Professional resources

Marilyn Miller reflects on the importance of Creating Pathways National Indigenous Dance Forum, held at the National Museum in Canberra from 27 to 30 October 2005.

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From January 2017 we will start analysing the rich and valuable data provided though the Safe Dance IV questionnaire. We will also be writing the 4th Safe Dance report, which will be made available to the dance community via the Ausdance National website. In particular this report will detail the current prevalence of injuries in Australia’s professional dance population and describe progress that has been made in injury prevention and management since the 3rd Safe Dance report was published in 1999. The major study conclusions will be used to help set priority areas for future dance research and action, make updated safe dance practice recommendations and assist with evaluations of current injury prevention initiatives.  

The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) 26th Annual Conference was held in Hong Kong on October 20–23 2016. A group of Australian academics, clinicians, dancers and students were thrilled to be able to travel to Hong Kong to present our work to the dance research community.  Australia should be proud to be at the forefront of this field, and a presentation on bibliometric analysis of dance publications identified Australia as one of the top countries in the world for quality and collaborative dance research!

The Australian Dance Council—Ausdance, has for more than forty years been at the forefront of inspiring, supporting and informing the dance community in Australia. Working with and for artists, we want to see dance take its place as a premier and integral activity in Australia.

Now we need your support to continue this work. We face a future without ongoing funding via the Australia Council for the Arts, putting at risk all that we do. 

The words ‘safe dance’ mean many different things to different parts of the dance community. It could be safe dance practice recommendations for teachers and studio owners, safe physical dance environments, injury prevention and safe return to dance practices, supporting the mental and physical development of dance students, the list goes on.

But how far have we come in preventing and managing injuries in Australia’s professional dancers? And are our dance practices safe?

As you may know, the arts sector responded with overwhelming support for the role of The Australia Council when it responded to the Senate inquiry into the 'Impact of the 2014 and 2015 Commonwealth Budget decisions on the Arts', or, in other words, the sudden diversion of Australia Council funds to establish the National Program for Arts Excellence.

A overview of Ausdance National's key areas of publication: dance research, dance artists' voices, factsheets for Safe Dance and professional business practice.

What better way to wrap up our year in dance than to recall some of the big 2014 moments in dance.

This year dance gave us much celebrating—what a wonderful way to spend a year! We honoured the discipline and dedication of our professional dance artists. We danced to make us happier and healthier. We saw dance used for rehabilitation. We made dance that celebrated all bodies. We watched dance that challenged our ideas about what dance should be. We were excited by new choreographic talent. We were inspired by the latest Australian dance thinking on show at the 2014 World Dance Alliance Global Summit. We celebrated big birthdays and said goodbye to old friends.

Highlights from the 24th Annual Meeting of IADMS—enhancing the health, wellbeing, training and performance of dancers by cultivating educational, medical, and scientific excellence.

Australian arts and health organisations, publications, conferences, research and workshops (2014).

All Ausdance members are automatically members of the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific and it's a great opportunity to extend your own networks and participate in new culturally diverse opportunities at the annual WDA conferences and festivals.

Recent Asia–Australia dance theatre collaborations.

Creative Director of Dance Integrated Australia talks about Corner Dance Lab and New Works Forum in Hong Kong, which will explore ways of producing inclusive performances for artists with diverse backgrounds and physical abilities.

Have you considered the impact of flood, fire or accidental damage to your professional flooring? In this article, Sam Small investigates this issue and the Aon insurance solution.

Slow touring expresses a desire (from artists, communities, tour presenters and funding bodies) for audiences to experience a deeper engagement with a touring performance, often through activities such as skill sharing (e.g., workshops, residencies, exchanges and collaborations) and collaboration on creative projects (e.g., recreating the work for/with local audiences). We highlight Shiver by Danielle Micich, a 2012 West Australian dance tour that successfully managed and delivered community engagement activities.

Dance touring in Australia is supported and delivered by touring and support organisations who deliver government funded touring programs and/or work with the many networks of presenting venues and tour coordinators. Here we briefly outline touring programs, mechanisms and industry organisations.

A list of Australian professional small to medium dance companies touring dance works in 2014. Take a look at short videos of their work, check out the tour dates, and plan your own tour to a regional venue near you.

Some helpful advice for making good choices about dance experiences for your children.

What professional or serious dancers should be eating and drinking to train and perform at their best and minimise risks of injury and/or burnout.