By Elle Evangelista of Dance Informa.
One of Australia’s most exciting choreographers, Marko Panzic, continually brings the hottest commercial talent all across the country with The Dream Dance Tour. In 2014, he again committed to bringing the most exciting experiences to young Australian dancers by creating the country’s first commercial dance company, The Dream Dance Company, set to perform their debut show, GENESIS, at NIDA in May.
“The inspiration for the company came about when I stopped and realised the lack of work here in our own country. Dancers in Australia need to be nurtured and celebrated on our own soil,” says Panzic. “So I thought to myself, ‘why not have a company that celebrates talent and creates work for dancers that love the commercial world of dance?.’”
Panzic, together with Stephen Tannos, will co-direct and choreograph the company in the lead up to their debut performance with rehearsals beginning in April. “The timing is perfect as it is time for dancers to get back into the theatre. In the commercial world we have focused too much energy on TV and now young kids that aspire to be dancers are witnessing and learning through a TV set. I feel your best way to be educated is by seeing live art. So I really wanted to encourage the younger generation to come and see dance live and feel the buzz from a live dance show.”
“Styles will vary from contemporary ballet to hip hop to jazz to commercial jazz. It will have a taste of lots of styles and genres and push the audience to explore music through all different genres of dance. This company is a collection of Australia’s top professional dancers in the commercial world. This will be a celebration of Australian talent and choreography. Basically this company is a fusion of a mainstream dance company and a hip hop crew all rolled into one.”
Panzic is still in the process of finalising the complete company after holding open auditions in Sydney. “The auditions in Sydney were mind blowing. We had over 160 dancers show up, which also proved that this company stands for something that is needed,” says Panzic. “The talent here in Australia is INCREDIBLE. The hunger and passion in our dancers is next level. Witnessing how much talent we have here is so inspiring, I wish I had 160 spots in the show. For this specific show GENESIS, which Stephen Tannos and I are choreographing, we are really exploring different genres of dance so we were specifically looking at what styles and genres people can contribute to the show. We really wanted everyone to bring there own individual flare to the audition.”
The full company list was just announced and it includes: Marko Panzic, Stephen Tannos, Jessica Hesketh, Natasha Marconi, Lauren Seymour, Cat Santos, Eden Petrovski, Dayton Tavares, David McLean, Rob McLean, Adrian Spuria, Dylan Mahoney, Teagan Seaborn, Symiko, Shivawn Joubert, Alex Miedzinski, Alice Robinson, Joseph Donovan & Jal Joshua.
Ultimately, Panzic would like a show from the company to happen biannually, which he considers an achievable goal considering the high demand his company dancers are in in their individual careers. “I feel having it every second year will add more want and need for a dance show like this. Also, what we are creating will only happen once in a moment as all the dancers we use are in high demand in many other worlds of dance. We create something so magical [for one show], and once it ends, it could actually never be recreated as the dancers all continue on their fascinating journeys in dance.”
And as for people who live in other states and are wishing to see GENESIS, you may just have to wait – for now. “I am hoping that maybe we will get it to other states across Australia, I just want to see where the momentum pushes us.”
At the present moment, Panzic admits he is taking things “step by step” with the company and for any enquiries the best method of contact is currently via their Facebook page. “At this present moment www.facebook.com/thedreamdancecompany is the best source for the company. We are taking this company step by step and seeing where everything leads. So far, so much magic is happening and the support has been incredible. I hope all dancers support this company as I truly believe its up to us to create work in this country for the hundreds of incredible dancers we have in Australia.”
And for those dancers “versatility, good attitude and determination” are the three main things Panzic suggests all young and aspiring dancers need. “That’s what I truly believe makes a great dancer today. You truly need to be versatile and have a great work ethic and be ready to work hard! A good attitude and personality really does decide your longevity in this career.”
From GENESIS, The Dream Dance Company’s first ever show, expect to see “something fresh, new and exciting” from Australia’s premier commercial dance company. Panzic assures us in GENESIS “we mix modern day music with old classics. This show will leave you inspired and with a new view on movement, choreography, musicality and emotion. Our main goal is for the audience to leave feeling something.”
GENESIS runs May 1st-3rd at NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney. For tickets, click here.
Photo (top): The Dream Dance Company’s promotional flyer. Photo courtesy of The Dream Dance Company.
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