By Jessica Innes
2011 is jam-packed full of festivals celebrating dance. With Sydney Festival, The Adelaide Fringe and Dance Massive all behind us you may think that the dance fun is over for the year – but it isn’t! Check out these amazing events yet to come.
Melbourne Latin Festival VIC
A celebration of Latin dance, Melbourne Latin Festival is three nights of parties, two days of workshops, 150 dancers, 50 workshops and 60 hours of absolute fun featuring celebrity dancers from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars! The festival, now in its third year running, is one of Melbourne’s largest Latin dance events. The festival features daily workshops that cater for the complete novice right through to the advanced professional in a variety of Latin genres such as Salsa, Bachata, Street Cha, Flamenco and Tango with some of the best Latin DJs and live Latin bands. With international stars and artists from Cuba, Colombia, Italy, Brazil and New Zealand, it’s definitely an event not to be missed.
8-10 April, Darebin Arts Centre, Preston
www.melbournelatinfestival.com.au
Ali Curung Dance Festival NT
Our Indigenous heritage is an inspiration for dancers and The Ali Curung Dance Festival allows talented artists to share their history and culture through different performance mediums. With traditional dance, storytelling, art and music, the Ali Curung Dance Festival is a free event for the whole family to enjoy.
2 – 3 July, Ali Curung Community Centre
http://en.travelnt.com
Spring Dance NSW
Hosted by Sydney Opera House, Spring Dance is a celebration of all things dance with a program of cutting edge local and international artists. This year’s third annual festival is still being curated, but it is sure to be a treat. The performances will take place across various venues at Sydney Opera House from 23 August – 4 September. That’s 13 days of exceptional artistry, athleticism and grace from some of the world’s most exciting choreographers and dancers! Keep an eye on this website for the program to be announced in May. www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/program_Spring_Dance.aspx
23 August – 4 September, Sydney Opera House
Brisbane Festival QLD
Boasting artists from all over the world, Brisbane Festival embraces all styles of performing arts including dance, theatre, opera, circus, symphony and sideshow. Last year’s program presented over 330 performances and 62 events over 22 days and the 2011 lineup is sure to be just as impressive with the program being released midyear.
3 – 24 September, Multiple Venues.
www.brisbanefestival.com.au
Youth Dance Festival ACT
Our nation’s capital is host to the Youth Dance Festival, which is a high calibre, non-competitive event allowing secondary school students to showcase their dancing. It is a valuable experience for young teens as all involved are given the opportunity to work with an artistic director that mimics the process of the professional world. This year’s theme is ‘Messages’ and the opportunity to participate is open to all high schools and colleges with entries closing April 15.
14 – 16 September, Canberra Theatre.
www.ausdance.org.au/act/production-folder.pdf
Australian Dance Festival NSW
ADF is a highly interactive three days full of workshops, performances and competitions. Get in on the action by learning from the best in the business with previous years’ classes taught by Kelly Abbey, Jason Coleman, the Squared Division and Sarah Boulter. This is a high profile event with performances and competitions targeted at all styles of dance so you won’t want to miss out!
16-18 September, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
http://www.australiandancefestival.com.au/
Melbourne Festival VIC
Melbourne Festival is one of Australia’s flagship international arts festivals and one of the major multi-arts festivals of the world, in terms of quality of work, innovation of vision, and scale and breadth of program. Each Festival brings an unparalleled feast of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events from renowned and upcoming Australian and International companies and artists. This year’s program, directed by Brett Sheehy, is yet to be announced.
6 – 22 October, Multiple Venues
www.melbournefestival.com.au
Photo: The Chooky Dancers peform ‘Wrong Skin’ at last year’s Spring Dance
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