16th– 18th Sept, 2011
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
With dance workshops, performances and dance competitions, the Australian Dance Festival at Sydney Olympic Park promises to be a celebration of Australia’s best in dance. Over the weekend you’ll be taught by the Best of the Best of the Australian Dance industry.
The biggest names in the Australian dance industry have taught at the ADF – Jason Coleman (who is also patron of the event), Kelley Abbey, Sarah Boulter, Debby Ellis, Christine Denny, Nathan Wright, Project Moda and the Squared Division, just to name a few.
“We will be bringing back many of these great instructors, and will also showcase new and emerging talent.” Says Charlene Carter, the newly appointed artistic director for the 2011 Australian Dance Festival. New instructors to the line up include:
- Tony Czar (choreographer to Britney Spears, and veteran instructor with SourceDance),
- Paul Malek (Founder & Artistic Director of Collaboration -The Project)
- Chris Horsey (Co-founder of TapDogs -Winner of the Fred Astaire International Tap & Jazz Championship)
The Australian Dance Festival though is about much more than just the workshops. “As much as we want to inspire dancers with the best instructors and choreographers, the event is also about bringing the entire dance industry together, and providing opportunities for dancers to perform on an amazing stage”, says Festival Founder and director, Angela Lau.The Australian Dance Festival is providing opportunities for dance schools, professional dance teams, and soloists to perform on a custom made dance stage at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. On Friday 16th September, 15 amateur dance teams will compete in “Australia’s Best Dance Crew” to win cash prizes to the tune of $7,500.
“Historically, we have shied away from introducing a competitive aspect to the event, as we don’t want to be in the business of saying one dance school is better than another. After extensive consultation with people in the dance industry, we have decided to put a twist on the team competition by awarding $2,500 for the Best Choreography, Most Entertaining, and Most Technically Excellent instead of the traditional 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It also means that the judges for the competition will have an easier time, as the competing teams will be dancing different styles so that we have a more diverse show. We are really excited about this new addition to the ADF, and we can’t wait to see what the dance schools and crews will come up with”, says Angela Lau.
Jason Coleman, ADF Patron
Dance schools who don’t want to compete can still perform at the event as part of “The Open Stage – A Celebration of Diversity” on Saturday afternoon( 17th September). This was a concept suggested by Jason Coleman as he felt that it was important for every dance school to have the opportunity to be on stage. The Open Stage is also part of the Australia’s Dance Festival’s mission to raise funds and awareness of The Butterfly Foundation- a charity helping Australians to overcome eating disorders and negative body image. Proceeds from the ticket sales to Open Stage (just $10) will be donated to The Butterfly Foundation so that they can provide education and training to dance teachers on early intervention for students they suspect may have an eating disorder.
On Saturday night, the Australian Dance Festival will run the Dance Around The World Solo Competition to recognize up and coming talent in our industry. In order to compete in the solo competition, dancers will need to participate in the workshops on Saturday. The instructors will choose the best dancer from each workshop (15 in total) and they will have to dance a 30 second solo on stage. The winner will receive:
- One return airfare to Los Angeles
- 14 Day Sourcedance Hollywood Tour which includes:
- Hotel Accommodation – 13 Nights (share 4 per room)
- Ground Transportation to all scheduled HOLLYWOOD TOUR events
- The opportunity to perform in the Choreographer’s Carnival Ball
- Professional designed costume for your performance at Carnival
- Seminar and audition with LA’s most prestigious Dance Agency – MSA
- 2012 Hollywood Tour Tshirt
- Dinner Party
- Universal Studios Admission
- Laser Tag Admission
- 2012 Hollywood Tour DVD
The aim of the Australian Dance Festival is to provide an outlet to show our RESPECT to those who have succeeded in the Australian dance industry by getting them to teach workshops – which will INSPIRE a new generation of dancers. Through the group and solo competitions, we aim to MOTIVATE dancers to be the best they can be, and provide OPPORTUNITIES for them to travel and learn.
Visit www.australiandancefestival.com.au for more information and to register today!
Video: Courtesy of youTube.
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