Spark Youth Company’s ‘Snow and Rose’ transcends worlds
Alex Dellaportas and her team at Spark Productions Australia cleverly built a strong social media vibe in the lead-up to the premiere of their new production Snow and Rose. Two sisters whose bond transcends worlds reveal an intriguing glimpse of the creativity in lighting, set and choreography to be expected from a Spark Youth Dance Company creation.
Inside the mind of Ashley Dougan and ‘Seeing Red’
Dance Writer speaks to choreographer and performer Ashley Dougan about Seeing Red, an exploration of the presence and manifestation of anger in the youth of today. Intertwined with a creative score by composers Rachel Lewindon and Samuel Kreusler, Dougan's new work effectively derives its movement vocabulary from scores created around the psychology of anger, placed in a radial arrangement.
Wakakirri – the story-dance challenge giving Australia’s youth a voice
Wakakirri, established in 1992, is Australia’s largest performing arts event for schools. Competitors perform an original three-to-seven minute ‘story dance’ that expresses an issue or story, often relating directly to the assortment of controversial topics that youth face within their communities. This year 20,000 students from over 280 primary and secondary schools attended heats throughout the country.
What Am I Supposed To Do? (WAISTD)
Even before setting foot into the theatre, the audience is engaged and challenged by What Am I Supposed To Do (WAISTD). Co-creators Sarah Aiken and Rebecca Jensen of Deep Soulful Sweats, introduce this ‘experimental and participatory’ performance with a captivating dialogue followed by a quick, confronting activity designed to encourage awareness of personal thought.
Flexibility in dance. What’s the fascia-nation?
If you’ve ever worn a cast or moon boot to recover from an injury, you’ll remember the stiffness you felt when the brace was removed. During immobilisation, fibrous connective tissue (fascia) bundles form and stick together, like a stiff web. Once healed, you would have been prescribed exercises to ‘melt’ these bundles, and restore mobility and movement to the joint.
Amanda Lever’s exploration of Body Acousmonium
Slow Twitch Collective is performing 'Body Acousmonium' at the 2019 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Dance Writer enjoys a chat with Amanda Lever, co-creator of this innovative work.
Eating for success: 10 simple ways to support your dancing with a healthy diet
Awareness and preparation are the key to eating a healthy diet that supports an active lifestyle. While we all know the importance of eating well, it’s so easy to grab a bar of chocolate or skip a meal when we’re busy or exhausted – but this isn’t doing us any favours!
Entering entrepreneurship: Is it a battle worth fighting?
The day I launched my copywriting business was surreal. Weird. Nerve-wracking and exhilarating. After endless months of planning, branding discussions, studying, website building and social media creation, I nervously hit ‘publish’ on my website, shared my new Facebook page and waited. And waited. To this day, I’m not exactly sure what I was waiting for.
It’s all in the feet: Intrinsic foot strength in dancers
Did you know there are four extremely important layers of muscle on the bottom of the foot?
Behind the lens of casting director Lauren Mass
Melbourne-born casting director Lauren Mass gives her take on actors in auditions after spending years both in front and behind the camera.