Dance Australia

brown shoes matter

WHEN dancer Tene Ward was filmed on Instagram trying on her first pair of “skin-toned” pointe shoes last year, the incident became a cause celebre for the Black Lives Matter movement. All her career the only shoes available to her had been pink – now she had a pair that were better matched to her brown skin. Most dancewear brands have a range of products in various skin tones where needed – such as ballet flats and tights – but pointe shoes have remained stubbornly in shades of pink. Now, however, manufacturers are responding to the calls for change. Tene is a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada; however, she is a graduate of the Australian Ballet School: she talks to writer Taylor Ventor in this issue. The Black Lives Matter…

dance at adelaide festival

PLANNING an international festival during a pandemic is not easy, but Adelaide Festival directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy have come up with some innovative ideas. One is their Live from Europe program, which will enable audiences to attend live international performances, happening in real time on the other side of the world, at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide, channeled via high resolution cameras and the latest in streaming technology. On the program is BLKDOG, from one of "the most thrilling new voices in contemporary choreography", Botis Seva; commissioned and presented by Far From The Norm and London’s Sadler's Wells. “Colleagues in London have said to us that not since Hofesh Shechter has there been such a buzz about a choreographer,” Healy says, describing him as “utterly exhilarating” – "he seems…

perth festival highlights

THREE dance experiences will enliven the Perth Festival this year, leading with a trio of works by West Australian Ballet (WAB) including two world premieres, as the company returns to the Quarry Amphitheatre. (See “Back to Life” feature for details). The organisers have commissioned an evening of dance at The Rechabite, with three bite-sized new works to sample across three locations. Dancers will guide the audience through the heart of Northbridge – from the basement of The Rechabite to the State Theatre Centre garden and upstairs at The Blue Room Theatre. This experience, MoveMoveMove, which is curated by choreographer and dancer Tyrone Earl Lraé Robinson, presents a hand-picked selection of what’s new in contemporary dance. Also on the program is Structural Dependency (pictured), in which the audience is invited to be more…

joel bray resides at chunky

MELBOURNE company Chunky Move has announced that Joel Bray is to become its inaugural choreographer in residence. Beginning this year, Bray will undertake an $80,000 two-year residency, an initiative in partnership with the Tanja Liedtke Foundation. The residency is designed to provide Australian choreographic artists with extensive support to develop and present new work, further their artistic practice, gain organisational knowledge, extend their professional networks and build a meaningful ongoing connection with Chunky Move. The new position comes as Chunky Move celebrates its 25th anniversary. A celebratory digital media archive can be found at cmarchive.net, where a wealth of fascinating images, video and other material can be accessed.…

mentorships at sa dance hub

EIGHT talented aspiring choreographers were awarded a special two-week mentorship program at Adelaide’s Dance Hub in December, thanks to its Young Artist Program (YAP). The participants were drawn from an open call for applicants. They are Andrew Barnes, Cayleigh Davies, Sam Hall, Jazz Hriskin, Jacinta Jeffries, Chloe Moir, Petra Szabo Heath and Mimi Yoshii. They were mentored by South Australian choreographer Alison Currie in a program of practice-led composition, performance tasks, sharing and independent studio sessions to develop a short choreographic investigation. At the end of the fortnight they presented the outcome at Dance Hub SA’s studio at the Lion Arts Centre. Their choreography can be further developed through career pathways offered by Dance Hub SA, such as its flagship Artist in Residence program or presentations at arts festivals.…

moves at qld ballet and wa ballet

QLD Ballet has said farewell to two beloved artists of the company. Principal Artist Laura Hidalgo will retire from the stage following an international career that saw her grace Queensland’s stages when she joined QB in 2015. Hidalgo has danced all the major roles in classical and contemporary repertoire to critical acclaim. She will be remembered most for the title roles of Mertuil in Dangerous Liaisons, which was created for her, and The Firebird, both choreographed by Liam Scarlett. Company Artist Tonia Looker has also retired from the stage after her career in Royal New Zealand Ballet and QB. She will take up a new role in QB’s Foundation team. Joining QB in 2021 as First Company Artist is former Australian Ballet and National Ballet of Canada dancer Joe Chapman. Four West Australian…