Dance News

In the 6 months since Inspired Dance Film Fest Australia (IDFFA) opened online submissions, the inaugural festival has already received 44 film submissions from 14 different countries across the globe. Due to overwhelming demand, IDFFA Schools Festival has been created as a separate festival with the goal to galvanise part-time, full-time, and secondary dance schools and students to expand their creativity and explore, bold, innovative concepts on film. The Schools Festival will be held alongside the IDFFA gala screening Sunday 8 November 2020. Tickets for the Festival will go on sale in late September 2020.

COME FROM AWAY launches in Sydney mid 2021 (and returns to Melbourne in February 2021) and is the ground-breaking new musical based on the incredible real-life events in the wake of the September 11 tragedy when 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 people from over 100 countries were redirected to Gander, Newfoundland, almost doubling the population of the remote Canadian town. Capturing the generosity and hospitality of the small community of Gander who invited the “come from aways” into their homes, it is a timely and inspirational story of hope and humanity.

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has collaborated with Emma Watkins, best known as Emma the yellow Wiggle from iconic children’s entertainment group The Wiggles, to produce a short film aimed at young children from pre-school age and above. The film, which features Emma returning to dance class to see her friends, shows step-by-step some of the new safety measures that children might encounter. From leaving parents at the studio front door, to hand sanitising before entering, through to dancing with social distancing, Emma prepares children for how they will safely return to dance classes. The film aims to provide reassurance to both children and parents that the dance studio is a safe place and that classes will return a spring to their step after months of staying at home!

Enjoy watching dance, doing dance and breathing the spring outdoor air as we dance into September. Here is a list of streamed performance and live dance classes to keep you inspired as we continue to navigate this unusual CV-19 season together.

Revelation Perth International Film Festival, in association with Tura New Music and Co3 Contemporary Dance, continues its commitment to collaborating across media forms and encouraging active film production in Western Australia with its announcement of ambitious 360°VR production FourByFour.

As the Spanish Flu pandemic gripped the world 102 years ago, Western Australian children’s author and cartoonist May Gibbs brought joy to Australia with her tales of two Gumnut babies. Now, with COVID-19 dominating the news, West Australian Ballet prepare to premiere a new adaption Gibbs’ iconic story, The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie will debut on 28 September for a five show run on an outdoor stage in the Perth Cultural Centre, the site of successful children’s ballet Peter and the Wolf which was also choreographed by Weidemann and enjoyed by over 6,500 attendees. Like Peter and the Wolf, The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie will be free for all as the centrepiece of the AWESOME Arts Festival.

After online auditions conducted over the past few weeks, the 30 Semi-Finalists for the 2020 Rob Guest Endowment Award were announced. The Rob Guest Endowment committee is pleased to announce the following Semi-Finalists who will perform for a panel of judges to determine the six finalists for the 2020 Rob Guest Endowment Award:

National theatre company Bell Shakespeare announced the winners of the inaugural Bell Shakespeare Shorts Festival at an online awards ceremony on 12 August. The festival was open to primary and secondary school students Australia-wide, with students invited to make short films about or inspired by Shakespeare’s works.

In what has been the first major arts festival in the world to go ahead since COVID-19 drove global communities into lockdown, Darwin Festival has officially drawn to a close following 11 glorious homegrown August nights in the Top End.

Wear your pyjamas or dancing sequins. Dance with your pets, children or housemates. You don’t need to be a performer or a dancer to enjoy dance online, you just need a computer or phone and an internet connection. Check out our ideas below!

Corey Baker Dance has created a new short film entitled Swan Lake Bath Ballet which received its global release on BBC YouTube on Thursday 23rd July at 3 pm BST. This follows the film’s UK premiere screening on BBC iPlayer and bbc.co.uk/arts on Wednesday 8th July at 9 am BST as part of BBC Arts Culture in Quarantine, bringing arts and culture to the homes of the nation under lockdown. Since the UK release of the film, Swan Lake Bath Ballet went viral being viewed by over 4 million across social media and featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Times and many more. The film has been released on the BBC's YouTube channel with over 9 million subscribers for its international launch.

Renowned breaking competition Red Bull BC One today announces its worldwide digital tournament, Red Bull BC One E-Battle. Bringing together b-girls and b-boys from around the world, this year’s Red Bull BC One E-Battle aims to give today’s breaking community the global platform it deserves, while also honoring the legacy of the communities who gave birth to the original artform. Beginning Friday, August 7th, participants can submit their videos via the Red Bull BC One E-Battle website for a chance to enter the competition and make it to the 2021 Red Bull BC One World Finals.