Whilst most of us look forward to summer holidays and a break from routine, for full-time tertiary dance students, the summer break can pose a challenge. Ensuring that the body is prepared for the return to training after a break can be difficult.
For tertiary dance student Elle Evangelista, Tasdance’s Exposure! workshop helped address this issue. “After finishing my second year at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in great physical and mental shape I was apprehensive about the six week holiday,” says Evangelista. “I was attracted to Exposure! because it was held in the very first week of January. This meant I was focusing on dancing and back in the studio the day after New Years preparing my body for the workshop.”
Held at Tasdance’s studio in Launceston, Exposure! gave eight young dancers from across Australia the opportunity to be tutored by former-ADT dancer Kialea-Nadine Williams. Following daily technique class, the dancers developed solo and group material for presentation at the end of the week. In keeping with the workshop’s name, the audience included a number of industry professionals, exposing participants to potential employers.
As well as developing choreographic and performance skills, students honed the ability to articulate their ideas verbally. “It was very important to Annie [Greig, Tasdance Artistic Director] and Kialea that we were each able to talk a bit about ourselves and articulate our process in creating our solo, so each day we would also practice our public speaking,” says Evangelista. “Being able to talk about my dancing was a big learning curve for me. I learnt that it is important to be able to articulate how you create material and also to speak confidently about yourself. At first it seemed very daunting to order your personal thoughts in front of professionals, especially in front of our audience at the showing.”
The showing was a highlight of the workshop, says Evangelista. “We did a ‘speed dating’ session straight after and were able to speak one-on-one to the guests. They were interested in our dancing and also gave us individual feedback.” Another highlight was the small number of participants, she says. “With just eight participants we were given very focused individual feedback and each developed a relationship with Kialea, Annie and each of the other dancers. This was invaluable.”
Following Exposure!, 2013 is a busy year for Tasdance. Applications close on January 29 2013 for the company’s inaugural TRIP (Tasdance Residency for Independent Practice) with three residencies available between September and November 2013 – see Dance Australia’s Take a TRIP to Tassie story for more info.
The company’s main season for the year, "Luminous Flux", will premiere as part of "Ten Days on the Island" in Launceston on March 15 2013, before touring to Devonport and Hobart and making its way to Riverside in Parramatta. "Luminous Flux" features a remount of Enter Twilight created for the company by Tanja Liedtke in 2004, and a new work, Light Entertainment, by Byron Perry. See website for more info.
Tasdance will be hosting Exposure! again in the summer of 2014. For more information check out the company’s website www.tasdance.com.au
Exposure! participant, Linton Aberle.