Community dance opportunity in UK
Foundation for Community Dance (UK) is seeking a new Artistic Director.
The Foundation for Community Dance is the professional organisation for anyone involved in creating opportunities for people to experience and participate in dance—its vision is for a world where dance is part of everybody’s life.
As joint Chief Executive, the Artistic Director will bring world-class distinction to the role, have ambition for the organisation’s future, and bring vision to the next chapter in the history of community dance.
Deadline: Monday 10 June 2013
For more information visit the FCD website.
Health, physical education & recreation conference
The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) will hold its 28th International conference in Melbourne, 27 – 29 November 2013.
This year's theme 'A Defining Time' examines the Australian Curriculum and the significance of Health and Physical Education (HPE) moving into the future. Educators are being asked what role will they play in shaping the HPE learning area.
Call for presentations
ACHPER is currently seeking speakers for the conference program. Sessions run for 90 minutes and can be structured as a lecture, workshop or practical sessions.
Download the Call for Presentations Information Form.
Submission deadline: Friday 14 June
For details about registration, fees and what it includes, visit the ACHPER website
Australian Performing Arts Market 2014
Program applications
Artists and companies from across Australia are invited to apply now to showcase and pitch their work at APAM 2014, 18 – 22 February in Brisbane.
APAM provides an opportunity for artists and programmers from Australia and around the world to discover new artists, find new collaborators, and meet with fellow professionals.
You can submit work under either one of two categories: Showcase or Pitches. Eligible work for the Showcase category includes finished and tour-ready productions, which can be presented in either full-length, as a 25-minute excerpt, or a new APAM Club 7 – 12 minute excerpt. Work in development falls into the Pitch category.
Deadline for applications: midnight 22 July 2013 (AEST)
Delegate registrations
Presenters, producers, agents and anyone interested in attending APAM2014 are encouraged to register before midnight 10 December to get the earlybird price of $650 (Full price $790)
Register now. For more information visit the APAM website.
Brisbane City Council is the principal supporter of APAM. The Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland, proudly supports APAM 2014, 2016 & 2018.
New CEO for Australia Council announced
Minister for Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP has announced Tony Grybowski will be the new CEO of the Australia Council, effective immediately.
Chair of the Australia Council, Rupert Myer has welcomed the announcement
“The members of the Council, our staff and members of artistic communities across Australia join me in expressing our delight that Tony has been appointed CEO.
Tony has been Executive Director, Arts Organisations at the Australia Council for the past five years and is well known to artists and arts organisations for his passion and commitment to creativity."
Ausdance National welcomes Tony to his new position, and is looking forward to working with him and the Council over the coming years. Libby Christie, who has been acting CEO since 1 January is thanked for her contribution, leading the Australia Council as the National Cultural Policy was launched, and the review of the Australia Council considered.
Arising from the Australia Council review, the framework legislation for the Council is currently before the Federal Parliament. Ausdance and other arts organisations made submissions to a Senate inquiry regarding the proposed legislation, calling for some revisions to ensure the legislation remained broad in its approach, and included peer review for grant making.
The Senate Committee reported on Thursday 9 May, and recommended these issues be incorporated into the legislation. Minister Burke has announced the government will move the amendments recommended by the Senate inquiry.
Congratulations to winners of Creative Australia Fellowships
Congratulations to dance artists Gideon Obarzanek, Sue Healey and Ashley Dyer on receiving an Australia Council Creative Australia Fellowship!
Creative Australia Fellowships is a major initiative to support the professional development of outstanding artists working across the sector and Australia.
The Fellowships are the centrepiece of the Federal Government's Creative Australia Artist Grants initiative, with $10 million going to individual artists over five years, delivered by the Australia Council.
The Fellowships consist of two categories: established artists (each valued at $100,000 over one year) and early career artists (each valued at $60,000 over two years).
Budget delivers on Cultural Policy promise
The Federal Budget, presented on 14 May, delivers on the promises announced as part of the National Cultural Policy - Creative Australia
Ausdance is relieved to see the money promised at the launch of Creative Australia confirmed through inclusion in the Budget and estimates for the forward years, under the heading "a creative nation is a productive nation". The National Cultural Policy included a $235 million vision and strategy to place arts and culture at the centre of modern life.
As part of this commitment the Australia Council will receive $75.3 million over the next four years (from 1 July 2013), with $15m per year to be targeted to arts organisations to address the demand for "high quality creative content from established, emerging and hybrid art forms". $1.25m per year will be used to establish a funding pool for the major performing arts organisations, subject to matched funding from the states and territories.
The creative young stars progam will provide $8m over two years for financial assistance to young people (up to 25) to put towards the cost of representing their community in training, cultural, artisitc, academic or community based activities and events. Successful applicants will receive a grant of $500 (individuals) or $3000 (groups), with 23 individual and 4 group grants awarded in each federal electorate per year.
Other initiatives include the continuation of the ArtStart program for graduates, additional funding for Arts Training Organisations such as the Australian Ballet School and NAISDA, and additional funding for some major performing arts companies including Bangarra Dance Theatre and the West Australian Ballet.
Dance on Tour
Dance on Tour (DOT) is a joint initiative of four internationally acclaimed and award winning dance companies, Expressions Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre, KAGE and Shaun Parker & Company.
This initiative has been created to maximise awareness, access and engagement with outstanding dance theatre in regional and remote areas of Australia.
The four dance companies will collectively tour to all eight Australian states, and visit a total of 55 venues, between March and September 2013 with their productions of Garry Stewart’s G (ADT), Natalie Weir’s R&J (EDC), KAGE’s Sundowner and Shaun Parker’s Happy as Larry.
All four companies have been supported to tour in 2013 by Playing Australia, the Australian Government’s national touring performing arts program.
Find out more on the Dance on Tour website.
Call out for performers
This project provides a unique opportunity for larger bodied people to engage with their self-expression through tailor made workshops and movement labs with the aim to produce a high-end, innovative dance theatre piece that will premiere in 2015.
The project will be lead by Kate Champion, Artistic Director of Force Majeure in collaboration with Kelli Jean Drinkwater (artist, filmmaker, fat activist) as Artistic Associate. Performers will work within a supportive environment where they will be encouraged to take risks exploring their physicality.
Force Majeure welcomes applications from:
- People who identify as fat/big bodied/large.
- People who consider themselves really good movers or have previous dance experience (formal training, regular night club mover and shaker, ballroom etc)
- People interested in exploring their relationship to their bodies and its movement
- People from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply
To be eligible applicants must over 18 and must be available 10 – 13 July and 12 – 23 August, 2013
Deadline for expressions of interest: 5pm Friday 14 June
For more information visit the Force Majeure website.
Disability-inclusive dance residency
Expressions of Interest are now being sought for dance artists to attend Australia’s first ever disability-inclusive dance residency to be held at the Boyd Education Centre at Bundanon Trust’s magnificent Riversdale property overlooking the Shoalhaven River Wednesday 10 – Friday 12 July, 2013.
This residency will provide up to 20 artists with and without a disability the opportunity to work alongside some of Australia’s most respected dance practitioners.
Led by Dance Integrated Australia and associate artists, the Beyond Technique Residency is a 3-day program which focuses on developing solo and ensemble practice.
To get the earlybird discount submit your EOI by Friday 31 May
General deadline for EOIs: Friday 21 June
For more information visit the Dance Integrated Australia website.
Job opportunity at the Australian Council
The Australian Council is seeking a new Program Officer for Dance (Arts Funding Division)
Duties include:
- Providing effective administration support and service to the Communications Team.
- Maintaining accurate client data in the Australia Council's database and IT systems.
- Building a comprehensive knowledge of Australia Council's systems including document, financial and database management.
Deadline: Thursday 16 May 5pm (AEDT)
To apply go to the Australia Council website.
International dancelab in Russia
21 October 21 – 19 November 2013
IUGTE is inviting experienced and versatile performers from all over the world to participate in this intensive workshop. Discover, create and exchange the boldest ideas for contemporary performance together with colleagues from Russia and different countries!
The working languages are English and Russian.
For more information visit the IUGTE website.
Australian Dance Week
The Ausdance network celebrates and promotes dance in all its forms every year during Australian Dance Week (ADW). The dates for the opening and closing of Australian Dance Week vary slightly from state to state according to local events, but it always takes place during the first week of May and follows International Dance Day which is 29 April.
ADW2014 will run from 3 – 11 May.
Touring dance in 2014
Congratulations to Lisa Wilson who work Lake has been selected to tour in 2014 through Performing Lines' Mobile States program!
Performing Lines develops, produces and tours new and innovative Australian performing arts regionally, nationally and internationally.
For more information about touring opportunities through its various initiatives, visit Performing Lines website.
Sydney Dance Company audition
Sydney Dance Company is holding an invitation only audition at the end of June 2013 for male and female dancers.
All applicants must have a vocational qualification, professional experience in contemporary/classical dance and be 18 years or over. To be considered you must be experienced in task work with a professional choreographer and possess strong improvisation skills, display high levels of stamina and flexibility, and have an understanding of SDC’s creative outputs.
If you meet this criteria please email a current CV, ONE headshot and ONE full body dance shot. (Attachments should not exceed 500KB and each file should be saved as 'Your Full Name'.
Deadline: Monday 10 June 2013
Successful applicants will be invited to audition on 29 & 30 June 2013 in Sydney at your own expense. For further information visit the Sydney Dance Company website.
Healthy Partnerships for Performing Arts Grant Program
The healthy partnerships for performing arts (HPPA) grant program aims to promote the concept of healthcare for performing artists, increase the participation of performing artists in relevant healthcare and improve the delivery of healthcare for performing artist. HPPA grants of up to $2000 will be available for two projects that embed health knowledge and expertise within a community for performing artists.
Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare (ASPAH) invites applications from groups and institutions for projects that will use the expertise of a health care professional or educator with interest, experience and or skills relevant to the health of performers. This grant application must include at least one ASPAH member to be eligible for consideration.
An eligible project might engage a health expert to run a workshop for performers, teachers and local health providers so that the knowledge and skills stay in the
community and networks are built. This could be in a metropolitan or regional setting, in an institution like a college or studio, or in a community group like a choir or dance troupe.
Deadline for submission: 30 June 2013
If you would like to discuss aspects of your application before making your submission, contact Dr John Hadok FACRRM, Advisory Panel Member for ASPAH
Lee Christofis retires from NLA
Ausdance National Honorary Life Member and former Vice-President Lee Christofis is retiring. After six and a half years as Curator of Dance at the National Library of Australia he will finish up on Friday 5 April.
Margy Burn, Assistant Director at the National Library notes Lee's significant contribution:
Notable new collections acquired for the Library arising from Lee’s work include the papers of Irina Baronova, Janet Vernon and Graeme Murphy, and the records of the NAISDA Dance College. Lee has completed more than fifty oral history interviews with dancers, choreographers, administrators and others associated with dance. Lee has selected beautiful photographs documenting the work of leading companies, choreographers and performers as well as designs for sets and costumes, including the archive of Kristian Fredrikson.
Two major projects which occupied Lee during his curatorship were the Ballets Russes project, a long running research collaboration with the University of Adelaide and the Australian Ballet and a project to document Indigenous contemporary dance. Both projects leave significant enduring research resources for the study, enjoyment and understanding of dance in Australia.
Dr Isobel Johnston, Lee's curatorial assistant, will be the initial contact for dance research, advice and assistance. Lee will continue to undertake Oral History interviews for the Library and support the acquisition of dance resources.
The position of Dance Curator will not be replaced, following a decade of special focus on dance at the NLA. It has been announced the next special focus area will be on Indigenous collections and a new Curator of Indigenous collections will continue to build on Lee’s work to document and collect resources for the study of Indigenous dance.
Dance residency in Fiji
VOU is Fiji’s first independent dance company with world-class teachers, choreographers and performers and also host to Fiji’s first dance school with over 250 students.
This residency is offered for an 8 week period from 12 August – 5 October 2013.
The successful applicants will get:
- immersed in a vibrant and diverse Pacific culture
- experience with a professional dance company
- training in Fijian, Pacific, Cultural Fusion and contemporary dance forms
- teaching experience with local students and an opportunity to make a difference in the community
- touring and performance experience around Fiji
- to choreograph for Fiji’s top dance company
Successful applicants will also receive:
- on site accommodation in down town Suva
- cleaning and laundry service
- airport pick up and drop off
- creative space to work in
- access to recording studio to make original music
Travel expenses & insurance and food are not provided.
Deadline for applications: 4 June
Download application form. For further information email Sachiko.
International Arts Education Week
The General Conference of UNESCO proclaimed the fourth week of May as International Arts Education Week. It will be marked for the second time from 20 to 26 May 2013, highlighting the importance and usefulness of arts education.The International Arts Education Week aims at increasing the international community’s awareness on the importance of arts education and at reinforcing its cooperation by promoting cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion.
Get involved and learn more at the International Society for Education through Art Advocacy Blog
2014 Caroline Plummer fellowship in community dance
The Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance is open to any New Zealand or international community dance practitioner, teacher or researcher. Applicants need not possess a university degree or diploma, any other educational or professional qualification, or belong to any association or organisation of dancers.
If you have a passion for community dance and want to inspire learning, healing and peace in our community through community dance, then this Fellowship is for you.
Deadline for applications: 1 June 2013
For more information and to apply go to the University of Otago website.
Workshop for young dance students
Ausdance Vic is hosting an exciting event called 'Making the Cut' — an insiders guide to auditions, training & the life a professional dancer.
Date: Sunday 16 June
Time: Registrations commence at 10:30am. Sessions from 11am – 2.30pm
Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
'Making the Cut' includes three sessions designed to equip dancers with must-know tips and advice from the best professionals within the dance industry.
Audition time!
This will be a mock audition workshop in the state theatre rehearsal room with multi-talented dancer/ singer/ actor/ choreographer, Luke Alleva. Students will learn everything you need to know about auditions—what to bring with you, how to prepare and will then be taken through a mock audition as a practical workshop.
Stand on the stage
Get an exclusive tour of the Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre. Experience what it's like to stand on a stage and get unique backstage access!
Ask an expert
Ask an expert panel of dance professionals all those burning questions about what it is like to go to an audition, what choreographers and directors are looking for in a performer, where to train and what it is like to be a professional dancer.
Brolga call for submissions
Ausdance and the Brolga advisory board would like to thank outgoing editor, Alan Brissenden and welcome Associate Professor Maggi Phillips as new editor of this preeminent Australian dance journal.
Brolga was established under the auspices of Ausdance, initially lead by Michelle Potter, to advance dialogues on dance whether framed by historical investigations and memorabilia, educational discussions, industry issues or multi-disciplinary matters. Across its now maturing years, the journal has promoted a celebratory tone, even when lamenting loss or probing complex policy twists and turns.
National Dance Forum finishes
Dance First. Speak Later. With these apt words new Ausdance Victoria CEO Andy Howitt helped bring the 2013 National Dance Forum to a close. Working over two and a half days 170 delegates joined together to challenge, inspire and share. Andy’s vision of the natural order of things spoke to many and reminded delegates of why they were at the Forum in the first place!
The National Dance Forum was first held in 2011 looking to fill a long gap in dance dialogue conferences. With this follow-up Forum in 2013 the discussion centred around the question of ‘why dance?’
In contemporary Australia, what compels us to create and connect with dance? Is it social and political engagement? Is it creating a strong platform for the continuation of culture? How is dance communicating, and what is it doing in the world? Who are we dancing for, and how do we know what they see?
(left) Brian Lucas (National President, Ausdance & independent artist) and Jeff Khan (Co-Director, The Performance Space & Facilitator NDF2013) welcome delegates to the Forum.Speakers at the forum challenged participants to examine their dance practice, to reach out and engage and to view more broadly who is the ‘dance sector’. Education was a key topic for conversation, with delegates exploring the roll-out of the new arts curriculum, the need for professional development for artists and dance makers, and the opportunities offered by dance education to engage new groups across the community.
Happy snaps of some of the NDF2013 delegatesOver the coming weeks the input and messages gathered at the forum will be collated with more resources and outcomes being made available here. Five short videos from NDF2013 delegates responding to the issues and themes raised during the forum are ready for viewing now.
NAAE welcomes the new Cultural Policy
The National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) welcomes Creative Australia, and particularly its focus on a 'National Arts and Culture Accord' and ‘A Universal Arts Education for Lifelong Learning and to drive Creativity and Innovation’.
Professional development for NSW Indigenous dance artists
If you are an independent Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander dance artist based in NSW and you are interested in developing new skills and networks, you can apply now for a palce in the Birrang program.
Focused on expanding indigenous dance horizons in NSW, Birrang is a new professional dance development initiative supported by Arts NSW, coordinated by Ausdance NSW, Regional Arts NSW and Bangarra Dance Theatre in partnership with NAISDA Dance College, Carriageworks and the Australian Film, Television & Radio School.
In this first year of the initiative, the Birrang program includes:
-
Creative Lab: 29 April – 3 May @ Carriageworks, Redfern
(deadline for applications is 29 March) -
Creative Business Course: 22 – 24 May @ AFTRS, Moore Park
(applications now open) -
Dance Residency*: 23 September – 5 October @ NAISDA, Kariong
(applications open in July) -
Market Development and Enterprise Workshop: November, venue tba
(applications open in October)
*To be eligible for the Dance Residency, applicants must have completed either the Creative Lab and/or Creative Business Course.
Artists are encouraged to apply for all activities. Download application forms.
If you are in Sydney contact Ausdance NSW (T 9252 4800) for more information. If you are based in a regional or remote area contact Regional Arts NSW (T 9270 2507)
The Tasdance Residency for Independent Practice (TRIP)
Tasdance is thrilled to announce that the successful applicants for the Tasdance Residency for Independent Practice (TRIP) are Dance Makers Collective, Jason Pitt and Danielle Micich. Congratulations!
TRIP is an artist-in residence program intended for both project-based and research-based residencies. Tasdance has a long history of supporting dance practice and dance artists in Australia. TRIP reinforces and expands on this commitment with an artist-in-residence program that takes advantage of their unique situation and superb facilities.
The Tasdance Studio and Cottage are located amidst tranquil gardens providing resident artists with much needed space and time for reflection, invigoration, collaboration and response.Tasdance Artistic Director, Annie Greig comments
This is a wonderful way to utilize our fantastic studio and to continue our work in nurturing artists, allowing them to focus on research and creative development without the additional pressure of performance outcomes.
Each resident artist is offered a 3-week residency between September and November 2013 with access to both the Tasdance Studio and Cottage free-of-charge.
‘Working with Copyright’ seminar series
The Australian Copyright Council are holding a series of ‘Working with Copyright’ seminars nationally throughout 2013. These seminars help creators and consumers understand copyright in the digital age.
They are offering Ausdance members a special discount of 10% off any individual seminar in their ‘Working with Copyright’ series. This excludes the creators’ seminars (Visual Artists & Photographers and Songwriters, Composers & Performing Artists) as these seminars have already been discounted.
To enrol, Ausdance members need to complete the order form which can be found in the seminar brochure at the Copyright Council 'Working with Copyright' seminar series. You must write your member organisation name and membership number anywhere on this form.
Seminar cities & dates
- Adelaide > 13 – 15 March
- Brisbane > 13 – 15 May
- Sydney > 17 – 20 June
- Canberra > 25 – 26 July
- Melbourne > 9 – 22 August
- Perth > 16 – 18 September
Tanja Liedtke fellowship
Congratulations to Joseph Simons of Dubbo who is this year's recipient of the Tanja Liedtke Fellowship (TLF).
The fellowship will take place in Berlin and Frankfurt in August/September of 2013. The two key objectives of the 2013 Fellowship are:
- To provide a program of opportunity for a developing Australian dancer/choreographer to expand and develop his/her creative boundaries,
- To enable young artists to meet and work collaboratively in the context of international exchange and experimentation.
Previous TLF recipients have been Antony Hamilton (2009) and Katarzyna Sitarz (2011).
Read full Media Release.
For further information contact Tanja Liedtke Foundation.
National Dance Forum program
Opening and closing with interactive visioning sessions, the program featured a full morning 'Open Space' session on the Sunday tapping the pulse of the forum, and through it that of the dance sector in Australia.
Keynote artists-in-conversation were Dalisa Pigram, co-Artistic Director of Marrugeku, with David Pledger, and Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre Garry Stewart with Anne Thompson.
Diverse breakout sessions covered panel, presentation, roundtable and screening formats:
- BlakDance First Nations Dance Panel
- 'Whose responsibility is it to make sense of this?'
- Dramaturgy, outside eye or feedback?
- Virtuosi industry preview screening
- 'What role dance education play in shaping Australian culture for tomorrow?'
- Beyond hybridity: current Australia/Asia-Pacific dance practices
- A Lifetime's Collaboration
- BETWEEN US: Connections within and beyond the independent dance sector
- What is dance doing in Australia? And what is Australian dance doing in the world?
The NDF2013 Facilitator was Jeff Khan, co-Director of Performance Space, Sydney. Also joining the NDF2013 team for a number of sessions was Janenne Willis, guest co-facilitator, roving provocateur and catalyst at large. Janenne brought her energy, seasoned facilitation skills and experience co-creating futures one conversation at a time.
Download the full program and list of speakers.
Program overview
| 12:30pm – 2:00pm | Registration |
| 2:00pm – 2:30pm | Welcome to Country & NDF2013 opening speeches |
| 2:30pm – 4:30pm | Introduction: Who's here? Facilitated by Jeff Khan, NDF Facilitator, with Janenne Willis |
| 4:30pm – 5:30pm | Forum opening and networking drinks on the lawn overlooking the Maribyrnong River |
| 8:30am – 9:00am | Registration |
| 9:00am – 9:15am | Introduction to day two – Jeff Khan, NDF Facilitator |
| 9:15am – 10:45am |
Breakouts # 1
|
| 10:45am – 11:15am | Morning tea |
| 11:15am – 12:30pm |
Keynote artist-in-conversation # 1 Dalisa Pigram in conversation with David Pledger |
| 12:30am – 1:45pm | Lunch |
| 1:45pm – 3:15pm |
Breakouts # 2 (parallel sessions)
|
| 3:15pm – 3:45pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:45pm – 5:00pm |
Keynote artist-in-conversation # 2 Garry Stewart in conversation with Anne Thompson |
| 5:00pm – 5:30pm | Plenary facilitated by Jeff Khan |
| 9:30am – 12:30pm | Open Space session with morning tea break, facilitated by Jeff Khan and Janenne Willis |
| 12:30pm – 1:45pm | Lunch |
| 1:45pm – 3:15pm |
Breakouts # 3 (parallel sessions)
|
| 3:15pm – 3:45pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:45pm – 5:30pm |
Postcards from the future Future visioning session facilitated by Jeff Khan and Janenne Willis, and forum close. |
International young choreographer’s project
Applications for IYCP 2013 are closed.
Internationale Tanzmesse 2014
The next Internationale Tanzmesse will take place in Dusseldorf from 27 – 30 August 2014. Proposals for performances and Open Studio are invited now.
The Internationale Tanzmesse is a biennial marketplace and festival platform for communicating and networking in the field of contemporary dance. Dance companies and artists from all over the world present their work on stage and it is an excellent opportunity for networking.
Closing date for early booking of exhibition booths: 30 November 2013.
Closing date for performance and Open Studio proposals: 30 September 2013.
Closing date for registrations: 30 March 2014.
For more information visit the website or email Tanzmesse.
Asia Pacific Dance Festival 2013
The Asia Pacific Dance Festival to be held in Hawai'i in July this year, will showcase some of the finest dances, dancers, and choreographers from Asia and the Pacific.
As well as performances, APDF offers dance workshops, university course offerings, public lecture forums and community demonstrations that foster diverse and dynamic cross-cultural interactions and exchange.
Leap forward for dance education in 2012
The Australian Curriculum: The Arts
This has been an important year in the evolution of the new national dance curriculum.
One of five arts subject with its own body of knowledge, teaching strategies and learning outcomes, dance is soon to take its place in The Australian Curriculum: The Arts.
We have continued to work with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on various drafts of the curriculum throughout 2012, engaging with teachers where the tight timelines for consultation have allowed, and keeping dance educators up to date with regular email bulletins.
The Australian Ballet & dance education
'Out There' is the unique dance education program of The Australian Ballet.
Designed by dance educator Helen Cameron, the program engages with primary schools, students and teachers, led by a team of dancer/educators who have been especially trained by Helen to deliver the program. It's proving that dance in the curriculum not only provides skill development and expressive opportunities, but supports other curriculum areas in the process.
The ABC's 7.30 program recently profiled the 'Out There' program and interviewed Helen about its success.
After a lifetime of research and design of innovative dance curricula for primary schools, Helen was awarded the Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education in 2008.
Australian Dance Awards 2013
The Australian Dance Awards are held annually to acknowledge and reward the wonderful work of our professional dance artists. It is a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues and friends in an atmosphere of joy and celebration.
The 2013 Awards will be hosted by Ausdance ACT in Canberra, Monday 5 August at 7.30pm.
Book now online or T Canberra Ticketing 02 6275 2700
To read more about the Australian Dance Awards go to the website.
Bangarra won Outstanding Performance by a Company for ID at the 2012 Dance Awards in Perth. Photo: Jeff BusbyAustralian Youth Dance Festival
Ausdance SA, with Arts SA and Country Arts SA will host the next Australian Youth Dance Festival in Renmark 11 – 16 April, 2014.
Email inquiries or expressions of interest to Ausdance SA.
World Dance Alliance Asia–Pacific AGM
Unfortunately the WDA–AP AGM will not be held in Bangladesh as planned. The AGM will proceed in Taipai, Taiwan over the weekend 30 November – 1 December, 2013.
Our host will be Professor Rayuan Tseng whom will run the annual dance conference sponsored by Taiwan Dance Research Society(TDRS) during the AGM period.
As more information becomes available it will be available here. Ausdance members are automatically WDA–AP members.
New CEO for Ausdance National
The Australian Dance Council – Ausdance is pleased to announce that Roslyn Dundas has been appointed as the new CEO of Ausdance National, commencing on 14 January 2013. Roslyn will replace long-standing National Director Julie Dyson AM, who will retire at the end of the year. Julie has been with the organisation, in both voluntary and paid capacities, since its inception in 1977.
Roslyn has extensive experience in the arts, and in government, strategy, policy development and advocacy. She was the Director of Ausdance ACT for almost three years from 2005, and prior to that appointment was the youngest woman elected to an Australian parliament when she joined the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2001.
Ausdance honours 80th birthdays of Dr Alan Brissenden & wife Elizabeth
On behalf of the Australian dance community, Ausdance wishes Alan and Elizabeth all the very best on this happy occasion.
Dr Alan Brissenden AM has a long association with Ausdance and a life-long association with the arts. He has been writing dance criticism since his student days in 1950, first in the University of Sydney student paper Honi Soit and then, while still a student in 1952 when he was invited to review for the Sydney Morning Herald. Throughout his long career as Reader in English, specialising in Shakespeare at Adelaide University, Alan has been a regular critic for The Australian, Dance Australia, the Adelaide Review and Radio Adelaide. He was for many years a member of the Board of Governors of the Adelaide Festival and President of the Friends of the State Library of South Australia.
TAFE funding cuts and the arts
At the recent meeting of the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (TDCA), serious concerns were raised about the massive cuts to TAFE training in several eastern States.
In this article for Artshub, Tamara Winikoff, Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts, also raises these concerns, and the broader issues of career pathways for artists. While Tamara focuses on the visual arts, much of her analysis could be applied to dance in the TAFE sector, especially with the imminent introduction of the new Australian Curriculum: The Arts.
We'll be making our concerns known to the Victorian, New South Wales, South Australian and Queensland governments about their proposals to so drastically cut TAFE funding. We suggest you read Tamara's article and respond to your own governments about the future of arts training in your State.
Consultation for draft Arts curriculum about to end
The consultation period for The Australian Curriculum: The Arts has been extended until midnight tonight (25 September), so here's a last opportunity to have your say via ACARA's consultation portal.
Ausdance National has already responded in some detail, thanks to some excellent work by Victorian dance teachers, facilitated by Dr Katrina Rank, Ausdance Victoria's Education & Training Manager.
We also received feedback from individual teachers from around Australia, especially from Queensland, and have incorporated their responses into the Ausdance response.
Teachers have generally been very positive about the draft Dance curriculum, and we hope our detailed response will help to refine it further.
We're looking forward to seeing the final version, so watch this space for further updates.
Good news from major performing arts companies
The latest Australia Council Snapshot of Major Performing Arts Company Key Trends shows that Australia’s major performing arts companies are robust, stable and have continued to expand their city audiences in line with population growth. They have also extended their reach and engagement in regional and remote communities.
Report on NSW multicultural arts forum
Groundswell has published the final report on the Multicultural Arts Forum 2012 held in April this year. The forum brought together over 180 artists, arts workers, policy-makers, arts leaders and critical thinkers from NSW and across Australia to share ideas, perspectives and experiences on how to reap the benefits of our culturally diverse arts.
This report presents the main outcomes of the forum as well as a comprehensive evaluation of its results.
A night to remember at the Australian Dance Awards
The 2012 Australian Dance Awards were presented in spectacular fashion at the beautiful new Heath Ledger Theatre in the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia on 1 September.
Catherine Osborne (l) President, Ausdance WA and Lauren Malkin (r) Client Manager AON Risk Services, presented Lucinda Sharp with her award for Services to Dance. Photo: Matthew ThompsettNanette Hassall—lifetime achievement award 2012
Nanette Hassall is the 2012 recipient of the Australian Dance Award for Lifetime Achievement. This Award honours the career and achievements of an outstanding senior figure in the Australian dance community who has dedicated at least 40 years to dance as a performer, choreographer, advocate, educator, administrator or visionary.
Congratulations to the inaugural PvP fellowship winner!
Congratulations to Stephanie Lake from Melbourne, who has been awarded the first Ausdance Peggy van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship. Stephanie was presented with a cheque for $10,000 at the Australian Dance Awards in Perth on Saturday 1 September.
Photos: Bronwyn Kidd2012 Australian Dance Awards winners
The 2012 Australian Dance Awards were presented and celebrated in a memorable night in Perth on Saturday 1 September.
and the winners are...
New artistic director for WA Ballet
West Australian Ballet is delighted to announce that Belgian dancer/ ballet master/ director, Aurelien Scannella, has been appointed as its new Artistic Director. He will take over in January 2013 from Ivan Cavallari, who was recently appointed Director, Ballet de l'Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg.
Touring programs move to the Australia Council
On 22 August 2012, the Hon Simon Crean, MP, Minister for the Arts, announced that the administration of the regional touring programs and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy is to be transferred to the Australia Council.
Report on national dance research forum
Thank you for a great weekend. The National Dance Research Forum was stimulating, energising and so well organised with great food and venues. (Dr Cheryl Stock)
Last weekend we had the pleasure of partnering with the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia to welcome 35 Australian and five international dance researchers to the first national dance research forum held for many years.
The forum provided a unique opportunity for everyone to hear some high-profile speakers, share their own research, join small discussion groups and make plans with potential collaborators.
Speakers included: (l to r) Dr Carol Brown (Uni of Auckland), Megan Beckwith (Deakin), Dr Kim Vincs (Deakin) & Ruth Gibson (igloo).Dance, young people & change—diversity in action
The collaboration between World Dance Alliance (WDA) and dance and the Child international (daCi) produced one of the biggest global dance festivals ever held—Dance, Young People and Change. Hosted by the Taiwan National University of the Arts (TNUA) in Taipei, the event attracted young people from North and South America, Europe, the UK and most Asia-Pacific nations.
The festival/conference was a multi-layered event that included keynote addresses, ‘dance flavour’ taster classes, workshops, forums and paper presentations. It brought together young people, their parents, mentors and educators from across the world to reflect on key issues and future directions for dance in young people’s lives.
Ann Tai, Taiwan representative for daCI and teacher at TNUA, exuberant in the opening parade.There was also a wonderful range of performances by young people, a festival of international dance academies, and an amazing program of Taiwanese dance performed by Taiwan’s professional companies and groups, including Cloud Gate 2 and Dance Forum. Teachers attended masterclasses and paper presentations and exchanged ideas about approaches to dance learning, teaching and curriculum for young people.
National crowdfunding strategy
The Australia Council for the Arts with its philanthropic arm, Artsupport Australia, has commenced its national crowdfunding roadshow as part of a strategy to explore the opportunities in crowdfunding for cultural and creative projects.
The roadshow is the culmination of a multi-stage strategy which included a pilot mentoring phase by Artsupport Australia for a group of crowdfunding projects, and the Australia Council commissioning the first piece of research in Australia into barriers and motivations of donors to crowdfunding projects in the cultural and creative sectors.
Caroline Vu, NSW Manager of Artsupport Australia said:
With crowdfunding reaching a tipping point in Australia, there’s huge potential to increase individual giving to arts and culture...the key to this is improving the understanding and skills of the sector; leading to better and more successful campaigns. As the success rate for crowdfunding projects increases, people will become more confident that crowdfunding truly enables creative ideas to become reality.
Brolga in 2013
Brolga 35 (December, 2011) was the final print edition. From issue # 36 Brolga–an Australian journal about dance will be published on our website and available for purchase either as a complete volume (PDF) or as individual articles. All you need to do is create an account and become an Ausdance customer.
Brolga is pleased to welcome Professor Maggi Phillips from WAAPA, as its new editor.
By the end of 2013 we intend to have all back issues of Brolga online. We believe that this collection of articles will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and dance lovers all over.
Harobo Perth, 2005. Dancer: Hannah Cann. Photo: Laura RossAusdance advocacy
The last few weeks have seen us engaged in quite a diverse range of advocacy activities across several states and territories.
We’ve chaired a National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) meeting in Sydney, attended the Arts & Health Forum at Parliament House in Canberra, discussed arts policy with Minister Crean’s arts adviser and the Secretary of the Office for the Arts in Canberra, and lobbied Schools Minister Peter Garrett about the implementation of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts.
Dance in the Northern Territory
In June we visited Darwin and participated in Monsoon Sessions, a professional development program for local artists. The two dance forums considered a range of issues of particular concern to NT artists, including Indigenous dance opportunities, career pathways, dance policy and the future of Ausdance NT.
NAAE welcomes arts curriculum
The National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) have welcomed the release of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts for public consultation.
Launching the draft on Monday, Schools Minister Peter Garrett said that he had been "a passionate advocate of the importance of arts as part of a comprehensive, well-rounded education", and that learning in the arts "inspires creativity, encourages young people to think critically, helps develop their sense of identity and can provide great benefits for learning in other core areas".
The NAAE is now advocating for improved teacher education in the arts, and for the allocation of more resources to enable the arts curriculum to be properly implemented.
The NAAE has released a media statement today supporting the draft curriculum, while noting that 'there is still work to do'.
Draft arts curriculum launched for consultation
Ausdance welcomes the launch of the draft of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts for public consultation, announced yesterday by The Federal Minister for School Education, the Hon. Peter Garrett. The consultation period will be for three months, until 23 September.
The new curriculum will, for the first time, entitle all young people to learning in dance at school, a major breakthrough for students and dance educators. The four other subjects in the arts curriculum are drama, media arts, music and visual arts.
Ausdance has played a strong lobbying role in having dance included in The Australian Curriculum: The Arts, and has supported ACARA—the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority—in the development of the dance curriculum.
We encourage you, as dance teachers in schools, students and parents, to continue having your say throughout this next consultation stage.
Ausdance welcomes new treasurer
The Ausdance team is pleased to welcome Peter Bayliss from Into Tomorrow on board as its Treasurer. Into Tomorrow is a Chartered Accounting firm that provides a variety of services to music, arts and community sector clients. The company was founded by Peter in 2009 to combine his passions for music, the arts and community services with his skills as an accountant and business manager.
Screen dance initiative 2012 – 14
Carriageworks will undertake a 3-year $300,000 Screen Dance initiative established by the dance board of the Australia Council for the Arts. The initiative has been developed in response to major shifts in the cross-disciplinary, collaborative nature of choreography, visual arts and film.
The National Arts & Health Forum
The forum at Parliament House on 27 June was an important step in developing a meaningful and effective arts and health policy framework. The forum media release gives you further details of speakers, topics and the outcomes of the meeting.
The audio of the forum is now available on Place Stories, as is the opening speech by the Minister for the Arts, the Hon Simon Crean MP.
Until recently the forum was referred to as a one-off event. However, the organisers now see the need for it to continue, informing the advice that the Arts & Health Foundation provides to the Ministerial Working Group on Arts and Health.
We have been invited to be part of this ongoing process, and hope that our members will contribute their experiences and amazingly successful dance and health stories via the Arts and Health PlaceStories website. More resources will be posted on PlaceStories in the weeks ahead.
Keith Bain tribute
Keith Bain OAM passed away in Sydney on 4 July, 2012. He was much loved and repected by the Australian dance community and will be greatly missed. Keith's inspiration, insights, generosity, humour and vision were valued by many.
Keith's funeral was held at the Eastern Suburbs Crematorium on Tuesday 10 July.
About Keith
Keith began as a ballroom dancer in the country town of his birth, Wauchope. He graduated as Dux of the year from Armidale Teachers College in 1945 and taught at Kogarah Boys High and Temora High where his students experienced quality music, drama and dance.
It was in Temora that he saw the Bodenwieser Dance Group perform, and after talking with the dancers, Keith said that he
...sensed that [he] had the eyes to analyse the work, the head to appreciate it and a body that might someday master it.
Keith moved to Sydney to begin his modern dance career.
National dance research forum
On the weekend of 4 – 5 August 2012 Australian dance researchers will meet in Melbourne to share their work, ideas and develop their dance research networks. Participants include dance researchers working in choreographic cognition, technology, injury prevention and management, intercultural research, audience development and dance education.
Australia Dancing leaps into Trove
The National Library of Australia has integrated the Australia Dancing service into the national discovery service Trove.
Trove is an exciting destination for dance researchers and expands the potential of finding new and rare materials in many diverse collections. Trove takes you to resources in libraries, archives, performing arts collections, galleries; to biographical databases and online collections including pictures, digitised newspapers and finding aids. Trove also incorporates the National Library's dance resources, which continue to grow each year.
BlakDance 2012 triumph
BlakDance 2012 festival in Brisbane highlighted a wonderful range of contemporary Indigenous dance from Australia and New Zealand.
Choreographers, dancers, industry members and audiences came together to celebrate and gain a deeper understanding of contemporary Indigenous dance practice.
Responses to the Australia Council Review
The Australia Council Review was a comprehensive and complex document covering many facets of governance, funding, peer review and relationships with other agencies, plus important recommendations for additional arts funding.
Ausdance responded to the Review, as did many other arts organisations and individuals.
We then joined with ArtsPeak colleagues to make a joint statement where there was common agreement across art forms.
We now await the Government's response to this consultation, and the eventual release of the National Cultural Policy.
Graeme Murphy honoured
Congratulations to Graeme Murphy, who was yesterday appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Graeme Murphy, AO. Photo: Greg BarrettBallet companies make news on the ABC!
This year West Australian Ballet (WAB) celebrates its 60th birthday and The Australian Ballet (TAB) celebrates its 50th birthday. ABC TV presented a feature on the two companies on its 7.30 Report, 6 June. The segment includes brief interviews with David McAllister (Artistic Director of TAB since 2001), Barry Moreland (Artistic Director of WAB from 1983 – 97) and dancers Madeleine Eastoe and Kevin Jackson, both originally from WA and now principal artists with TAB.
New community arts unit at Deakin University
Managing Arts in Community Settings (MMM796) addresses the knowledge and skills needed to engage diverse communities in arts projects and manage community based arts initiatives.
A range of community-based arts programs are examined and the characteristics of community creative processes are identified and analysed. Find out more on the Deakin University website.
Northern Territory dance sector review
Arts NT, which provides Ausdance NT’s operational funding, announced to the organisation its intention to “employ an outside consultant to examine the dance sector’s needs and determine the best model for dance support relevant to the NT.”
This review is expected to take place between July and September 2012 and will be a joint initiative of Arts NT and Ausdance NT, with Arts NT as the lead agency. Read more.
ArtsPeak comments on Australia Council review
As one of the ArtsPeak co-convenors, we have commented briefly on the Review of the Australia Council, published yesterday.
We're now working on an analysis of the Review, and will be inviting the Ausdance network to comment and provide feedback before the closing date on 8 June.
Australia Council review released
Arts Minister Simon Crean has released the review into the Australia Council which will help inform the National Cultural Policy.
The Minister notes that 'the review makes 18 recommendations for reform of the Council and provides an opportunity to reflect on its success and to consider the major challenges ahead'.
We'll be commenting with our ArtsPeak colleagues, but we'd also like to hear from you. Please leave a comment when you've read the report.
The Budget and the arts
In an announcement made by Arts Minister Simon Crean, last night's Federal Budget revealed some welcome new money for the arts, and a new income tax-free threshold of $18,000, which will be of great benefit to the many artists who live close to the poverty line.
As co-convenors of ArtsPeak, Tamara Winikoff and I met this morning with the Minister's arts adviser, Helen O'Neil, for a post-Budget briefing. We discussed many issues around the Budget, including the whole-of-government approach to arts funding, philanthropy and delivery which will be outlined when the National Cultural Policy and the Australia Council review are finally released.
Tamara and I have made an Artspeak statement which reiterates some of the issues already flagged in previous submissions to the National Cultural Policy, and welcoming the new funding in the Budget.
Dance Board assessment report—February round
The Dance Board of the Australia Council has announced the results of its February 10 funding round.
The assessment report includes the list of successful applicants and projects, statistics on the round and the Chair’s report.
Federal Budget day
It's Federal Budget day, and we're all keen to see how the arts and cultural industries fare in the absence of the long-awaited National Cultural Policy.
We're off to the Arts Minister's office tomorrow morning to discuss the Budget outcomes and to hear about the Government's plans for the release of the National Cultural Policy later this year.
National Cultural Policy—messages from the field
We've joined our colleages at ArtsPeak and the Council for Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (CHASS) to comment on the delay in releasing the National Cultural Policy.
On a positive note, the delay will enable us to look more closely at the small to medium performing and visual arts sectors and prepare a more detailed submission to Government. We'll keep you posted about progress once next week's Federal Budget has been delivered.
National Cultural Policy delayed
It's been reported that the release of the long-awaited National Cultural Policy has been delayed by several months.
We've verified this report with the Office for the Arts in Canberra, and have been informed that full details of the NCP's release will be announced in next Tuesday's Federal Budget.
Ausdance, along with our ArtsPeak colleages, has been supporting the Minister's push for a new National Cultural Policy for several years now, and contribtuing to its development. We hope Arts Minister Simon Crean will continue his strong support for increased funding through the policy, and we'll respond more fully once we see what announcements are made in the Budget.
National Cultural Policy only weeks away
We understand that the National Cultural Policy is now only weeks away, so we've written to Arts Minister Simon Crean again, this time in response to the media release from the Arts & Cultural Ministers' meeting on 30 March.
This was our last opportunity to comment prior to the NCP's release, so we've reproduced the text here, following correspondence with the Office for the Arts after my colleague, Tamara Winikoff, and I visited the department on behalf of ArtsPeak.
ArtsPeak has also written to the Minister, particularly emphasising the importance of the small to medium arts sector in Federal Budget considerations. The letter reads as follows:
New member of the Dance Board
Good to see Michelle Ryan's recent appointment to the Dance Board of the Australia Council, adding to the practitioner base of the board.
Michelle has more than 20 years' experience as a performer, choreographer, rehearsal director and producer, and was a peer adviser at the board's November 2011 assessment meeting.
‘Shades of us’—a stunning AYDF finale
It was fantastic to be able to join the Ausdance NSW team, the choreographers and more than 150 young people from all over Australia on the last day of the Australian Youth Dance Festival at NAISDA Dance College in Gosford NSW.
Shades of Us, presented in Mt Penang Gardens on the final evening, was a performance that grew out of an intensive week of creative development with choreographers Sue Healey, Philip Channells, Anton, Kay Armstrong, Matt Cornel, Adelina Larsson, Lee Pemberton, Vicki Van Hout and artistic director Rowan Marchingo.
A new arts ‘accord’—will it make a difference?
The State and Territory Arts and Cultural Ministers have announced that they'll be working together on some important arts initiatives.
They've used the word 'accord' to describe this agreement, and we think this means they'll be cooperating on implementing the new National Cultural Policy, which is great news. But it's difficult to interpret some of the language in their media release, so we'll be writing to Arts Minister Simon Crean to investigate. We'll also suggest ways to broaden this commitment from a dance perspective.
If you want to read the Arts Ministers' report (PDF) and send us your ideas, please let us know in the next few days. You could also write to your own State or Territory Arts Minister and suggest ways to support dance in the National Cultural Policy, particularly in the small to medium performing arts sector.
Arts service organisations—telling the story
Today I went with my ArtsPeak colleague, Tamara Winikoff, to visit the Office for the Arts in Canberra, where we continued the conversation about our work.
It was useful to share the ArtsPeak map that outlines the broad reach of arts service organisations, especially as we’d like to see it acknowleged as part of the bigger arts support picture in the National Cultural Policy .
Communities making dance in Tasmania
Tasmanian Regional Arts (TRA) is leading The Dance Project in partnership with Mature Artists Dance Experience (MADE), Bust a Move and Tasdance.
This community dance project is happening in three Tasmanian regions—the North East, North West and the South—to develop and present three new contemporary dance works with, by and about communities. Evolving from the heart of each community, these works explore place, kinship and identity as experienced by the residents of these regions.
Do we need arts service organisations?
We’re not artists, dance companies, or funding bodies, but do we have a body of work?
With our ArtsPeak partners, we've mapped some of things we do.
NAISDA’s new studios
The opening of the new NAISDA studios in Gosford, NSW last week was an occasion to be celebrated by the whole dance community after more than 35 years in temporary accommodation. The studios were opened by the Federal Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Simon Crean MP, at a ceremony that also honoured the founder of NAISDA, Carole Johnson.
Scholarship to American Dance Festival in China
Annalouise Paul has been awarded one of the WDA scholarships to attend the 2012 American Dance Festival in China in August. Congratulations!
Ausdance welcomes a new national executive team
The Ausdance National Council and network directors met for four days in Canberra last weekend, and elected a new National Executive at its Annual General Meeting.
Ausdance network meetings in Canberra
We're meeting in Canberra this week with the Ausdance National Council and network directors.
We're discussing some of the big Ausdance projects such as the Australian Dance Awards, the Australian Youth Dance Festival and Australian Dance week, as well as next year's partnership with the Australia Council, when we'll produce another National Dance Forum. Dance Board Director, Carin Mistry, will be a guest speaker tomorrow.
We're also talking about advocating for dance, dance education and research, Indigenous dance and some of the critical issues around supporting independent dance.
It's a fantastic opportunity to share ideas, achievements and the critical issues that inspire all of us to keep working with and for Australia's dance artists, companies and communities.
Review of Private Sector Support for the Arts 2011
The Harold Mitchell Review of Private Sector Support for the Arts has just been released by the Minister for the Arts as part of the wider consultation about the new National Cultural Policy.
The Mitchell review recommends several ideas that might help attract new donors to the arts, noting that “The limited funds available to many arts organisations creates a situation where they cannot afford dedicated staff to drive a strategic approach to fund-raising”.
Mitchell also recommends the merging of the Australian Business Arts Foundation with Artsupport Australia “under the auspices of a new body with responsibility for all private sector support for the arts in Australia”.
Today is also your last opportunity to respond to the Australia Council review, another important part of the Cultural Policy consultation process.
Building the Indigenous contemporary dance collection
Ever since we convened the 2005 Creating Pathways national Indigenous dance forum in Canberra, Lee Christofis—one of the keynote speakers, and now curator of dance at the National Library of Australia—has been keen to develop the NLA's Indigenous dance collection.
In the March 2012 edition of National Library News, Lee discusses some of the material now held in the collection and outlines the importance of its provenance.
Building the Indigenous contemporary dance collection makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in the development of Australian contemporary Indigenous dance.
ArtsPeak again lobbies the ABC
ArtsPeak representatives met again with the ABC to lobby for more cultural content in ABC news and current affairs programs. General Manager Mark Scott had previously met with the group, and this time ArtsPeak met with Don Lang, the Head of News Programming, and Alan Sunderland, the Head of News Policy,
A process was agreed on to review arts content for news and current affairs programs, and on a process for arts representatives to contact appropriate reporters. The following strategies were suggested to ArtsPeak:
- Arts representatives should consider what the issues are and whether they are newsworthy.
- We should develop a central arts representatives contact register.
- We should focus on stories that utilise ABC research and archives.
We'll be working with our ArtsPeak colleagues to maximise this positive response from the ABC, and making sure dance is part of the story telling!
Reviewing the new Australian arts curriculum
Arts curriculum writing for Foundation to Year 10 is well underway.
The draft rationale, aims and broad scope and sequence have already been reviewed by a state and territory national panel, and we joined other professional associations last week to review the drafts. We'd been invited to ask four teachers from across Australia to provide feedback, and Dr Katrina Rank, education and training manager for Ausdance Victoria, collated their feedback and led the discussion for dance.
We also represented the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) in the teleconference, which was chaired by the general manager (curriculum) of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Robert Randall.
We'll be calling for further dance commentary in the coming weeks as the drafts are developed by the writers, and ACARA will make the curriculum available for public comment in May. In the meantime, you can sign up for regular ACARA updates.
ABC TV appoints new head of arts
Following news last year that the ABC would axe several of its most successful arts programs, the national broadcaster has announced the appointment of a new head of TV arts, Katrina Sedgwick.
Formerly director of the Adelaide Film Festival, Katrina will commence work with the ABC in April.
Li Cunxin new director of the Queensland Ballet
Li Cunxin has been announced as the new Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet. He will take up his appointment in July this year, six months before the departure of the current Director, François Klaus. His appointment follows an international search by the Queensland Ballet.
Li's autiobiography and the film Mao's Last Dancer have built his international reputation, not only as a fine dancer but as an inspirational leader. We congratulate Li on another great achievement!
Read about his ideas for the company in this interview with the Brisbane Courier Mail.
Endeavour Awards
The Endeavour Awards are part of the Australia Award initiative of the Australian Government’s internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to undertake study, research and professional development abroad.
Go the Australia Awards website for details and dates.
More evidence that dance benefits the elderly
There are some startling new figures that support dancing as a protective strategy in preventing dementia. A Stanford University report Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter makes the following comparisons:
... almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of this study was the mind. There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.
- Reading—35% reduced risk of dementia
- Bicycling and swimming—0%
- Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week—47%
- Playing golf—0%
- Dancing frequently—76%.
The same university offers other insights into the benefits of dance in Thoughts, philosophies and musings on social dance, a useful reference for community dance practitioners in Australia.
MyDance Alliance visitor from Malaysia
When the President of MyDance Alliance, Bilqis Hiijas, visited Canberra from Malaysia this week, we took the opportunity to introduce her to several of Australia's leading cultural institutions. We also heard about the artists' residency program she helps to run at her family's compound, Rimbun Dahan in Kuala Lumpur.
Bilqis is the new editor of Asia Pacific Channels, the newsletter we produce on behalf of the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific. It's exciting to be sharing the task with her, and her visit to Canberra gave us a chance to meet her in person for the first time.
Bilqis was very interested in our partnerships with the National Library of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive, so we organised tours of both institutions to meet the curators and get an idea of the great range of dance materials held by both institutions. She's hoping to form similar relationships with archives in Malaysia.
Australian Ballet’s 50th year sees new star rising
In its 50th anniversary year, The Australian Ballet is celebrating a new rising star in its ranks, Chinese Australian dancer Chengwu Guo.
The ABC's 7.30 program profiles his work and interviews his mentor Li Cunxin, the teenage dancer Chen played in Mao's Last Dancer, the hugely successful film based on Li's autobiography.
Dance people receive Australia Day Honours
Former balleriona Josephine Spaull, respected ballet teacher, Tanya Pearson, and Judith Anderson, formerly General Manager of The Queensland Ballet, have today been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Josephine was recognised for “for service to the performing arts, particularly dance, as a teacher and administrator". Tanya's citation was "for service to the performing arts, particularly ballet, as a teacher and mentor to young dancers". Judith's citation was "for service to the Queensland Ballet and to women". We congratulate Josephine, Tanya and Judith for their outstanding achievements.
The website It's an Honour has all the information you'll need to nominate more dance people for Australia's highest Honours!
Celebrating our Australian of the Year
There have been celebrations around the country today for our new Australian of the Year, actor Geoffrey Rush.
We congratulate him on his acceptance speech that placed the arts at the centre of Australian life and culture. He acknowledged the role of the First Australians, and said he was sure "that my colleagues will see this as an endorsement of our national story of creativity".
Senior Australian of the Year is Laurie Baymarrwangga, an extraordinary elder from the island of Murrungga in East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The Australian of the Year Awards were announced last night by the Prime Minister.
New research with dance and the elderly
New research by the University of Western Sydney is demonstrating that folk dance has clear benefits for the health of the elderly. You may have missed this great report from the ABC’s 7.30 program on 4 January.
We’re very interested in research that proves the links between dance and health, and have been in touch with the researchers to find out more.
Want to know more?
On your toes: Is there a different approach to aging? Listen to Glen Murray from MADE (Mature Artists Dance Experience) and Beverley Giles, an expert in the care of people affected by dementia, talking about how dance provides the three elements essential to health and well-being in mature adults.
Read Glen's paper about how older people can bring great riches to art-making.
Visit by American Dance Abroad director
Andrea Snyder is co-director of American Dance Abroad, a new initiative in the US that promotes the export of American dance. Andrea was formerly CEO of Dance USA, and is a valued colleague of Ausdance.
Andrea will be visiting Australia for the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) in February, so we’re putting her in touch with the Australia Council and dance producers in Sydney and Melbourne before she goes on to APAM. She'll see a lot of Australian dance while she's here and importantly will be establishing Australian networks for possible future exchanges.