Origins Dance Company by Transit Dance is keeping the artistic spirit alive by turning what would have been their live performance season into a virtual theatre experience for all to enjoy.

With artistic director Jayden Hicks at the helm, he is confident that this new performance delivery will shed light on what is a dark Arts industry at present. There are 60 dancers participating in Origins Dance Company’s virtual performance season aged between 12 and 25 years from across Victoria.

Choreographers Jayden Hicks, Damian Meredith and Paul Malek will work with the 60 cast members via Zoom to create a new work, “Our own island”. The dancers will perform this piece within the parameters of their own home and is expected to be filmed using a combination of personal and professionally shot footage, which will be spliced together to create both a video and live performance outcome.

Abbey Chappell outside her home – Photo by Paul Malek.

“As artists, we welcome this challenge of producing and performing dance content online. We have the creative licence to adapt our mode of performance delivery,” says artistic director Jayden Hicks.

Transit Dance founder and director Paul Malek, also a choreographer on SYTYCD and Dancing with the Stars, reiterates the importance of continuing to produce work in the Arts amidst this crisis.

“In a period where other recreational projects in the Arts are being forced to cancel or postpone, we felt it was important to continue to deliver our planned programs in whatever capacity we could. Creativity can continue, and should continue. It is our duty to make sure we can continue to provide young artists with as many opportunities as possible,” says Paul Malek.

Choreographer Paul Malek with the Company. Photo by Jayden Hicks.

Origins Dance Company performer Xander Soh is one of the Australians quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Xander has also been unable to commence his first year of dance training at Transit Dance due to the ship’s quarantine.

Dancer Xander Soh said, “It’s been so long since I’ve felt and danced like this. So grateful to be able to return to the one thing I love doing after months of quarantine”. 

Rehearsals for the first season of Origins Dance Company online start on Sunday 26th April 2020.