The Star of the Sea Theatre, Stella Maris College, Sydney
November 8, 2014
By Linda Badger of Dance Informa.
Stella Maris College on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is a school that beautifully supports the arts, especially dance. There have been significant dance initiatives come out of this college over the years, most notably Pulse8 under the artistic direction of Kay Armstrong. This is the debut year for the newly formed Stella Maris Dance Company, under the direction of teachers Cara Brown and Rochelle Jones. The Stella Dance Co. has performed so far this year in numerous eisteddfods and has placed quite well. Four Pieces was the company’s debut end-of-year showcase.
As the name of the show suggests, the night consisted of four dance pieces by up-and-coming choreographers, teachers and students. For a school dance group, there are a lot of nicely trained dancers in this school so the company is fairly solid for a youth company in its technique and performance quality. Choreographers included Cory To’o, Mitchell Turnbull, Cara Brown, Rochelle Jones and Year 12 student Millie Lohr. The first three pieces were fairly typical school dance group style choreographies, being just a little more challenging than most but with all the tricks, kicks and turns you might expect in an eisteddfod focussed group. This was a little disappointing considering the great vision for the company, which is to train students for a professional career. The works did not seem to really develop the depth of the theme they explained in the program, as if the idea of putting a theme to the work was a token nod to putting together some great combinations. There were suggestions at the theme throughout each work, but nothing to really follow and sink your teeth into as an audience member. In an industry where those working consistently have solid technique and highly developed skill sets, the artistry in these pieces and the potential learning experience with this training opportunity was mostly lacking.
Stella Maris Dance Company’s ‘Four Pieces’. Photo courtesy of Stella Maris Dance Company.
The last work of the night, Hurt choreographed by Cara Brown, had a lot of substance and it was quite moving. The work explored how someone or something that is toxic in relationships affects not just the instigator, or the sick person, or whatever it may be, but everyone around them, in this piece that was namely the family unit. The emphasis on the development of this piece was collaboration with the dancers, and it was obvious that Brown is quite skilled at facilitating this process. There was some very interesting movement developed from the thematic/emotional stimuli, and from start to finish this work was quite captivating. The dancers involved in this piece, some quite young, carried the work with true professionalism and ownership of their roles. Tricks set aside, we saw some quality choreography with the intent at the forefront, not as an after-thought. This work was a truly great finish to the night.
Use of lighting throughout was quite complimentary to the works and at times used quite creatively. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the costuming elements. Full costume and hair changes between each work meant the audience had a longer interval in between each piece than each piece’s length, or so it felt. These costume changes, but especially the hair changes, were quite unnecessary. These were not the kind of works that relied on costume to tell their story (except the last piece, which innovatively used coloured powder/paint on white costumes to help tell the story), and could have been eliminated. For a short showcase of a few short works, something simple and less eisteddfod-like would have sufficed for costume, and added to the desired professionalism of the company’s own, as well as audience experience on the night.
It is really nice to see a school taking such strong initiative to give their talented dance students a platform that will give them great training for their future, whether that be dance or otherwise. Training Company experience and potential exposure is irreplaceable for those wishing to pursue a career in dance. The passion that shone from these dancers, and their hard work and dedication to pull together four works in two months, on top of keeping up with their school work, is no small feat. All involved should be commended for their effort. Stella Maris Dance Company has a bright future ahead of it, and in good hands such as teacher Cara Brown, with the support of the school leadership, there will be wonderfully exciting times ahead for these students.
Photo (top): Stella Maris Dance Company in Four Pieces. Photo courtesy of Stella Maris Dance Company.
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