Australia Council and Regional Arts Fund support youth dance festival

Young dancers from across Australia are getting ready to invade Renmark in the South Australian Riverland for the 2014 Australian Youth Dance Festival (AYDF). Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Country Arts SA, the festival enables young dancers to participate in a program filled with classes, screenings, performances and workshops. First held in 1997, the festival has a strong regional focus and looks to engage young people from across the country.

The Australia Council for the Arts, through a Dance Board art-form development grant, and Regional Arts Fund, through a Step Out grant, are supporting this unique experience for young people and their teachers. Roslyn Dundas, Ausdance National CEO, says, “The support of national partners is vital to the success of the AYDF, but the really pleasing thing is the high-level of regional young people wanting to participate.”

“Anticipation for the AYDF is building with youth dance groups such as John Curtin College of Arts (WA), All Saints (WA), Quantum Leap (ACT) and Australian Dance Theatre Youth Dance Ensemble (SA), set to perform in the program alongside young dancers from the Riverland,” Dundas continued.

Working with partners such as Country Arts SA, an exciting week of activities is being planned. The artistic program at the Chaffey Theatre includes: the Australian Dance Award-nominated Lake by Lisa Wilson; the Australian Youth Dance Showcase, featuring groups such as the Australian Dance Theatre Youth Dance Ensemble and Quantum Leap; and a screening of the award-winning dance documentary Virtuosi by Sue Healey.

The outdoor Riverbank Promenade Performance will be created during the week by a collaborative team of leading youth choreographers, working with the young dancers under the guidance of Artistic Director Adam Wheeler. The outdoor performance will take place on the closing night of the festival and is sure to highlight the festival theme of regeneration.

The festival will take place in Renmark during the Easter school holidays 10-16 April, 2014. The registration fee of $315 includes access to a week of workshops and all of the performances in the artistic program.

Ausdance SA is partnering with Country Arts SA, Carclew, Renmark Paringa Council and Ausdance National to present AYDF 2014. Dance Informa is the proud media sponsor for AYDF. To find out more and register to attend, visit www.ausdancesa.org.au/aydf2014.

Photo: Australian Dance Theatre Youth Dance Ensemble in work by choreographer Larissa McGowan. Photo by Sam Oster.