Dance News

Dancers across Australia are looking forward to the 2011 Australia Choreographic Competition – as part of Spash!dance Festival in Geelong, Vic this July. Splash!dance includes a free Carnivale afternoon, a showcase performance of local dance schools, a variety of dance workshops for all ages and levels, and The National Choreographic Competition. Held on Saturday July 9, the competition has two categories and open is to secondary school students, tertiary students and adults with total prize money of $4500. Applications close May 27.

The Australia Council for the Arts welcomes the budget announcement of $10 million in new funding for artists! The initiative will support artists across all artforms to deliver new artistic works, undertake fellowships and create additional presentations to Australian audiences over the next five years as part of the Government’s commitment to invest in a creative Australia.

Phly Crew recently qualified to represent Australia in the upcoming Hip Hop International in Las Vegas this July. The enthusiastic James Barry (JB) and Neale Whittaker founded the unique hip hop crew when performing together at Luna Park Sydney. Recently Phly Crew has performed alongside many national and international artists and their choreography has earned them nationwide recognition.

Sydney Eisteddfod has annouced that Claudia Dean and Aaron Smyth will feature as guest artists at the 2011 McDonald’s Ballet Scholarships Final at Sydney Opera House on July 31. Since attracting attention at the 2008 McDonald’s Ballet Scholarships, these dancers have worked tirelessly to make their dreams come true. Aaron Smyth is currently dancing with American Ballet Theatre 2 and Claudia Dean has just graduated from The Royal Ballet School, London and will join the company in August.

Andrew Killian, Amber Scott and Leanne Stojmenov step up
Audiences at the opening night of British Liaisons in Sydney experienced a triple treat last night. It was revealed that a trio of dancers from The Australian Ballet had been promoted to the most senior rank of principal artist. Artistic Director David McAllister made the surprise announcement onstage in front of a packed Opera House. Senior Artists Andrew Killian (31, from Melbourne), Amber Scott (28, from Brisbane) and Leanne Stojmenov (30, from Perth) were completely unaware of their impending promotions until the good news was announced.

Suga Pop is a member of the world famous Electric Boogaloos and the legendary Rock Steady Crew. Choreography credits include Michael Jackson for Thriller and Beat It music videos, James Brown, LL Cool J, De La Soul and Lionel Richie. Suga Pop will be at Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance, North Melbourne on Friday May 13 for a special workshop. Having over 30 years of dance experience he is The Master of Hip Hop  - this workshop is not to be missed! For further information contact MOD on 03 9329 6770.

New Musicals Australia, an initiative dedicated to the production of original Australian music theatre has announced that they are now accepting submissions for their second round of workshops. New Musicals Australia is encouraging writers and composers to make those final touches on scores and books. Submissions close on the 31st of May and all submissions are made via website www.newmusicals.com.au

In an exciting first for The Australian Ballet, the company has teamed up with Principal Sponsor Telstra to present a live internet broadcast to ballet fans across the nation. Utilising the latest in digital technology, BigPond will live stream the final performance of Bodytorque.Muses at Sydney Theatre on Sunday 29 May at 3pm at http://bigpondvideo.com

World Premiere.
Jayne Smeulders' new Cinderella is set to premiere by WA Ballet in just over 2 weeks. The heartwarming fairytale is brought to life in an enchanting new production for the company. West Australian Ballet Leading Artist, Jayne Smeulders, will spin a tale of magic and delight in her first full-length choreography for the Company, whilst Allan Lees, designer of the spectacular 2010 production of Don Quixote, has created sumptuous new costumes and a beautifully restored and re-imagined set for this family ballet classic performed to Sergei Prokofiev’s evocative score. Performances run May 6-21 at His Majesty's Theatre.

The opening event for Dance Week this weekend, Sunday May 1.
Ausdance WA with Be Active, the City of Perth and the PPCA will present Dance Live, a two hour showcase of the finest West Australian dance talent at Forrest Centre Tavern and Reception Centre, Perth. Dance Live will present a mix of professional dance companies, dance studios, community and cultural dance groups from the metropolitan and regional areas of WA. There will be something for everybody at Dance Live, from ballet to break, contemporary to hip-hop, and Chinese dance to flamenco. Doors open at 2:00pm.

Check out the April Edition, out today!
Hear from SYTYCD star Timomatic Omaji, Tap Dog Jesse Rassmusen and Melbourne's contemporary king Paul Malek. There's a great feature article discussing Full Time Dance, as well as Pointe Shoe Advice for all our ballet readers. There's teacher tips and resources, news on the latest dance events, festivals and more. Make sure you sign up above to receive Dance Informa magazine in your inbox. Join Australia's largest dance readership today!

The new season of America’s Best Dance Crew has started in the States and for the first time ever the competition includes a team from outside the USA – and they’re from New Zealand! Right from the first episode Auckland’s all girl crew ReQuest have hit hard and wowed the judges. Currently riding high as the 2010-2011 World Hip Hop Dance Champions, Request is a crew to watch.