QL2 Dance announces ‘EAT!’ opportunity

July was a big month for QL2 Dance in Canberra, being shortlisted for an Australian Dance Award for Reckless Valour and premiering its newest production Connected. Now QL2 Dance is inviting young dancers (ages 8–16) to work on EAT!, a full-length work that will be developed in a collaborative environment with the assistance of multiple choreographers.

“Every year we run a creation and performance project for younger and less experienced dancers. The Chaos project allows dancers to collaborate with choreographers and fellow dancers, develop creative and dance skills, and build confidence in a challenging yet fun environment,” wrote QL2 General Manager Gary Barnes. “For many, this Chaos project is preparation for our Quantum Leap ensemble in later years.”

QL2’s Quantum Leap ensemble is made up of young contemporary dancers from Canberra and the surrounding region, plus visitors from as far away as Thailand. Many of these dancers go on to study dance full time and some to dance professionally. (For example, two current Bangarra Dance Theatre members are QL2 alumni.)

For young students who haven’t been taking dance classes long (or at all) but are interested in one day dancing professionally, be sure to check out EAT!

“EAT! is all about food as fuel; too little, too much, too good, too bad! It explores concepts around finding a balance of what we eat, the traditions of cooking, the culture of eating and how we share a meal,” Barnes wrote.

“In EAT! you will help create a full-length dance work over six weeks with lots of other young dancers. It will be developed at QL2 Dance’s studios at Gorman Arts Centre and performed at Theatre 3 in Acton,” he added. Three performances will be presented on October 14 and 15.

Under Artistic Director Ruth Osborne, the choreographers for EAT! include Jack Zeising (a 2013 and 2016 Australian Dance Award nominee), Caitlin Comerford (new artistic director of Stompin in Tasmania) and Jamie Winbank (creative director/choreographic mentor for Ausdance ACT’s Youth Dance Festival.)

To get into EAT!, dancers must register online and attend the free audition workshop on Sunday, August 14. Applicants should be available on the Sundays of September 4, 11 and 18 from 12:30–4:30 pm plus during the school holidays for intensive workshops from September 27–October 8 (with October 2 off.) For further information, or to register, visit http://ql2.org.au.

Photo: Students for QL2’s newest show Connected. Photo courtesy of QL2 Dance Inc.