DanceLife Blog

Roadkill is a co-production by Dancenorth and Brisbane Powerhouse. A road trip into the agoraphobia and desolation of the Australian outback, roadkill is situated within the minds of its three performers. It explores their fears and their twisted perceptions of the landscape and its dangers. Interlaced with these fears are urban myths, backpacker deaths, thirst, love, distrust and the harsh loneliness of the bush. roadkill is a terrifying ride into the world of a couple who break down in the middle of nowhere and find that their greatest danger is not their isolation.

Roadkill deals with these psychological states through a vocabulary of intense physicality. There is genuine danger and risk in the work.

DATES 18 - 21 MARCH
TIMES 8PM AND 11.30AM SCHOOL MATINEE ON FRIDAY 20 MARCH
TICKETS ADULT $30 / PSPACE MEMBER $25 / CONC $20 / STUDENT RUSH (THURS) $15

BOOKINGS
http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/venue/157030

As dancers and performers we know the importance of maintaining an optimum level of physical health and fitness to ensure we obtain and maintain peak performance. We can follow a nutritious diet, rehearse numerous amounts of times, spend time in Pilates classes working on our core strength and flexibility and enlist the services of an expert masseur and physiotherapist. All of this is done to ensure our competitiveness and longevity in the industry. However, we have a tendency to overlook a very important aspect of our training and performance, something that is vitally critical and that has direct impact on the success of our performance and physical capabilities: our mind.

Can you remember a time when you genuinely struggled in dance class or rehearsals and started comparing yourself to another person who seemed to be getting it right all the time? The feelings of frustration and anger you had towards yourself and jealously towards the other person? Or a time when everything went your way - your technique was perfect, you remembered the choreography without any complications and your performance was effortless? These are a couple of very common scenarios for dancers and performers and these experiences are largely due to the result of how our mind functions.

The brain is an extremely fascinating and intricately complicated organ that governs human functioning, cognition (or thought) and emotion. Electrical impulses, chemicals and neurons all interact to produce the actions, thoughts and feelings that flow through us. Through advancement in technology, neuroscience and psychology, the brain and explanations of how it operates can now be understood and its processes demystified. The more we understand about the brain and mind, the more we are able to become conscious of the seemingly unconscious processes that take place. This means that we have the capacity to be more in control of our mind, the more we know about how it works.

What is performance psychology?
Performance psychology is the educational, scientific and professional contributions of psychology to the promotion, maintenance, and enhancement of performance related behaviour.

Why bother with performance psychology?
Numerous psychological studies have proven that elite performers have been consistently shown to make greater use of psychological skills and strategies than their non-elite counterparts.

What does this mean?
It means that when it comes to success in any performance related activity, the mind is what matters most.

Over the next four blogs we will be examining a series of basic psychological skills that are paramount in establishing and building a foundation for further advanced psychological skills to use whilst training and performing. Although the word ‘basic' is used, it is far from that. These mental skills require constant rehearsal, refining and practice in order that they may be developed and strengthened. Just like any muscle or dance technique that requires frequent repetition for strength, growth and to gain mastery over, so too must the application of psychological skills to the dance and performance experience. These skills are applicable to any performance related function - dancing, singing, acting, and business related activities such as management.

The basic psychological skills that will be examined individually are:
• Relaxation
• Goal-setting
• Imagery and mental rehearsal
• Self-talk

Our aim is to build a solid foundation of basic and advanced psychological skills that may be used, mastered and increased, that it may positively benefit your performance experience. The saying ‘mind over matter' has a tendency to be over used and has become a cliché, however in the case of performance psychology, nothing could be further from the truth.

By Warren Roma
Contact Warren with your questions and thoughts: warrenroma@hotmail.com

Reference:
Hardy L., Jones G., and Gould D. (2003) Understanding Psychological Preparation for Sport - Theory and Practice of Elite Performers, England: John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Getting Back on the Horse
Overcoming Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety can be a debilitating experience and one that can rob dancers of their joy and love of performance if not properly dealt with.

10 years ago I was in my 2nd year of full time training and after 12 years of performing on multiple stages annually, I experienced for the first time INTENSE performance anxiety like never before! I had a panic attack side stage that seemed to come from no where and in my case it was an absolute first!
In that performance I also created some more first time experiences... I ended up falling off my point shoe after a pirouette in arabesque (yes that's right after not during) onto my knees and then another first... I FAKED a knee injury just to get off that stage because I was so embarrassed!

So how do you get back on the horse after a big fall?

The good news is that there is a way! I have some proven yet simple tools to help you minimise performance anxiety to enable you to reclaim your power as the brilliant performer that you really are!

Firstly, the aim for a powerful performance is to be as centered and focused as possible in your performance. In order to get to this place of enthused focus and balance we first have to understand the mind and the role it plays in relation to our performance.

Because your body reacts to the commands of the mind, when the mind is in an imbalanced state it will release adrenaline into the body relative to the amount of imbalance in the mind. Meaning the more stressed you are, the more adrenaline is pumped through your body. We need a small amount of adrenaline for powerful performances, but extreme levels rob us of our energy, focus, mind and control over our bodies!

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS!
Want to know how to re balance your mind and bring power and energy to your body immediately? Of course you do! Knowing this is a performer's gold to consistent, powerful and purposeful performances! For the first time I recommend doing these exercises with pen and paper. Think of it as yoga for the mind.

Step 1
Isolate your Specific F.E.A.R
False Evidence Appearing Real - is created in the mind through one perceiving they will experience more pain, challenge or negative experience as opposed to joy, pleasure and fun in their performance. Defining what your personal fear or hidden monster is, is very important. To do this you may have to dig around in your head and ask yourself as if you were asking a small child. Listen for the answer and then write it down because it will most likely be a repeated pattern that we can now transform into power! So what is your fear?

Step 2
What is The Benefit of Your F.E.A.R Coming True?
Ok now this may seem like a CRAZY question...but there is a method behind my madness, so stay with me guys!
Once you have ratted out your personal monster named fear I want you to write down at least 30 benefits for that specific fear coming true! It may appear like we are feeding a fear but the truth is you can only feed fear with more fear and negativity itself. By writing out as many benefits as possible you begin to dissolve the negative charge and nightmare in your mind which will affect your neurology and physiology straight away. Write out as many benefits until the nightmare becomes neutralised.

Step 3
Re-ignite Your Unique Gifts
No one performs the same as you! You are a very unique performer and the more you know your gifts, the more your power and self confidence increases- which means the more your ability increases! Write down at least 30 qualities you LOVE about your dance ability.

Step 4
Pre-Paving Through Visualisation
Leading up to your performance visualise yourself performing your routine to your optimal and more importantly notice how you FEEL when your are doing this. Primarily we dance for the feeling and it is the feeling that holds the power. I encourage my students to lye down close their eyes, play their performance music and visually see in their mind their powerful performance as well as feeling the emotive power of their routine.
This is a pre-paving technique from my teachings that helps performers consciously create their performance outcomes.

Step 5
Practise Makes Perfect
Now the dance teacher in me is reminding you that the more rehearsed you are, the more confident you will feel!
Rehearsing includes refining your routine both physically in the studio and mentally through the above exercises.

Finalling- Don't be afraid to ask a professional for help. I coach performers all the time in field of human behaviour and self-actualisation. like myself, there are many other professional coaches, facilitators or sports psychologists that are experts in helping performers overcome fears and limiting beliefs in order to achieve their dreams!

Yours in life and dance,
Kate Histon

For further information on Kate's services visit katehiston.com or email info@katehiston.com

© Copyright Kate Histon 2008- Excerpt from the Master Dancer^TM Training series. All rights reserved. Any unauthorised distributing or copying of this article is forbidden.

Fasten your seat belts, it's a whirlwind tour of the world where the only luggage you need is your imagination. Checking in at the Factory Theatre in Sydney last month was an all-star cast behind Worlds in Motion, a song-and-dance extravaganza that promised to take the audience around-the-world through dance - and did leave me feeling like my passport was stamped several times!

If I list all the dance genres they showcased - Polynesian, Indian, French, African, Caribbean and Latin American - it would be understating what co-producers Tamara Vahn and Sashya Jayawardena (and the entire crew) pulled off in one night - two hours, to be exact. From the feet stomping in a Bollywood routine, to skirts rustling in the African dance, and to the juk and wine during the Soca and Reggaeton sets - the audience were in for a night of high-energy.

What was also great about the show was that it was consistent. The Bollywood dance segment was just as fierce as the Brazilian dance routine. The dancers were just as relentless one minute as they are in the next. And all the costumes were fabulous: from the Cabaret wear (tight bustiers, lace stockings) to the Brazilian Carnaval (see picture), the show was an explosion of colours.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the heart palpitations caused by said sexy outfits. The Moulin Rouge segment alone must have sent pulses running wild among the male audience. Not that the female audience was short-changed. There were certainly no complaints when some of the male dancers - not gratuitously, mind - performed in tight and topless costumes.
From the boom, boom, boom of Mory Traore's West African-influenced routine, to the shake, shake, shake of Leo Successo's Brazilian Samba-Axe, each and everyone of the dancers were on top of their game, delighting the crowd with their pow, pow, pow hip (read: booty) shaking and leg kicking.

The audience participated too, wiggling their wiggly bits, including a little girl (Sashya's niece) who stole everyone's hearts when she copied Leo's dance steps to a tee. That's if those same hearts weren't smitten by one gorgeous guy plucked from the crowd to dance alongside 20 others on stage.

As a surprise treat, there was a free mini-flag for all to wave as they would at a Caribbean Carnival and the song "Show your Heritage" crackled through the speakers.
It was a night of dance, live percussion (impressive!) and a night of song. Co-host Miriam Waks wowed the audience with a set list that reflected the dance styles on stage. She comfortably switched from French chanteuse to dancehall artist on cue. Her co-host Daniel Doody was the event's promised "dash of humour". His on-stage antics and attempt at being multi-lingual had the crowd laughing out loud.

For a dance fanatic like me, two hours passed as if they were two seconds. The night was a celebration of diversity and spirituality expressed through body movement. Different beats, different rhythms and different sounds. An eye-opening journey without the hassle of delayed flights, lost baggage and a snoring passenger next to you.

Dancers from Worlds in Motion will be performing at the Sydney World Masters Games next month.

Review by Michelle Baltazar

Last night DanceLife was invited to attend the ED5 International 2009 Graduate Performance. As you would have seen in DanceLife's Online Guide To Full Time there are quite a few full time dance courses that you can complete, each having a unique offering from course structures to teachers etc. In this competitive market some dance institutions are working that extra bit harder to recruit dancers to fill their courses while with others it's simply a case of ‘the proof is in the pudding', and that's exactly what ED5 demonstrated last night.

Held at the beautiful Parade Theatre at NIDA in Sydney, The Dance and Vocal Major Graduates performed in 20 numbers over the nearly 2 hour show. The first thing I noticed when walking into the theatre was the amount of energy that was in the theatre from the audience. There were many dance industry names floating around from dancers, choreographers and agents, all who looked thrilled to be there and excited to see what ED5 had in store for the show.

The show opened with the vocal graduates performing Astonishing from Little Women, which is always a favourite and a perfect opening song to set the mood of the show. With such a great stage space to work with and some great lighting Jennifer Craddock's piece ‘Voguelista' was very effective and sharp using a variety of songs in this piece kept it moving quickly and the audience engaged. The dancers were great in this piece and showcased some of the more ‘technical' dancers of the group. When I saw that Be My Friend (The Facebook Song) was in Act One I was overly excited as I have literally sat for hours watching the YouTube Video of this song on repeat. The song is written by the new Rodgers and Hammerstein, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Check out the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HODluTccSKY. This was equally as entertaining and I loved the chair choreography. Ryan Mortimer choreographed a strong contemporary piece ‘Bint El Shalabiya'. This truly highlighted the dancers strength and technique and also the fact that physically their bodies were in great shape. One conversation I've had quite recently with a colleague is why after a year of dancing full time do some graduates not have toned bodies? While natural body shapes are important you should be toned yet the right advice and education of eating and exercise needs to be included in the course. DanceLife Nutritionist Mia Ballenden takes this branch of the course at ED5. The comedy piece of the night was the second last number in act one ‘All The Good Men Are Gay'. Musical Director Scott Archer and Choreographer Craig Haines did a great job with this piece but the song truly sells itself. The graduates had great fun with this one on stage and the audience were in stiches. A two part funk piece ended act one. The first part (Kronic) of this high energy number was choreographed by 2009 graduate Michael Corbett who was a crowd favourite throughout the night. The dancers truly exploded in this number. It was like they had sucked up a whole lot of adrenaline during the number before and released it all. The second part of the routine (Rockin to the Beat) was choreographed by past ED5 Graduates Jordan Pollard and Mashum Liberta. These two guys used the space extremely well and had some effective choreography.

As the show progressed I got a real sense of what this course is about, versatility. Throughout the first half we saw dancers sing, singers dance and dance the styles of jazz, ballet, contemporary and tap. Although the ballet routine was choreographed well to disguise those that were not so strong it was still a job well done.

Act Two started with Another Op'nin, Another Show. Another great choice that showcased the strengths of the dancers and singers in the group. Katy Avery did an amazing job of ‘Accident Prone' a great musical theatre piece acted out extremely well. Kate Allnut also did a great job of her song ‘If' where she shoot then kicked around Richard Adams who did a marvellous job of playing a dead moving person. This girl had a great voice and a very strong stage presence. We then had two numbers from West Side Story, America and Cool. With the show coming out next year this was an appropriate choice. Enza Russo was stand out vocally in America and actually for us throughout most of the night. When it comes to tap routines I tend to zone out as I have a mind that always needs to be continually stimulated. The second last routine of the night was a tap routine to Jai Ho Choreographed by Mitchell Hicks. The costumes in this routine were amazing and the choreography spot on and entertaining. The dance moved very quickly through a number of well structured patterns and well thought out tap steps. By no means am I an expert on Tap but I know what I like and what works on stage. The last number was choreographed by ED5 Director William A Forsythe, ‘Can You Feel It'. The whole audience could definitely feel the energy from the dancers on stage. This routine was a feel good, get up and dance one.

Working with William before, I know he really knows how to bring the best out in a dancer which is usually through a series of blood, sweat and tears. The production on this show was tight and the performers well rehearsed. When full time courses come up in conversations it usually comes to a point where people say "It's a shame that only a handful from a big group of people will actually get a career in the industry". I believe the performers future is completely up to them. If you have completed a year long dance course you have a big advantage which you should use to the best of your ability. I encourage any 2009 graduate to keep working at the same level and to push and challenge themselves more than they have before. It's a lot harder now as you can't rely on ‘school' anymore, it's all in your hands. Make the most of each and every opportunity! Congratulations to all the 2009 graduates of every performing arts course and all the best for the future. Make sure you keep DanceLife updated on what you're up to.

Clint

DanceLife Make Up Expert Tina Sparks from Stand Out Cosmetics gives you the essential facts on Make Up to get you started.

• Skin sweats more when we dance
• We loose 40% of our facial features from the Lights on the stage.
• Eye brows frame our face
• Poorly applied make up is a distraction

These facts are just a few on the large list that we will explore this year, so lets look at these today.

When we dance our body produces sweat to help cool our bodies down. For some, sweating can be minor but for others this may be problem they need to learn how to deal with.

• Sweat can drip down our face moving make up from our eyes lips and cheeks. The best way to think of your skin is in the same way a professional painter views their work.
• Start with a clean fresh canvas (your face) by cleansing and moisturizing your skin. If you have oily or combination skin you may not need to moisturize.
• I recommend an oil free non clogging foundation that is a warm tone one shade darker than you natural skin tone.
• Apply this to every inch of skin from the base of your neck upwards (including ears, eye lids, up into the hairline, jaw, front and back of neck.
• Make up does not need to be harsh looking, it should be complimentary, elegant well blended and not a distraction.
• Up to 40%of our features are lost under stage lights. When we don't fill in our eye brows it looks like our forehead goes on forever.
• Choose an eye shadow not pencil to fill in your brows even if they are dark like mine! Using a shadow with an angle brush is less harsh looking and can be easily brushed out with a brow comb or groomer.
• Think of eye brows as sisters not twins, everyone's are slightly different on each face. They beauty of make up is that we can make them look identical or shape them anyway we like.
• Apply your shadow, blush, lip liner & lip stick.
• Finale! Your last and most important step is to powder your skin. Choosing your finishing powder is vital to how your make up will hold out during your performance day.
• Powders come in many forms from lightly colored, invisible, rice, finely milled and more! They are often neglected in our selection whether we are male or female.
• Invisible ones work well as they don't contain any colour and suck up the oil & shine from our skin really well.
• We spend countless hours rehearsing, our parents spend endless nights sewing & if we just take a little extra time choosing the right high quality make up for our skin & that little bit extra applying it you will have a perfect ending to the beginning of an outstanding performance that is unbeatable!

For more tips, information and Australia's number one preferred make up line for on stage and off visit Stand Out cosmetics at www.standoutcosmetics.com.au or email or call me Tina Sparks, any time!

By Jeff Withers

Heard of sports psychology? Of course you have. And you would know that its focus is on processes and strategies that deal with a performer's "conscious" level of thinking - ie consciously seeking a change in physical behaviour, for example working on your body shape so on.

However, have you considered the power of the mind and its affect on performance? Performing at your best is more than simply the result of physical training - when body, mind and emotions work together, heightened performances result. Would your performance be improved through greater concentration, increased awareness, the ability to visualise, more focused motivation and so on? Your mind, your emotions ... they control your body, so peak physical performance is the result of "programming" and integrating these unique elements into your regular ongoing training / rehearsing regime.

How you think affects your emotions, and your emotions affect your physical performance. Try this exercise ...

Find yourself a quiet place to relax in and think of an outstanding performance you have enjoyed in the past. As you begin to relax, replay the occasion in your mind ... where was the event ... what did you do upon arrival ... how did warm-up preparations go ... what was going through your mind during all this. Then ... immerse yourself in how you felt, what you saw, what you were saying to yourself just prior to the occasion, the nervousness of the moment, the excitement ... the tension ...

Now, the event begins ... enjoy the moment ... relive the occasion to its full ... embrace the anticipation, the excitement ...

As you relive this, allow all your emotional and physical reactions to intensify as if you have a big dial that you could turn - turn up the volume, magnify the colours, increase the emotions and thoughts you are immersing yourself in. Are you getting a reaction, is it something different, is it a good and pleasant recollection.

If you could measure your body's physical reactions at this point you might notice reliving the event has increased your heart rate, or perhaps quickened your breathing, maybe initiated / increased involuntary muscle movement as you replay the experience.

Did you experience some interesting reactions. If you didn't, perhaps you might like to try again - it's not always easy to allow your mind to be so active and even a little out of control.

Your body, mind and emotions are not separate entities;
they intertwine and work together to influence your behaviours.

Did you know imagined experiences affect you in a physiologically measurable way just as much as "real ones" do? Therefore ... and here's the exciting bit ... the more vividly you imagine, the more powerful your experience will be. Even more exciting, what if you had the ability to do the very same thing, turned on "at will", whenever you prepare for a performance. Would this make a difference?

Bottom line - before something can happen physically
you must engage your mind and emotions.

In other words, you need to decide what you intend doing in your mind and then build your desire to have this happen as you imagine it prior to any physical action.

Think back for a moment this time on a performance where things didn't go as planned. What got in the way - poor concentration, bad mood, nervousness, self doubt, poor discipline, lack of enthusiasm (you get the idea). Was there any physical reason you didn't perform as hoped? On most occasions performers face emotional and mental obstacles more so than physical issues when performing, yet most spend so much time on physical preparation at the expense of working on these obstacles.

How much practice / rehearsal did you undertake this week -
how much was aimed at improving your mental and emotional strength?

Consider the following concept put forward by the famous Donald Trump......

80% of your success is the product of your attitudes, beliefs, motivation, self perception ... your mind and emotions ... and your willingness to engage them in your training and performances

20% of your success is the result of the skills and expertise you have developed over the many long and hard hours of practice and rehearsal

In other words, having ability will only get you so far ...

So many performers struggle with success, either on the way up, or simply trying to stay there. My aim over the coming months is to present you with some thoughts and observations on what holds people back and strategies that can help you overcome barriers to success and keep you performing at the level you choose to seek or maintain.

Your emotional and mental focus is always being tested as a performer.

So, how can you control this focus, turn it on and up at will, use it to reach inside to push that little bit further. We will examine how belief systems can work for you or against you, how you can utilise visualisation and positive imagery, develop the skill of modelling others, self coaching, rationalising future pathways and much more.

In closing, I encourage you to visit my website or email me directly should you have any specific issues / questions you would like to see explored further in future articles.

Jeff Withers, Principal of Red River Journey, has a long established history of working with clients in Performance, Personal and Professional environments, to help them reach their optimum Performance Goals. For more information on Jeff go to www.redriverjourney.com.au or email jeff@redriverjourney.com.au  

By Jeff Withers

In the previous article we posed the question of how a performer can control the direction and intensity of their focus. Effectively unitising visualisation techniques is certainly a good starting point. However, just as a dream is a "pleasant run through" of a desired outcome, similarly, visualising can create an enjoyable experience of what it is you wish to achieve ... but is it enough. Yes, it is a good stating point, and certainly gives you direction, but if you haven't got a strong belief in the possibility of this experience being achieved, then you've probably gone as far as you can.

Let's look at the steps you could take towards giving yourself the best opportunity for achieving success.

As a starting point:

Sift through your future plans, selecting say one major ambition you have in place for yourself eg reaching a specific level of expertise, showing confidence at the right moment and so on. Try to limit yourself to just one ambition at a time. You can repeat the following as many times as necessary, though it is more effective if each is given the appropriate attention to ensure a "fair chance" of success.

Ask yourself "what is it I actually want here" - not having a clear understanding of what it is that you actually want is not useful in empowering yourself towards achieving the desired result. Keep asking yourself the question until you get an answer you are happy with.

Ask yourself what you believe is preventing you from attaining your identified ambition. This will intrigue you as you will no doubt get a mixture of responses that reflect your:

doubts - is this really what I want
limiting beliefs - I can't do this because
conditions - I might be able to achieve this only if I give "x" up
resources - I can achieve this, but only if I had "x".

Meet your doubts "head on". In a quiet place visualise achieving your ambition. Perhaps you could run it as a movie. Ask yourself to see, hear, smell and feel it as if it has already happened. Adjust the experience (intensify, modify and so on) until you no longer doubt your ability to realise your ambition.

Some beliefs you may have can hold you back and can arise from within yourself just as much as from others (even if well-intentioned). If you can identify a belief that is holding you back, treat it as if it was a person and ask it what its intentions are. Quite often such a belief reflects an unconscious desire to keep you safe, so your task is to find a way to combine this belief with your intention to achieve - a common bond so to speak - to create an even stronger driving force.

Of course, if you have beliefs that are hard to identify, or appear quite self-destructive, "stay tuned" - we will, in upcoming articles, be addressing this very important issue in greater depth, along with ways you can replace negative with positive beliefs.

Often people hesitate to move forward towards growth, fearing they may lose something valuable in the process. So, as a suggestion, when working on the process determine what you would like to keep from the present situation - ie in moving forward what positive aspects would you like to take with you. In so doing, attaining your ambition becomes more real and less threatening. At the same time, if you discover you need new resources to aid your progress look to keeping what works for you in conjunction with discovering new resources.

The age old story - don't bite off more than you can chew. Put simply, move forward at a pace that works for you - too slow and you will possibly lose interest, too fast and you may disengage for fear of being overwhelmed. In any case, the best rule of thumb is to challenge yourself sufficiently to allow progress.

Interestingly, at this point you may find the original ambition is not what you have now. In other words, the steps to this point have led you to assess and re-assess not just the ambition, but how you focus on a range of things, your beliefs, your relationships with others, even how you manage your day to day life.

This is a good thing - you are growing as a person, not just realising a dream.

You've arrived

Last but not least - it's OK to be uncomfortable with change, to feel unsure of where you are heading. If you are not experiencing such emotions, chances are you are not serious about growing as a performer or even as a person. Who knows where you may end up, and isn't it a bit of "good fun" and even an adventure to start a journey and see where it leads you.

So, what next ... ambition number two of course ...back at the start...

Enjoy the power of controlling your "vision".

Contact Jeff Email jeff@redriverjourney.com.au Web: www.redriverjourney.com.au

Would I be right in assuming that every one of you have a vision - a vision of the dancer you believe is everything you could be? I expect you have dreamed and imagined what it would be like to be that dancer. However, have you ever really thought about it from the opposite direction? How did that person arrive at their destination? What did they go through to arrive where they are today? Consider this.

Success is something that is created in the mind before it shows externally
in the various guises that other people recognise as success.
A dancer needs to have a clear image of what they want
in order to be able to manifest the outcomes.

Once a person has the ability to create that image they then need embrace focus (what needs to be done), motivation (keep doing what needs to be done), belief (recognising they have the ability), awareness (of what impacts on their growth) and perseverance (keep working if success is to be achieved)

I have a challenge for you ... jot down say three dancers/performers you believe epitomise success. For each, consider:

1. what is their area of success ...
2. what are the signs of their success that stand out to you ...
3. what skills / attributes / attitudes do they display that you believe got them where they are right now ...

There are no right or wrong answers, just your observations and perceptions.

Now I'd like you to imagine a big funnel to channel all the attributes, skills and so on you discovered into yourself.

Then ask yourself this question - what would it be like if I had all these RIGHT NOW ... would it make a difference ?

Sounds easy, doesn't it - imagine having them, and then presto ... you're the next champion dancer. Hmmm, perhaps it might take just a little more effort than that. So how can you make it happen, because it is possible for you to be all that you aspire to be. In fact, the above exercise takes a great deal of time and commitment, not to mention belief.

Let's go further. Find a quiet place and think about the qualities etc you channelled through your funnel above "Try each on for size" - ie immerse yourself in how it feels to have that quality, what you see or hear. Turn up the sound, brighten the colours, intensify the feelings. Do the same for each, discarding or adding elements as you go. Who knows, you may well come up with a whole new you -with all the skills, attitudes and attributes you need to be successful. - a "blueprint" for the new you.

You may wish to spend some time "living" in this new you when possible over a week or so. As you go, you will find the elements within may adjust a little, with some parts becoming redundant, others more powerful and, hopefully, the whole experience quite comfortable and rewarding.
Now, I want you to think back to when you were first dancing and this "new you" was not yet invented. Try re-living that experience now, as if you were the new you in that same dance - notice how it feels, what you hear and see - is it different ... is it better ... is it what you thought it should be. Re-visit this step until you are happy with your experience. Then, move forward in time, visiting various dance experiences as the new you, enjoying the excitement of becoming the dancer you aspire to be. As a last step, project yourself into a future time and imagine yourself dancing with all these new qualities at your disposal.

Make no mistake - the above alone will not make you a great dancer ... there is no substitute for plain hard work and practice. However, your mind and emotions play a very large part in your growth as a dancer, and when employed as part of your training regimen, visualising techniques like this can have a huge impact on where you end up.

No champion got there on talent alone, so perhaps you may like to spend some of your valuable practice time training more than just your body, starting with creating an image in your mind of where you're heading.

Let me leave you with this thought:

I know you saw me dance ... but did you actually see me dance as I thought I did.

Champions visualise what they want before they can make it happen. But that by itself is no more than a start - focus ... perseverance ... self belief ... motivation ... awareness ... these all play their part in your success story. However, one step at a time.

For more on Jeff got to this website www.redriverjourney.com.au

Heh Guys,

Recently I have been on the road with TAPATAK OZ choreographing groups and solos and teaching masterclasses and I have been wondering what is so often missing in the classroom these days. After much thought I have come up with the answer - JOY!

It seems to me that if you are in a dance class you must have an interest and passion for dance - so today I want to encourage you all to let your passion out! Show the joy! Truly experience the moment!

If you asked most professional dancers, teachers and choreographers how they feel when they hear music or dance a step they would say that there is a little fire inside them that just lights up. A light or joy in them that just takes over. A feeling they can't explain. And you can see this in their eyes and feel it in the energy they have when they are in their artistic zone so to speak.

Excitement! Passion! Joy! These are all feeling s that professional artist finds in their work - but also and most importantly they are all qualities that they are not afraid to show and share with the outside world.

It seems that students these days feel they need to hide their passion, their joy and their excitement from everyone around them which is a real shame as this is what performing and the arts is all about. Not to mention that classes and rehearsals are so much more fun when everyone is injecting them with their own unique personality and this infectious love of dance!

I have heard the judges on SYTYCD comment many times on how important it is to have a connection with the audience, to tell a story when you dance and to give each movement a purpose and I could not agree more. It is this revealing of your personality and soul that drives any performance, draws the audience to you and creates that special aura around the performance. You have to let people in for your performance to be truly effective.

So this is an important skill that needs to be nurtured in the classroom and in rehearsal. As important as technique is, this sense of passion and love for dance needs to be developed and finetuned and then hung out on display for everyone to witness and share. Hidden away, your passion and love of dance is unable to affect those watching you and that wonderful gift of connection is lost to all!

The arts in all its forms are such a unique opportunity to affect others emotionally and connect with them so really take the opportunity to develop this gift and share. Sure - work and focus on technique but also consciously give some thought to allowing yourself the freedom to show your joy of dance. Show your passion! Show the joy! Shine your own special light and experience that wonderful feeling of total expression and freedom!

Listen to your music, let it take you over and inspire you! Think about what motivates each step you perform. What is your story? What is the choreography about? How has your choreographer or teacher used the music to get across their vision? What is their vision? Why are you dancing? Are you happy, sad, excited, tentative? When you ask all these questions of every step you dance you open up a whole new world and give your dance so much more depth and meaning.

So my challenge to all the students out there today is to enter your classes with a renewed passion and energy. Don't be afraid to show that you love dance. Let the joy out! As I always say "Show the emotion in your ocean" .The more energy and passion you give to your teachers and choreographers the more creativity and passion you will get back.

Any class is a circle and cycle of energy - you give energy and passion to your teacher and they reflect this back to you with more interesting and creative choreography and more inspired ideas.The more interest you show in what your teacher is doing the more challenging the work will become. Be your teacher's inspiration as well as his or her student. They will in turn inspire you! It is a two way street. You will feed of each other and each class will be a fabulous exchange of energy, creativity and passion!

And that is it for today! A simple message! Show the joy! Live the joy! Become the joy!

Make every dance class you attend an exciting one where you leave the room feeling like you have connected with your inner passion and inner self - not afraid of showing the world that you love what you do!

Leave every class not only physically exhausted but knowing that you have given every step the emotional connection and passion it deserves as well!

My crusade and message for today's article is simple:
LIVE WHAT YOU DO! LOVE WHAT YOU DO! SHOW THE JOY!

Life is an exciting discovery of you - so discover

yourself with passion and joy!

ENJOY!

Christine
www.tapatakoz.com.au

For most, motivation reflects the drive to achieve. What most people are not aware of, however, is that motivation can be positive or negative. Positive motivation comes from within - the desire to achieve. Negative motivation comes from outside the person - the threat of the negative consequences of not achieving.

Negative motivation involves feelings of being pushed or cajoled by an outside entity, perhaps by a dance partner, coach or significant others - this may bring the desired result, but can leave a person feeling disempowered - not a good place for a dancer to be. Negative motivation can also be easily recognised through your own internal language. Words like "should", "must" "got to" and similar are all indicators of negativity. Changing to "want to", "will" and so on can create a more positive slant on a situation. We are all in control of our own selves, and negative can easily be changed to positive through altering the way a situation is viewed and internalised.

Positive emotion is an underpinning element of success on and off the floor
and this is evident in all top performers.

Let me introduce two new terms - the in-dividual (your unconscious mind) and the out-dividual (your conscious mind). You'll easily recognise these in your own experience. The in-dividual knows what to do and simply wants to get on with it and enjoy the experience of dong it well. The out-dividual is that voice "in your head" ... that ongoing commentary that is quick to judge. You know where I'm coming from; we've all got our own examples to draw upon. You will easily identify which words will create negative or positive motivation.

So, how can these two powerful forces - the instructing out-dividual and
the doing in-individual - develop a solid "working relationship",
one that will lead to a high level of performance.

You need to appreciate that the in-dividual mind learns best through visual imagery. It has the ability to repeat an action after "seeing" it even only once - it knows what nerves are required, what muscles to engage and so on. The out-dividual tends to not trust the in-dividual mind (your nerves, muscles etc) to utilise natural learning processes, and takes on tasks it is not suited for, creating conflict and impeding progress.

Over instruction and negative criticism inhibits best performances from being achieved.

What would happen if you "trained" both "dividuals" to focus on those tasks they were designed to do, allowing a positive working relationship to develop, and positive outcomes to be experienced - in real terms, greater enjoyment of your dancing as well as improved performance through the now gainful utilisation of energy that was previously employed in criticism and self destruction.

How can we achieve outcomes rather than good or bad performances - because an outcome denotes an action leading to a result? Further, how can we maximise the attainment of desired outcomes and minimise those outcomes that don't bring the rewards sought? Achieving what we desire creates its own positive mental attitude that in turn leads to even more achievement ... and the desire to continue doing so (positive motivation).

The first step is to become aware of how each "dividual" works.

Your out-dividual:
- has the job of observing, evaluating, setting goals
- needs to give the in-dividual the freedom to do its job (to imagine) and the trust that it can turn imagination into reality
- must let go of the criticisms, the demands, the recriminations - "beating yourself up" - that perpetuate the problem.

Your in-dividual learns the only way it knows how, through:
- visual imagery (not verbal control).
- programming positively towards achieving anticipated outcomes

A strong working relationship comes from a mutually positive understanding between the two "dividuals" along with discipline on both their parts. Protect your in/out-dividuals.

What you think about ... visualise ... can determine a future performance more effectively than simply allowing your out-dividual self to look for ways of dodging errors and poor performances. You can move past a "mistake" simply by acknowledging an error has occurred, then let it go ... move on ... because you can't change what has happened. Instead, visualise what the preferred outcome was, and the action required to achieve it. Allow both your "dividuals" to try to get it right next time - ask your in-dividual self to visualise how it will look and feel, then ask you out-dividual to trust this will happen. When you "get it right" praise both your "dividuals" for a job well done. Reinforce this outcome through visual replay, using all your senses to appreciate the event. Invite yourself to do the same again next time ... and trust that it will when the time comes.

So, motivation and how to live it - positively or negatively? I suppose the answer lies in the result, and in how a person prefers to entice themselves into action. Either way, motivation doesn't happen by itself. The clever person uses both their ind-vidual and out-dividual selves to make the best of what has been dealt them.

What comes next depends on you - is your glass half full ... or ... half empty ...

By Jeff Withers
www.redriverjourney.com.au

Direct from New York and following on from sell out seasons in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Frankfurt comes Rasta Thomas' Rock the Ballet starring the Bad Boys of Dance. Rock the Ballet is a fusion of classic Ballet technique blended with the excitement of musical theatre, hip hop, ballet, tap, contemporary, gymnastics and more.

Rasta Thomas' Rock the Ballet features a stellar soundtrack including some of the biggest hits from U2, Michael Jackson, Prince, Queen, Coldplay and Lenny Kravitz. Set against a backdrop of video projected scenery, the show is exciting, fun, fleshy, raunchy powerful, and brilliantly entertaining.

DanceLife caught up with Rasta and Resident Choroegrapher Adrienne Canterna-Thomas to chat about the show.

Rasta Thomas - Founder, Director & Principal Dancer
You created Rock the Ballet in 2008. What was it about a group of boys fusing together ballet, hip hop and musical theatre that you thought was a mixture for success?

I was hoping it would be a success, but honestly, I had no idea it would hit people the way it has! I just wanted to shake things up in the dance world & put something on the stage that made people happy. I want ROCK the Ballet to keep inspiring people & to always ignite their love of music & movement.

The show has been travelling around the world and doing extremely well. Did you plan for this at the beginning and what lessons have you learnt from the businesses side of creating and pitching a show?

I'm always surprised by the success of RTB because we're all just a bunch of friends on stage having a good time! As for the business side if things, I am constantly learning. I have more work than ever before & learning how to juggle my home life, my stage life & the business side of things is definitely a challenge. But I'm always grateful and up for it, because the more work I have means that people are loving the show! Always try to think outside the box & make it work!

Adrienne Canterna-Thomas - Resident Choreographer
As resident choreographer you are responsible for creating a huge amount of choreography in an array of styles for males. What challenges have you come up against during the show creation process?

First off, creating for Rasta & my boys is a huge honor & a job I truly am blessed to have. I'd have to say when it comes to challenges I've faced during our creative process, it really comes down to the question of, "what should we keep"? I create so much material for the boys & I want to use all of it but every step needs to fit perfectly & ultimately stuff gets cut. But we always put every step on DVD so that when we're creating our next show we can look back.

Rock The Ballet opens on 1st June in Melbourne before travelling to Gold Coast, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth. Visit their website for more details www.rocktheballet.com.au

Winter is on the home stretch-and what better way to celebrate than with a month of action packed dance!

During August, we will be producing well-known Musical Theatre choreographer and performer Veronica Beattie for a cabaret season of WHAT IS JAZZ. Packed with high energy routines, the show will highlight the latest dance trends direct from Broadway and feature some Sydney's hottest dancers including Veronica Beattie (Guys+Dolls, Candy Man, Moulin Rouge and The Boy from Oz) So You Think You Can Dance Top 100 star Sally Hare, Guys+Dolls star Jordan Pollard, Shannon Rizzo and spunky Mashum Liberta; AND a live band with two dynamic vocalists Natalie Grace and Steve Hudson. What is Jazz will debut August 14 and 28 at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta and is performed cabaret style within the intimate setting of Rafferty's Theatre. WHAT IS JAZZ celebrates the movement and music of the most iconic and popular jazz eras and will feature a multitude of dance genres including theatre jazz, tap, lyrical, adagio and cha-cha.

View this hot preview clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pplY7Potp8

Hope to see some familiar faces in the audiences, as this will be a great way to stamp out the last of winter and support some of Sydney's finest musical theatre talent! For tickets hit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au

Ciao for now!
Olivia Ansell
Western Sydney Dance Action
Director

INDUSTRY will be on Thursday 13th August, 2009. Leading choreographers and dancers will showcase their work as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson from 8pm at The Forum, Fox Studios (tickets $20 available at the door).

Artistic Director of Brent Street Jacqui Howard says, "With the recent passing of the world's best entertainer, Michael Jackson, we wanted to make this Industry night special.

"Each piece being performed at the next Industry night will be to a song from the King of Pop. The night is sure to be a special one with spectacular performances by some of the country's best dancers and choreographers." she concluded.

Industry
When: 8pm - Thursday 13th August, 2009
Where: The Forum (Fox Studios)
Tickets: $20 available from the door
Who: Invited VIP Guests and General Public

Australia's most successful Indigenous dance company, the critically acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2009 with a national and international program of electrifying and innovative contemporary dance.

To celebrate Bangarra's 20th Anniversary milestone, Stephen has created a retrospective work called FIRE, featuring the most memorable and compelling elements of the company's repertoire during its extraordinary 20-year journey. The work traces Bangarra from its modest beginnings to its current status as an enormously respected and lauded dance company around the world.

Visit http://www.bangarra.com.au for more details. Show kicks off in Wollongong on 20th August.

WIN TICKETS TO FIRE!
DanceLife is giving away a double pass to FIRE in your city! Simply email win@dancelife.com.au with your Name, Age and City along with why you would like to see FIRE (25 words or less).

Contemporary dance works by Martin del Amo and Vicki Van Hout and a film by Eva Fernandez Adan/Rachael Brown.

In response to the need for rehearsal venues and regular opportunities to create and perform, this unique collective of professional Sydney-based dancers came together in 2005 to form DirtyFeet. The company continues today as a Not for Profit organisation driven by two of the founding members, Anthea Doropoulos and Sarah Fiddaman.

DirtyFeet represents a new form of Dance Company: Designed by dancers, about dancers, for dancers. Sydney's independent dance scene is getting its feet dirty! DirtyFeet's sold-out debut season in 2008, Under the Weather, was nominated for Australian Dance Awards in three categories. Following the success of the season, DirtyFeet now presents Tipping Point. The show will feature new short works by acclaimed choreographers Vicki Van Hout and Martin del Amo and a film by Eva Fernandez Adan/Rachael Brown.

Vicki Van Hout, known for her signature fusion of indigenous dance and contemporary techniques, returns to DirtyFeet with Pack, a piece exploring the dynamics surrounding animal packs and the comparisons we can draw in our own lives.

Independent dance artist Martin del Amo is probably best known for his full-length solos integrating idiosyncratic movement with intimate storytelling. In his first work for DirtyFeet, The Reset Quintet, he has created an intriguing dance piece for 5 performers that looks at what happens when we start a fresh, wipe the slate clean so to speak. Or do we only think we do? Won't there always be traces of
what has gone before?

Founding DirtyFeet member, Eva Fernandez Adan and video artist Rachael Brown have collaborated to create the latest chapter of Pieces of Mind (featured at "Short Sweet and Dance" and "Under the Weather") for film. A powerful work that features Adan's passion for high energy dynamic dance combined with Brown's intricate understanding of movement on screen, Pieces of Mind creates a physical language for a personal journey that will resonate and remain with every audience member.

Tipping Point is an exciting foray into the world of contemporary dance, enabling the realisation of new Australian dance works and showcasing the talents of Australia's independent dance artists.

www.dirtyfeet.com.au

Tipping Point
August 21st, 22nd at 8pm
Cleveland St Theatre, 199 Cleveland St (ACTT Theatre)
Tickets $20 adult/ $15 concession/ $10 "DirtyFeeters"
Bookings: email rsvp@dirtyfeet.com.au This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (Tickets also available at the door)

'Something Blew' is one section of a four-part major project currently being developed by 2nd Toe Dance Collective. The work is a modern take on the old English proverb 'Something old, something new, something borrowed,something blue.' The colour blue in the proverb symbolizes purity, love, modesty and fidelity and 'Something Blew' focuses on the modern acceptance of sexual freedom within relationships, which contradicts, neglects and abuses the origins of the ancient saying..

'Something Blew' will be staged as one part of a triple bill presented by Collaboration the Project.
The other two pieces in the show 'Lit' Choreographed by Benjamin Hancock and Rebecca Jensen is based on ones shadow and how a body intecepts light.
And the thrid piece is an excerpt from Collaboration The Project's up-coming season, Down The Rabbit Hole, in October.

After recent success with Inhale, Beat N' Move Euphoric, Immersed & Time A Story Of Youth; Collaboration The Project takes the original novel by Lewis Carrol, and darkly adapts it with a host of Australia's most talented and innovating new talents.

Something Blew season is running from Thursday September 3rd - 5th @ 8pm, Theatreworks, 14 Acland Street St Kilda
Tickets are $22 Full/ $18 Concession

www.collaboration-project.com

DanceLife is GIVING AWAY a double pass to see the show this week. Simply email win@dancelife.com.au with you name, age and suburb before Wednesday.

Based in the Bega valley shire, this youth performance company has established a reputation for creating adventurous, energetic theatre with a flair for entertaining.

The company, consisting of regional NSW youth artists, creates high quality original performances locally each year and tours bi-annually to metropolitan Sydney and Wollongong. Previously seen at Riverside with Who will come to the Rescue? and Dictionary of Habitats, fLing Physical Theatre will take you on an exhilarating ride that swirls you through an imaginary world like no other. Suitable for the entire family.

SOL'S WAY follows the journey of a small group of young people as they become caught in a time warp where dream and reality blur. Their path takes unusual twists and tests relationships as they find themselves in unfamiliar places. The ordinary world becomes elastic and unpredictable. Are these implications of an untimely accident or simply a dream?

Rapid transformations swirl the players into different events and seemingly different times.

Underpinning the journey of the performers in Sol's Way lie several questions: How do we remember events, what do we choose to tell and what remains untold? Is there a right way, a true story and is this particular group of people real and to be trusted?

Under the direction of Lee Pemberton, and featuring the choreography of Don Asker and Jane Mortiss, Sol's Way delivers high-energy physical theatre and features a rich diversity of sounds from the Hilltop Hoods, Lorenna McKennitt and R.L. Burnside along with stimulating projected imagery. The brilliant cast of Sol's Way is made up of ten fLiNG Physical Theatre company members including: Karina Gall, Ariane LloydPity, Ryl Harris, Abbey Turton, Jared Mizon, Matthew Hyde, Connor Llewellyn, Olivia McPherson, Erin McMahon and Kyall Shanks

Ideal for the whole family, this is one not to be missed!

SOL'S WAY - featuring fLING Physical Theatre
Wed 21, Thur 22 and 23 Oct 8pm
Thu 22 & Fri 23 at 12.30pm
Riverside Theatre
Cnr Church and Market Sts, Parramatta
$20/$15 conc BOOKINGS (02) 8839 3399
On-line: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

On Thursday night Three2Tango rewrote the rules of Argentine Tango at a spectacular showcase to announce their new same-sex and mixed tango classes starting in Paddington on 7th & 10th September 2009.The special guests were also treated to a short preview of the dance company's new Three2Tango show to be launched @ SLIDE in Sydney Nov 4th/5th.

Paddington Church Hall, Oxford Street, Paddington will now host mixed and same-sex couple classes:
Casual drop in class for mixed sex patrons will commence on Thursday 10th September 2009 from 6.30-7.30pm. In addition, drop in classes designed for same-sex patrons commence on Monday 7th September from 6.00-7.00pm. Both courses will be 12 weeks long and the cost is $12 per class. No partner is required.

Patrons attending should wear anything comfortable to dance in, and footwear should be kept to low heels for women and dress shoes for men. The aim of the course is to teach the basics of modern tango to anyone interested in learning to dance in a fun, relaxed environment. By the end of the series, dancers will have a sound knowledge of famous basic tango steps including tango walks, hooks, embraces and cradles. All footwork will be taught so that by the end of the course, a full-length choreography can be performed by all, regardless of when you start.

More Info: William@three2tango.com.au or www.three2tango.com.au

What happens when you combine an urban expression from the backstreets of Buenos Aires with high fashion, electronic beats, acrobatic lifts and three of Australia's most exciting versatile dancers?

The result is Three 2 Tango- a unique full length tango floor show premiering at SLIDE Bar & Cabaret Club,41 Oxford St, Darlinghurt this Nov.

Experience a piece of Buenos Aires in the heart of Sydney as two hot-blooded Latino men fight for the attentions of the sultry Mariana Baltodano, as she teases, tempts and seduces the audience and her two lovers. The show is choreographed by Sydney's William Centurion, who is now preparing for his audition before the judges on the next series of So You Think You Can Dance.Centurion's credits include performances on MTV Germany,Cannes Film Festival Events,launches for Givenchy 'The Gentleman is back' & Joop 'The Muse' ,Opel, BMW, Mercedez Benz, and featured tango couple in DANCE OF THE WORLD european tour .

This trio of performers which also features Argentine Tango champion Manuel Albarracin -have rewritten the rules of Argentine Tango, using sex, seduction and passionate rhythms to make their own mark on this style, revolutionising this traditional dance form as we know it!

SLIDE Bar & Cabaret Club sets the scene to host the Australian premiere of this modern tango floor show, with audiences seated in the round,
so as to experience themselves as part of the show in venue that is staged as an old-school Salon de Tango.

For those wishing to take part in the spirit of the evening, tickets are available to include a sumptuous two course meal accompanied by some of the greatest wines hand-picked by executive chef and club owner Marc Kuzma.

Date: 4th & 11th of November 2009
Event: Three 2 Tango + guests
DJ Afterparty music by leading tango fusion artist- DJ HORATIO
Time: Doors open 7pm .Show starts 8.30pm.Floor show lasts 60mins.
Venue: 41 Oxford street, Darlinghurst
Tickets: Dinner and show $60, Show only $20,
purchased through www.ticketek.com or 132 849 or direct through Slide on 89151899

Following a successful debut season in 2008, Fast+Fresh Dance is returning this November to amaze audiences and showcase short dance works choreographed and performed by Sydney's finest young talent.

Fast+Fresh Dance ("5 minute dance... with attitude") is a youth dance festival that cultivates choreographic talent and performance by choreographers and dancers aged 21 and under. The festival inspires and educates young performers to strive for their own artistic excellence and encourages active participation in dance at all levels.

This year's festival received more than 80 entries from all over Greater Sydney; that's twice as many as last year's inaugural season and their choreographic styles range from ballet, hiphop, jazz, contemporary, tap, krumping, parkour, physical theatre and lyrical.

The works selected cover an extraordinary range of subjects - an eye-opener to the way our youth are thinking: urban street culture, paper planes, seven deadly sins, 911 terrorist attack, falling in love, escaping to the circus, medieval tragedies, working in a cabaret kit kat club, the anguish of miscarriage for women, tribal African dance, and a very modern abstract take on the famous romantic ballet Giselle!!

The festival runs from 17-21 November at Riverside Theatres Parramatta. Three heats, showcasing the talents of over 40 choreographers and 120 dancers overall, have been scheduled for Tuesday 17th through to Thursday 19th November. The most accomplished performances from each heat, which are selected by a panel of dance industry judges, will proceed to the final on Saturday 21st November, where each group will battle it out for sponsored awards such as Best Male Dancer, Best Female Dancer, Most Outstanding Choreography, Best New Talent and the Audience Choice Award.

A recent addition to the Short+Sweet dynasty of festivals, Fast+Fresh Dance presents short, new and innovative dance works, up to five minutes in length, by the dance industry's upcoming talent.
Many participants of 2008's inaugural season of Fast+Fresh Dance have gone on to perform with companies such as youMove, Sydney's only youth contemporary dance company, (Sean Marcs - winner of Most Outstanding Choreography and Sheridan Mouawad - winner Best New Talent and co-winner Audience Choice Award for her work River Flows In You) and dirtyFeet (Sean Marcs). Sean Marcs' Fast+Fresh Dance festival works Sup-port and The Office were also performed as part of the 2009 season of Short Sweet+Dance at the Seymour Centre in March. Simone Chivas, the 2008 People's Choice Award choreographer, was a finalist in My Mutation Online for the Sydney Opera House.

For more information regarding the program visit www.wsda.org.au

FAST+FRESH DANCE
Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market St Parramatta
HEATS Tuesday 17th - Thursday 19th Nov
FINAL Saturday 21st Nov 7.30pm
TIX $10 Bookings 8839 3399
Or online: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

The second season of Fast+Fresh Dance has concluded a sell-out season with an exciting grand final and gala awards night.

The festival of short dance works choreographed and performed by Sydney's finest young dance talent under 21 showcased 30 pieces and featured 11 in the gala final at the Riverside Theatres, Parramatta on Saturday 21 November.

This year's festival received more than 80 entries from all over Greater Sydney; that's twice as many as last year's inaugural season and their choreographic styles range from ballet, hiphop, jazz, contemporary, tap, krumping, parkour, physical theatre and lyrical.

Winner of most outstanding choreographer was Amber McCartney whose solo work Beak was praised by the industry judging panel as 'contemporary and sophisticated'. Her prizes included direct entry to the senior Short Sweet+Dance season March 2010; secondment with youMove dance company for 2010 and a mentorship with a leading Sydney choreographer for 2010.

Winner of best new talent were Sutherland Shire pair Neale Whittaker and Aimee Regan for their self-choreographed performance "Difettosa Mente". Their prizes include a Dance Compass performance opportunity, a two night showing at IO MYERS studios UNSW to a panel of dance industry professionals including Solon Ulbrich, Leigh Warren, Shaun Parker and
Kay Armstrong.

Most outstanding male dancer was young Penrith talent Lowe Napalan for "Slow Me Down". He won a twelve month secondment to the youMove dance company. Outstanding female dancer was North Shore dancer (training in the Sutherland Shire) Ivey Wawn for "Wildcat". The audience-voted People's Choice award went to Lindfield choreographer Natasha Sturgis for her large scale work "All I Have". Youngest choreographer of the festival, 14-year-old Brandon Atoui of Peakhurst received a special commendation for his wonderfully original and entertaining piece "Get Back in Here". All award winners received numerous classes, products, theatre tickets to a variety of dance-related activities.

Festival director Olivia Ansell hailed the season huge success and predicted great things for the fresh young talent who had featured.

"A recent addition to the Short+Sweet dynasty of festivals, Fast+Fresh Dance presents short, new and innovative dance works, up to five minutes in length, by the dance industry's best up-and-coming talent. Many participants of 2008's inaugural season of Fast+Fresh Dance have gone on to perform with companies such as youMove, Sydney's only youth contemporary dance company, (Sean Marcs - winner of Most Outstanding Choreography and Sheridan Mouawad - winner Best New Talent and co-winner Audience Choice Award for her work River Flows In You) and dirtyFeet (Sean Marcs). Sean Marcs' Fast+Fresh Dance festival works Sup-port and The Office were also performed as part of the 2009 season of Short Sweet+Dance at the Seymour Centre in March. Simone Chivas, the 2008 People's Choice Award choreographer, was a finalist in My Mutation Online for the Sydney Opera House".

For more information regarding the program visit www.wsda.org.au and www.shortandsweet.org

Dancers from every corner of the globe travel to Los Angeles to try and make it in the biz, and their first stop when they get there is CARNIVAL at the Key Club. CARNIVAL, the longest running dance show in Los Angeles has expanded to London, New York, and Sydney. The show spans genres with routines in every possible style of dance. Dance lovers and experts, spectators and showstoppers pack the club to be a part of this star-studded event!

The LA Based CARNIVAL is returning to SYDNEY on April 22 at the Home Night Club! You will not want to miss out on this incredible show.

Choreographers coming to Sydney direct from LA include Tony Czar, Britney's CIRCUS Assistant Choreographer & New Kids Assistant Choreographer and Kennis, who has worked with P Diddy, Ludacris, LL Cool J, Juelz Santana, BlackStreet, R Kelly, and Snoop Dogg. The show will be directed by Carnival owner - Carey Ysais.

Participants from the SourceDance Workshop Series will have the opportunity to be selected to perform in a piece by one of the LA Choreographers for this show. The Sydney SourceDance Workshops will be held at UDC Studios on Saturday, April 17. If you have not registered - you need to do so immediately as space is filling up in the workshops. Rehearsals will follow on April 19, 20 & 21.

You can go to this link to register on line: http://www.sourcedance.com/olrp/confirm.htm
In addtion to the choreography by the LA choreographers, some of Sydney's most noted choreographers and crews will have pieces in the show including Veronica Beattie, Ben Veitch, Stephen Tannos, Nufirm, Sheru, Deja Crew, Hollabak Crew, Jonathan Homsey, Melanie Hitchcock, Too Much Bun, Meeko, Daryl Morante, Alvin DC, Rhiannon, Spaghetti Sunrise, Cass Smith, Joel Rasmussen, Legs Ltd & Sisqo. In addition one of New Zealand's top crews will be coming over to perform - Triple 8 Funk and singer Chis Sobello will be singing her hit song, So Lonely.

The event is sponsored by: DanceLife, Dance Informa, Hollywood Dance Comps and SOURCEDANCE. Support by: MSA, Grayboy Ent., Mango Dance, Brent Street, Urban Dance Centre and groovedance.com.

For more information:
Contact
teri@sourcedance.com
(02) 8011 4393

Tickets for the show are available at the door and it you arrive by 9:00pm, ticket price is only $20.

Come and join the hottest dance and vocal show in Australia performed by Sydney's top professional choreographers and dancers in the video, music and film industry, Submit your act (solo or groups) for a live performance at this event with performances restricted to 5 minute routines (vocal or dance). Email industry@brentstreet.com.au to reserve your place and rehearsal time.

Venue: The Forum, Entertainment Quarter (next to Fox Studios)
Time: Doors open at 8pm, show from 9pm.
Cost: $20.00

Under 18's must be supervised by a responsible adult.

The 2010 season of the short dance festival Short Sweet+Dance has concluded with awards, rave reviews and cheering crowds at the Parade Theatre, NIDA.

"The overall standard was truly surpassing, even by the consistently high measure customarily applicable to this worthy event on Sydney's autumnal arts calendar." - Lloyd Bradford Syke, Australian Stage online

Offically opened and applauded by the NSW Arts Minister the Honourable Virginia Judge MP, SS+Dance played to full houses over three weeks at two venues - Riverside Theatres and the Parade Theatres NIDA.

Co-producers Western Sydney Dance Action and Short+Sweet congratulated all artists and crew for making the season a success!

Said Festival Director Olivia Ansell:

"In just three years the festival has offered 110 choreographers and 450 dancers the opportunity to trial and share new work - just in Sydney alone. The dance model also exists in Melbourne, Canberra, Malaysia with plans for Singapore and India in the near future!"

See below for 2010 SS+dance award recipients...

Most Outstanding Choreography Week 1-Sean Marcs with P.S
Most Outstanding Choreography Week 2-Gemma Dawkins with A Little Light Dinner Donversation
Most Outstanding Choreography Week 3-Tim Farrar with Few Things of the Same Kind
Most Outstanding Male Dancer - Benjamin Hancock for Martin Del Amo's Nowhere to hide Part 3
Most Outstanding Female Dancer - Anna Healy in Sean Marcs' - P.S Kay Armstrong's Ballyhoo, Emma Fishwick's An Empty Room, Jayne McCann's Inferno and Kevin Privett's By Looking
Best New Talent: Venetia Millar for performance in Surface Tension (co-choreographed Marttaleena Luukkonen, Eleanor Kelly and Venettia Millar)
People's Choice: Three Hits and a Miss choreographed by Chris Horsey and performed by Tracey Wilson, Trent kidd, Chris Horsey and Wilson Thomas
People's Choice Wildcard: Mashum Liberta for Pass Out

Entries for Short Sweet+Dance 2011 will be called shortly!

Performance Space and ReelDance present the 6th ReelDance International Dance on Screen Festival, the largest event celebrating the collision of art, dance and film in Australia. The Festival launches its national tour and is presented by Performance Space as part of You Are Here May-June season at CarriageWorks from 13-16 May, 2010. This biennial event presents cutting edge film and video from diverse dance genres created by Australian, Indigenous and international directors and performers.

Tracie Mitchell, ReelDance director and curator of the festival said "We are thrilled with the calibre of this year's work and the response to the Festival theme of ‘Space' from the very best talent in this art form from all corners of the globe. ReelDance still presents the only opportunity for Australian audiences to catch this international line-up. From the deadly serious to the seriously whimsical, this year's festival has something to offer everyone."

Opening night features a full-length work by acclaimed New York visual artist Eve Sussman. Inspired by the Caravaggio painting The Rape of the Sabine Women, Sussman's feature length work made in 2005, reinterprets the mythical Roman story in the 70's and crosses continents from LA Hollywood Hills to Athens via Berlin. This evocative and sensual work is enhanced by Jonathan Belper's soundtrack. Belper is iconic artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney's longtime collaborator. He composed and arranged the soundtracks for Barney's epic Cremaster Cycle.

Also screening on opening night is Australian filmmaker Daniel Askill's multi-award winning short We Have Decided Not to Die. Daniel works internationally as a filmmaker and artist. He has directed music clips for Phoenix, Placebo, U.N.K.L E and Sia. His recent commercial work has included directing global campaigns for Cadillac, Air France, X Box and Christian Dior. Daniel has also created a number of video installations with recent commissions from the designer Michelle Jank, Japanese Buddhist group Soka Gakkai and for Rafael Bonachella's We Unfold for the Sydney Dance Company.

The Imaginings of Shelly Love celebrates the unique artistry of the UK based acclaimed artist and director Shelly Love. International guest of the festival, Love presents a retrospective program. Her multi award winning career over the last fifteen years includes the direction of video clips for independent bands and singers such as Ladyhawke, The Irrepressibles and Charlotte Hatherley.

Deep in Vogue explores the evolution of 'Vogue' culture from the queer 'balls' in Harlem to Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour and is presented in a double blockbuster that showcases Jennie Livingston's award winning documentary, Paris is Burning (1990) followed by In Bed with Madonna (1991).

Send The Cameras Out- Nine artists were given one month each to respond to the question 'What is Dance on Screen?' A new initiative creating opportunities for Indigenous dance makers, editors and composers to engage with making dance for screen works. Artists involved include choreographers include Marilyn Miller, Vicky Van Hout (Bangarra Dance Theatre) and Deon Hastie (Leigh Warren Dancers).

Other events at the festival include: the ReelDance Australia and New Zealand Awards, You're Not From Here Are You? - two programs of international short films curated by the new festival director Tracie Mitchell, Forward Motion - a collection of outstanding UK films accompanied by artist interviews, Out of the Hat: A Chance Screening - where ten minute films are literally pulled out of a hat by a guest compère and screened, a homage to New York experimental artists Merce Cunningham and John Cage.

For further information on tour dates and program details visit www.reeldance.org.au
For more information about Performance Space's season You are Here visit www.performancespace.com.au

TICKETS
Festival Pass $80/$70
Day Pass $50/$40
Single Screening $20/$15
Book at ticketmaster.com.au
or call 1300 723 038

WHEN
13-16 May 2010

WEBSITE
www.performancespace.com.au

WHERE
Performance Space
CarriageWorks
245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

Last night saw the Logies grace our television screens for another year. As always it was a little on the boring side but musical acts such as Gabriella Cilmi (Choreographed by Matt Lee), KD Lang, John Mayer and Rogue Traders got the crowd excited.

Our pick for the night was the performance choreographed by The Squared Division for Rogue Traders new song ‘Put Your Hands Up'. The costumes were great, the routine was tight and the dancing was hot! Watch the routine above.

Performance Space present the premiere in Sydney of Bromance as the final work in our You Are Here May-June season at CarriageWorks from 2-5 June 2010. Bromance is a full- length dancework co-choreographed by Alisdair Macindoe and Adam Synott which explores the life-long negotiation of trust, rivalry and responsibility that is built from childhood between brothers.

The work draws from the experiences of Macindoe and Synott growing up in Australia, and questions why the platonic love between brothers, which so powerfully defines a child's relationshipto the world, is not often celebrated in art and literature. In Australia where men's relationships are generally depicted as romantic affairs or business interactions, Bromance explores how men are at risk when opening up a discourse on love between brothers.

Macindoe and Synnott are joined on stage by Jay Robinson and Lee Serle, who use movement to explore the memories and influences of having a brother, and the profound affect it has on young men entering adulthood.

Nominated for a Green Room award for his 2008 solo show, Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain, Macindoe studied dance at Victorian College of the Arts and has worked with Leigh Warren and Dancers, Lucy Guerin Inc. and Chunky Move. Co-choreographer Adam Synott has toured extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand and the US since graduation from the Adelaide Centre for the Arts in 2004, working with the Australian Dance Theatre, Barebones Collective, Leigh Warren and Dancers and numerous other high profile companies. He is currently performing in Chunky Move's Mortal Engine at the Sydney Theatre. Bromance taps into the memories of these two young artists, asking "What is it like for two men to simply love each other?"

Choreography: Alisdair Macindoe and Adam Synnott, Director: Alisdair Macindoe,
Performed by: Alisdair Macindoe, Jay Robinson, Lee Serle and Adam Synnott,
Sound Design: Alisdair Macindoe ,Video Effect Designer: Adam Synnott,
Producer: Lucy Guerin Inc, Production Management: Bluebottle

Bromance was co-commissioned by Next Wave Festival, Lucy Guerin Inc and Performance Space.

Duration: 45 minutes no interval

TICKETS
$30/$20/$15+bf
Book at www.ticketmaster.com.au
or call 1300 723 038

WHEN
2-5 June 2010 8pm
(Post-show Q&A Thurs 3 June)

WEBSITE
www.performancespace.com.au

WHERE
Performance Space
CarriageWorks
245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

Broadway Tony-Award winning star Donna McKechnie enjoyed one of her greatest triumphs as Sally, in the acclaimed revival of the Stephen Sondheim - James Goldman musical, Follies, in the spring of 1998. "She defined the art of torch singing with ‘Losing My Mind,' raved Variety, joining the New York Times and other critics in unstintingly praising her performance. She is now coming to Australia for the first time.

Ms. McKechnie's Broadway credits include: How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Sondheim - A Musical Tribute (which she also choreographed), On The Town, Promises, Promises!, Company and State Fair, for which she received the Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer for the 1996 season. In London's West End she starred in Promises, Promises, Company, No Way To Treat A Lady (which she also choreographed), Cole Porter's Can-Can and Sondheim's Follies.

Ms. McKechnie is very excited to be coming to Melbourne and Sydney, having never performed in Australia.

Melbourne: Sat 19 June - Bennetts Lane 25 Bennetts Lane @8PM
Tickets 1300 438 849 or www.bennettslane.com

Sydney: Thurs 24 June - The Factory Theatre
105 Victoria Road Marrickville @8PM
Tickets 02 9550 3666 or www.thefactorytheatre.com.au

Following the Search for a Beaudy casting event, Belinda Morris has been named Beaudy and is set to star in the world premiere of Beaudy, the musical written by Australian musician, Michael Orland at Parade Theatres from July 7.Check out Belinda singing Astonishing above.

Sydney-based Belinda Morris a relative new comer, has appeared in Reefer Madness and Titanic.

Morris joins Beaudy, which features a talented and exciting cast of sixteen including Stephen Fisher-King, Lizzie Taylor, and The Four Kinsmen's Scott Radburn and is accompanied by a full live orchestra performing twenty wonderful songs.

The classic 17th century fairytale The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods is irreverently transported to modern day Australia in this exciting new musical theatre production. Beaudy is a funny contemporary musical set in a small Australian town.

Beaudy is a memorable evening of song, dance and good old-fashioned story telling. Australianised and updated, Beaudy is a spruced up old fashioned tale filled with great original music, laughs and familiar icons.

"It has taken me 28 years to write this show and now we are going to present it with all the passion that led me to start on the wonderful journey all those years ago" said writer producer Michael Orland.

Beaudy transports the audience from European forest in the 17th century to a contemporary small Australian country town where there is a christening for Laura, whose mother died in childbirth and whose father the town relies on for its future. A woman from the past, now a wealthy black widow crashes the party and prophesies Laura's untimely death before her nineteenth birthday.

To best protect Laura, played by Belinda Morris, the man surrenders the care of his daughter to his best friends living in Sydney. As Laura approaches her nineteenth birthday, she escapes from her overprotective family leading to the apparent fulfillment of the prophecy. Her father, losing heart at his daughter's tragedy, lets his business unravel. Consequently, the entire town descends into despair. However, one young man has not surrendered hope...

Playwright and composer of Beaudy, Michael Orland has an underground Australian music legacy following his musical success on the local Sydney band scene in the late seventies and early eighties. Orland collaborated with a number of bands as a sound engineer and was a part of the much loved Harold Holt and the Sharks and Cocktails at 7. After years of playing, teaching and working as a sound engineer for both bands and venues, Orland has crystallized his excellent knowledge of music and passion for musical theatre with Beaudy.

Recipient of nine MO Awards including Australian Variety performer of the Year and Australian Male Vocalist of the Year, Stephen Fisher-King has performed lead roles in major musical theatre productions Hello Dolly, Evita, Cats and toured Australasia in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Fisher-King has recorded three CDs, Where Do I Begin, Vocal Treasures and Inspiration and has performed principal roles in operas and operettas including La Boheme.

The Four Kinsmen's talented Scott Radburn was on the Cats South Korean Tour and was in the 1984 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Between his time on stage, he was on Nine Network's Midday Show and Hey-Hey it's Saturday and hosted Wave FM's Breakfast program.

Session vocalist and entertainer, Lizzie Taylor is the recipient of eight MO Awards and two Australian Club Entertainment (ACE) Awards. A voice specialist, she has wowed audiences across the globe with her vocal and visual tributes to a variety of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Cher, Shirley Bassey, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Anastacia, J-Lo, Fran Drescher's The Nanny, Absolutely Fabulous' Edina, Effie and Kath and Kim. Lizzie Taylor is in constant high demand for Corporate Events, Private Functions and the Sydney Club
Circuit, not only for her One Woman Show but also as a Presenter and Session Vocalist.

PARADE THEATRES, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington
Preview performance Wednesday 7 July
Opening Night Thursday 8 July
Season until Saturday 24 July
Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm
Thursday 8th and 15th July at 2pm
Wednesday 21st July at 11am
Saturday 10th 17th & 24th at 2pm
*transaction and booking fees may apply

Tickets from $29
Adults $55
Family of 4 $133

www.beaudythemusical.com.au

Hot from European summer festivals, StarStruck makes its full-length debut and world premiere at Riverside Theatres Parramatta in early July 2010!

Satirising the celebrity worship, Starstruck is cutting-edge contemporary dance theatre performed by international dance theatre collective Sum Of Its Parts.

In an era in which everyone seems to be entangled in the cult of celebrity, StarStruck observes the stars through the obsessive eyes of disturbed fans.

StarStruck is an exposé of the relationship our society maintains with its stars. The piece follows a Celebrity Stalker, a Celebrity Wannabe, a Celebrity Cult Preacher and a Master of Ceremonies. Their journeys are explored through dance, projected images and films, physical theatre and live sound. Through a series of minor transformations, driven by their desire, they become anti-social monsters of extreme behaviour. A slightly overzealous fascination with a star is progressively transformed into an unhealthy obsession which, in a snowball effect, careers into a macabre and obscure pit of absurdity!

Taking this element of popular culture as its starting point, StarStruck creates a new hybrid form of multimedia and live performance. Because the body can express passion and madness in ways that words cannot, choreography has emerged as the driving form in the production. Its also talkback TV, reality TV, horror films, superhero films, MTV, soapie-sitcom and awards ceremonies. It promises audiences laughter, voyeurism, horror, revulsion, persuasion, satire, madness, sadness and beauty!

Created originally by Victoria Chiu in 2008 and developed into a collaboration between established Australian and European Artists Jozsef Trefeli, Roland Cox and Rudi van Der Merwe, StarStruck has forged a much needed bridge and creative dialogue between high quality progressive dance theatre in Australia and Europe. Western Sydney Dance Action (WSDA) supported the Australian stage two choreographic development of StarStruck at Parramatta's Connect Studios in January 2010 and both WSDA and Riverside Theatres are proud to now be presenting the world premiere of StarStruck, which officially marks the production's world tour to Festival across Europe in 2010-2011 (including Festival Dansez-Theatre du Chateau Rouge Annemasse France; Dresden International Tanzwoche Projekttheater Germany; Stu Summer Festival Estonia, Theatre du la Parfumerie Geneva Switzerland, Tanz in Winterthur Theater am Gleis Switzerland, Tanz in Olten Switzerland, L'Heure Bleue Theatre Poulaire Romande and LaChauxDeFonds Switzerland)

NB Though all constantly travelling international artists, Victoria, Roland and Jozsef originally hail from NSW, Rudi from South Africa. Victoria is resident in Wahroonga, formerly (like Roland) from Maroubra. Jozsef originally from Western Sydney is based in the ACT when in Australia. Having never before performed his own work in Australia (he is now based in Geneva where he works with Rudi), this is a homecoming for him!

"Intriguing, amusing and deeply moving without sacrificing a sense of simplicity that is synonymous with great talent." - Tribune de Genève

PREMIERE SEASON - TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY!!
STARSTRUCK
Friday 9 and Saturday 10 July 8pm
Riverside Theatres Parramatta - Lennox Theatre
Tickets $28 / $22 conc Bookings: 8839 3399
or online: www.riversideparramatta.com.au

If you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours you may not know that Kylie Minogue is in the country and last night performed two songs (All The Lovers & Get Outta My Way) on Hey Hey It's Saturday. For the first time in a long while Kylie used Aussie dancers for her performance which was great to see. Matt Lee who is currently starring in Mary Poppins was given the job to find the dancers for Miss Minogue. As you can see from the pic above there are a few familiar (SYTYCD) faces in here. This gig is the perfect example of how important it is too get in front of choreographers and casting agents who are booking dancers without holding auditions. It's very common for people who are sourcing dancers for gigs to simply call people that they know can do the job well, look great and are reliable.

Although Aussie dancers were used, one of Kylie's choreographic team members came out with her Nicki, who taught the choreography that has been the same throughout all of Kylie's promotional tour. Famous for having her dancers in hardly any clothing Kylie did not disappoint. While there was hot a huge amount of choreography in any of the two routines and quite a bit of repetition it was a great opportunity for some talented Aussie to work with the Aussie Pop Icon. Check out the video from Kylie's performances of All the Lovers below.

CALLING ALL YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHERS

The youth festival of dance fast+fresh dance has opened for entries in its 2010 season.

Following the success of its knock out 2009 season, Fast+Fresh Dance is returning in November to thrill audiences and showcase short dance works choreographed and performed by Sydney's finest young talent.

Western Sydney Dance Action (WSDA) invites young choreographers and dancers to participate in Fast+Fresh Dance to be held across two venues- Riverside Theatres Parramatta and Casula Powerhouse this November! The season will present over forty dance works choreographed and performed by emerging young artists.

Fast+Fresh Dance artistic director Olivia Ansell said the festival not only provided an opportunity for aspiring choreographers and dancers aged 21 and under to display their talents, but also inspired young performers to strive for their own artistic excellence. It also encouraged active youth participation in all genres of dance.

A recent edition to the Short+Sweet family of festivals, Fast+Fresh Dance presents short, new and innovative dance works, up to five minutes in length, by the dance industry's upcoming talent. Each performance will go through one of four rounds of heats, which will be judged nightly by a panel of industry professionals. The heat winners will present their works as part of the Gala Final on Saturday 20 November 2010.

In keeping with the Short + Sweet tradition, all participants in Fast+Fresh Dance are eligible for sponsored awards such as Best Male Dancer, Best Female Dancer, Most Outstanding Choreography, Best New Talent and the Audience Choice Award.

Many participants of 2009's season of Fast+Fresh Dance have gone on to perform with companies such as youMove, Sydney's only youth contemporary dance company, (Aimee Regan - winner of Best New Talent), Dance Compass led by Ausdance (Best New Talent, Aimee Regan and Neale Whittaker with "Difettosa Mente") and progressed to further tertiary training at Institutions like VCA (Amber McCartney - "Beak", Most Outstanding Choreography), as well as inspired young professionals to travel overseas in pursuit of further opportunity as a result of industry feedback from the festival (Most Outstanding Female Dancer: Ivey Wawn - "Wildcat", currently touring London auditioning for projects).

WSDA is now seeking submissions from artists to participate in this year's season. All genres of dance will be considered, as long as the choreography is innovative and original.

HOW TO ENTER: go to www.wsda.org.au to download a 2010 application form.

Entries close Monday 13 September 2010
Fast+Fresh Dance 2010 season dates:
Heats 15-19 November, Final 20 November