July Update
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at the annual Helpmann Awards which took place in Melbourne across two nights earlier this week. The awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, regional touring, presentations for children and young people, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.
The Helpmann Awards, named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann and to commemorate his memory and achievements, were established in 2001 by Live Performance Australia (LPA) to recognise, celebrate and promote our live performance industry. Ausdance National congratulates the nominee and winners in the ballet, dance & physical theatre category.
This month includes a spotlight feature on Sue Street, Ausdance National Life Member who has made a significant contribution to the sector. We are also saddened to hear about the loss of Alan Alder this week, and our thoughts are with Lucette and Floeur at this time.
We know that waiting to hear about the decisions and outcomes of awards and grants can be a stressful time. Many of our members are anticipating notifications of the Australia Council’s EOI Stage 1 for Four-Year-Funding for Organisations. Over the past year, we have been working with an alliance of performing arts peaks, including Theatre Network Australia (TNA). Our colleagues TNA have put together some timely advice and guidance on its website for those waiting for the outcome of the EOI Stage 1 process.
Ausdance National is a founding member of the Australian Alliance for Wellness in Entertainment (AAWE) an Entertainment Assist cross-sector peer-to-peer initiative, for shared interest in positive mental health and wellbeing behaviours for a sustainable Australian entertainment industry. There are many resources available to assist you with your wellbeing and mental health, especially during stressful and uncertain times. The AAWE and Entertainment Assist on-line community forums provide access to a range of fact sheets, tips, videos and apps to help you.
Ausdance National and Tracks are looking forward to welcoming the dance community to Darwin for the National Dance Forum (NDF) in August. This edition includes highlights from this year’s inspiring and thought provoking NDF program. See you in Darwin.
2019 National Dance Forum
At the heart of this year’s Forum is the acknowledgement that dance is a political force, a provocation for change, a much-needed disruptor. The programming of the Forum pays particular attention to artists, thinkers, teachers and leaders who explore this potential.
NDF features and highlights:
- 30 plus speakers/ presenters featuring dance practitioners from the Northern Territory, around Australia and New Zealand
- Keynote presentations by Dr Nicholas Rowe; Marilyn Miller and Thomas Mayor
- Strong First Nations voice
Book your tickets here.
DAY 1
NT Dance Company and Gary Lang will open the 2019 National Dance Forum with a Welcome to Country at the Old Town Hall Ruins, a stunning historic setting.
Gary is a Larrakia man who training at NAISDA and has toured nationally and internationally with some of Australia’s premier companies, the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Dancenorth ad Tracks Dance. Gary’s choreographic work is sensual and evocative, presenting the best of contemporary dance rooted in the traditions of Indigenous Australia.
Action Learning workshop
BlakDance has been working to transform the presenting sector to create more opportunities for independent First Nations contemporary dance in Australia. Driven by sector demand, BlakDance core business and remit is to broker international and national opportunities by working with presenters and sharing our First Nations methodology and leadership.
Merindah Donnelly and Collette Brennan will facilitate the workshop focusing on how to enable rewarding relationships between First Nation First Nation and non-Indigenous artists, presenters and producers.
Keynote: The Uluru Statement and its Artwork - Thomas Mayor
A powerful and impactful speaker, Thomas Mayor, is a Torres Strait Islander who grew up on Larrakia land and was part of the constitutional moment at Uluru that conceived the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The 2019 National Dance Forum is looking forward to welcoming Thomas and hearing his keynote address on The Uluru Statement and its Artwork. For more information about the Uluru Statement, read this article by Thomas.
DAY 2
Workshop: Fossil – Age as Material
Wendy is an established dance artist, performance maker and collaborator, a respected arts practitioner, facilitator, mentor and educator with a long-standing commitment to the development of individual artists.
She was a recipient of an Australia Council Dance Fellowship (2004-6) and researched and created a professional development model to support artists' processes and practice.
The MAP (Mature Artists Processes) and ARM (Artistic Risk Management) programs involved individual mentoring, project facilitation, artist-driven clusters and creative laboratories.
Newsround
Featuring a range of recent dance project reflecting the diversity of practice nationwide with a series of 8-minute presentations.
Closing Key Note: Australia’s Dance from the Heart?
Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain co-artistic directors of Marrageku have worked together for 23 years, they co-conceive and facilitate productions and research laboratories. Charting a new pathway in contemporary dance through working with imagination, knowledge of Country and connection with community.
The NDF includes a range of cultural immersion projects and for more information, download a copy of the full program here.
Spotlight
Professor Emeritus Susan Street AO - Ausdance National Life Member
Professor Emeritus Susan Street AO retires from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) this month after twenty-five years service and was recently appointed to the board of The Australian Ballet. Sue has worked in higher education for over 30 years after a career as a dancer working in both Australia and Holland. She was the Head of Dance at QUT before taking up the position of Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Susan returned to QUT in 2006 to take up the role of Executive Dean of the Creative Industries Faculty, and most recently as Executive Director of QUT Precincts in the International Division. Susan’s former board positions include Queensland Performing Arts Centre Trust, the Australia China Council and Australia Korea Foundation, and Chair of the Board of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. She is currently a member of the Australia Singapore Arts Group and a Board member of Creative Partnerships Australia.
In 1999 she received an Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education and in 2000 was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor by the QUT. In 2012 Susan was made an Honorary Life Member of Ausdance and in 2014 she was made an Officer (AO) of the Order Australia.
Reflections
Vale Alan Alder, 1937 - 2019
This week, the dance community in Western Australia is mourning the death of a major figure in our dance world. Alan Alder, a major figure as a dancer, teacher and advocate, passed away in Perth on 15 July 2019. We, at Ausdance WA, acknowledge the significant contribution that Alan made to dance in our state in very many ways. Having had a significant career as a dancer, internationally and nationally (in that order), Alan has been claimed by Western Australia as one of ours since he took up the position of Head of Dance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 1983. Alan was a long-serving member of the Ausdance WA Management Committee, bringing his experience, knowledge and wisdom to the table over many years.
Lucette and Floeur have asked us to advise that the funeral and wake for Alan Alder will be held at 11.30am on Friday 26 July 2019 at the Mount Lawley Bowling Club, Corner Storthes and Rookwood Streets, Mount Lawley.
If you wish to share your memories or pay tribute to Alan, please do so by writing to Ausdance WA at [email protected], and your messages will be sent to Lucette and Floeur.