Dance Australia

WHEN you’re a dancer, you’d do almost anything to perform. Especially as you have spent years in training, especially when it is your life-long passion, especially when you’re starting out and need experience, especially if you want to be seen. You’d

BIG in scope and execution, the first Ballet International Gala (BIG) is scheduled to take place at two venues in Queensland in January: Qld Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane from January 26 to 30 followed by another on the Gold Coast. BIG is being

CHUNKY Move, Melbourne’s contemporary dance company, starts the year with a premiere of Yung Lung, described as “a rave on Mount Olympus”, at the Sydney Festival from January 20 to 23 and then moves on to Melbourne at the Substation, Newport, from Fe

SELDOM have the words “end of an era” been so aptly chosen when Bangarra Dance Theatre announced that Stephen Page will step down as Bangarra Artistic Director in early 2023. Page’s resignation marks the end of a 32-year tenure at Bangarra, during

TWO highly respected, familiar faces have announced their departures. Nicolette Fraillon, Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Australian Ballet and Artistic Director of Orchestra Victoria, will make her final farewell performances this year i

AUSTRALIAN Dance Theatre is transitioning to a new stage of its venerable history with the departure of Garry Stewart and the appointment of Daniel Riley, most recently an important member of Bangarra. The company farewelled Stewart with a repeat o

Q What should I look for when leasing a premises to run my dance school? It is important to thoroughly check the premises before you sign any contracts. Any defects or wear and tear can find a claim being declined. For example, if water has seeped t

LET’S not mention pandemics and lockdowns and vaccinations, cancellations and postponements. Let’s forget about the past nearly two years of Covid-19. Companies are returning to the stage, with fabulous programs on which to feast in the year ahead. T

OPERA Australia has announced that its much awaited production of Phantom of the Opera will now be presented at the Sydney Opera House from August 19 and Arts Centre Melbourne from October 30. This new production broke box office history at the Opera

AFTER a much interrupted first year as artistic director of the Australian Ballet, David Hallberg has announced a new season – this time with far more chance of getting it underway. It includes some of the best bits of last year’s program which never

THE 2022 Perth Festival has commissioned a major new work from local choreographer Rachel Arianna Ogle as one of the headline acts. Called And the Earth will Swallow them Whole, the work promises to be a “poetic and compelling new dance work of seism

ALTHOUGH it is described as a solo, the elusive nature of Martin del Amo’s new piece is suggested by the fact that it will actually be performed by himself and another dancer, Miranda Wheen. Calle Mirage, it is set to an enigmatic Morton Feldman scor

IN such a competitive profession, how do you hold the line on pay and conditions when there are other dancers lined up to take your place? It is a slippery slope for pre-professional and early career dancers. According to Julie Englefield, from Ausd

ENDING exploitation can be difficult because often it has become so entrenched and accepted that those involved may not realise they are being exploited. There is a Catch-22 in the scarcity of adequately paid dance work, which is filled by the elite

NEGOTIATING employment contracts and conditions of work as independent artists can be a minefield. Yet the “gig economy”, according to the Actuaries Institute, has seen a nine-fold increase in Australia in the past six years. Many performers and work

RESTAGING a Pina Bausch work is no simple process. On top of the months of rehearsal, countless hours of organisation and administration must take place behind-the-scenes to bring her choreography to life on stage. But throw in a transnational, multi

IN March 2021, following Sydney Dance Company’s long postponed premiere of Impermanence, Barton Barton retired from the company as a dancer. She has continued to be as involved as ever – just now in different capacities. She was involved behind the s

DANCERS, companies and teachers have shown tremendous resilience, ingenuity and adaptability throughout the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. It will continue to be a challenge as we all adapt to the new normal. These notes are some general cons

GIVEN that the final two programs of the Australian Ballet’s planned 2021 Sydney season had been cancelled due to pandemic restrictions, the unexpected introduction of the AB’s Celebration Gala, held in Sydney and Melbourne at the end of the year, wa

WITH Launceston-based Tasdance celebrating its 40th year last year and with a clear homage to three previous iterations of Illuminations (1992, 1993 and 2006), the Illuminate project, held on November 19 and 20, ignited fond memories and the imaginat

PLUS: our updated and comprehensive list of syllabus organisations, including clever new start-ups. ■

AUSTRALIA has an extensive number of syllabus organisations (see our guide). Some syllabus organisations are steeped in traditions that span hundreds of years, such as Vaganova, Cecchetti and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). Each of these organisati

Regular examination or assessment is a valuable and necessary tool in a student’s training as short-term goal to work towards and ultimately to achieve. It provides a yardstick for the students in relation to the reality of their current progress and

When I applied in 1998, I had to pass two auditions to be accepted onto the training course. The first consisted of teaching a class in my own school in Harare, Zimbabwe, in front of an examiner and then having an interview with that examiner. The se

e: president.aicd@ballet.org.au w: www.ballet.org.au  e: info@bbo.dance w: https://bbo.dance/ & https://bbo.dance/australasia  e: info@bdadance.com.au w: www.bdadance.com.au  e: info@classicaldanceaustralia.com.au  e: choreocraft@icloud.com w: www.ch

What drew you to costume design? I was always very creative and worked with my hands – whether it was painting, sewing, drawing or making costumes out of strange materials. I have always been drawn to costume design because of its innate storytelling