The Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix has dramatically changed the competition landscape for the better, writes Denise Richardson.
The Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix (BICDP), or simply the Brisbane Prix as it’s often called, has become a regular annual feature of the contemporary dance scene both in Australia and internationally. This year a packed week of classes and coaching from September 23, by some of the best national and international contemporary dance identities, was held at the All Hallows School for 97 young dancers. It culminated in an exciting, ticketed, finals program, which was also live-streamed, on the Saturday afternoon.
Founded in 2018 by Louise Deleur, also Artistic Director, the Prix has developed exponentially every year (apart from a forced 2-year Covid cancellation), continuing to attract talented young dancers who might be considering a career in contemporary dance.
Deleur’s impetus for creating this Prix was the decided lack of networking opportunities for contemporary dancers in comparison to what was offered to dancers pursuing a career in ballet. This competition has dramatically changed that landscape.
The Prix’s mission is therefore to reveal the potential of exceptional young dancers who are skilled and suited for a career in contemporary dance, and to connect them to the best training opportunities or company experiences by funding their training fees or wages.
Audition applications for the Prix closed July 1, with both Junior and Senior sections described by age – 15 to 17 years and 18 to 22 years respectively. There’s a $55 application fee, and on acceptance, a participation fee of $700.
From Monday to Thursday, 9am to 6pm, three programs of classes ran simultaneously, covering ballet, contemporary, improvisation, solo creation and repertoire coaching. And this year in a new initiative, a Junior Performance Group for dancers 11 to 14 years was established. These young dancers also had access to the international and repertoire coaches, performing a delightful group piece (choreographed by Amelia Waller) at the finals.
In an impressive line-up of industry professionals, four teachers - Jake McLarnon, Tobiah Booth-Remmers, Victor Zarallo, and Yanela Piñera - were joined by repertoire coaches Jason Mabana (Rambert School of Dance) and Brianna Kell (Australian Dance Theatre) in an inspirational program of classes.
The six panellists, on hand every day to observe, and later to conduct candidate interviews, were Timothy Couchman (Palucca Hochschule für Tanz), Grant Aris (Grand Theatre Geneve), Gina Andrews (NZ School of Dance), Jason Beechey (Zurich University of the Arts), Amy Hollingsworth (Australasian Dance Collective) and Linda Ridgway Gamblin (Sydney Dance Company).
They were looking for specific qualities in the dancers, not all related to performance. These included courage, tenacity and attitude to succeed in the professional dance world, as well of course as artistry, musicality, creativity and technical facility.
Of the 97 candidates, the 10 highest scorers from both the Junior and Senior cohorts made it into the finals, where they each performed their choice of repertoire solo, followed by an improvisation piece. The standard was universally high, particularly of the Juniors, in what was an efficiently run afternoon of solo performances. It was also heartening to see seven outstanding young men in the finals across both groups.
Unlike other eisteddfod styled competitions, here it is certainly not a case of winner takes all. Many offers, ranging from invitations to audition for summer schools to company and school secondments, were made to finalists, as well as to dancers who had not reached the finals but who obviously showed great potential.
However, with support from sponsors, there are also generous cash prizes for junior and senior winners of $5000 and $10,000 respectively. The runners-up are also rewarded with prizes of $2000 and $3000. This year the Junior Winner was Mohamad Al Dib and the Junior Runner-up was Naima Collett. Jessi Hough was Senior Winner, with Senior Runner-up Flynn Masterton. (For all prize winners and finalists https://www.facebo.com/bicdprix/)
Congratulations must go to Deleur, not only for her vision, but for her tenacity in ensuring this very important program has longevity. The support of profession is manifest in the impressive list of partner schools and companies, with more coming on board every year. However, funding is always an issue, with support coming mainly from private donors through the Australian Cultural Fund (ACF). Donate here at: https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/projects
From 2025 the event will be known as the Australian Contemporary Prix, in a name change that is bound to support wider recognition. The mission will remain the same however, to bring the contemporary dance world together and develop a deeper appreciation of contemporary dance.
Editor's note: The BICD Prix does not supply the names of the contestants' schools or teachers as a matter of policy.