which provides a $50,000 choreographic co

Marrugeku’s Bhenji Ra, Emmanuel James Brown, Miranda Wheen, Zachary Lopez, Chandler Connell, Feras Shaheen, Issa el Assaad, Luke Currie-Richardson & Ses Bero in Jurrungu Ngan-ga in a scene from Jurrungu Ngan-ga. MARRUGEKU is turning the spotlight on

DANCE companies from around Australia will come together at Arts Centre Melbourne in September to perform in a unique festival conceived and curated by the Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David Hallberg. Called DanceX, the festival will compr

ACCLAIMED choreographer Alice Topp has launched a new dance collective of independent artistic talent, called Project Animo, aimed at breathing new life into the Australian performing arts industry. Conceived as a platform for an ongoing exchange of

Q If my studio already has Liability and Professional Indemnity, why should I consider a Group Accident policy? A: A public liability policy protects the studio (including its teachers, students, volunteers, and officials) against claims or allegati

DANIEL Riley has been appointed the new artistic director of Australian Dance Theatre. Riley, a Wiradjuri man with cultural ties throughout western NSW, established himself as an outstanding dancer as soon as he joined Bangarra Dance Theatre at age 2

You will find an extensive coverage of performances on our website: www.danceaustralia.com.au ■

WHEN she first moved to Perth and joined the West Australian Ballet as a Soloist in 2019, Dayana Hardy Acuña was shy and concerned about whether she would fit in. “I thought that maybe my technique, my way to do my class, is different. I thought, ‘I

WE have a problem. There are not enough male dancers, particularly ballet dancers. While the numbers have upped and downed over the years, little has changed: the number of boys taking up ballet remains very small. In Australia, it is possibly gettin

GAYNOR Hicks is an exceptional Australian freelance commercial dancer who easily translates dance of varying genres. This ability has seen her employed on top-rated television shows The Voice and The X Factor, supporting local artists like the Veroni

XANTHE was joined by four professional dancers – selected through a call-out through ‘Dance Australia’ – William John Banks, Brittany Duwner, Nicole Corea and Josh Freedman. The rehearsal was observed, by special arrangement, by six work experience s

HOFESH Shechter is very big deal in international dance circles. Feted for his choreography, he is in high demand among some of the biggest-name companies in the world: Paris Opera, Sadler’s Wells, Netherlands Dance Theatre, to name a few. The Britis

MANY years ago I had the good fortune to attend a major premiere of a new work by the late choreographer Pina Bausch at her home theatre in Wuppertal, Germany. The place was sold out. A crowd of fans packed into the box office area in the hope that a

STEPPING away from something you’ve invested your heart and soul into for more than 20 years is never going to be easy. But as he relinquishes the position of Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre after more two decades, Garry Stewart is sang

AFTER 47 years of sharing her love for dance with students across the world, Marie Walton-Mahon has received a humbling recognition: A Medal of the Order of Australia for her lengthy “services to dance as a dance teacher”. The award came as no surpri

MY love of ballet emerged watching the Borovansky Ballet, the Australian Ballet and the Royal Ballet between 1960 and 1963. Aged 12, I wagged school to see my first Giselle at Her Majesty’s Theatre, and Paul Grinwis’s one-act drama The Eternal Lovers

WHICH makes 2022 even more enticing. With vaccinations gradually rolling out, we can look forward to next year with hope. You can almost feel the pent-up energy of the next generation of dancers all bursting to get on with their studies uninterrupted

FULL-TIME training is one of the most exciting transitions in dance students’ lives. It is a step that that they have likely been working towards and looking forward to for a long time. But sometimes the dream of dancing all day, every day, compared

Presently: English National Ballet School What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? My best memories have been after a performance or assessment. I love the excitement of finishing something that you have been working for, and that f

What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? If I were to choose a memory that would last with me forever it would have to be performing my variations on the National Theatre’s home stage at the end of 2020 post-COVID lockdowns in Melbou

Studied: New Zealand School of Dance Presently: Corps de Ballet, West Australian Ballet Did your original career aim change from when you started your studies to when you graduated? When I moved to New Zealand (from Canberra), I originally wanted to

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt? Before starting at AMPA, I had been away from the dance world for several years to take care of my mental and physical health. Coming back into an educational setting, I had a lot of fear and anxiety about how I

Studied: Annette Roselli Dance Academy Presently: Pre-Professional Program Queensland Ballet What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? My best memory is related to the time I spent in the studio working with the highly knowledgeable

Studied: Queensland College of Dance; Sydney Dance Company Pre-Professional Year Presently: SDC Trainee in 2020 then a full company dancer. What is the main overall lesson you learnt? To approach each day and experience with a beginner’s mindset. Th

Studied: Spectrum Dance Studios (Melbourne) Presently: Royal Palace Music Hall, France What is the main overall lesson you learnt? Trust the training – trust the process. The course at Spectrum Dance Studios truly offers an an intense personalised

Studied: National College of Dance (Newcastle) Presently: Artist at Ballet Dortmund, Germany With fewer than usual opportunities at present, have you found other outlets for your talents? I haven’t performed on stage for over a year, partly due to a

Studied: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts; Presently: Oper Graz in Graz, Austria. What was one of the main life lessons you learnt through your full-time studies? Time management and discovering my boundaries when it comes to how much w

Studied: Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy Presently: Corps de Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Germany Best memory of your full-time dance studies? There are so many! But one memory that comes to mind was when I was 15 years old. Tanya Pearson called