The Victorian Dance Festival is quickly approaching, and the excitement can no longer be contained! With a great line-up of choreographers and workshop classes, the Victorian Dance Festival, held in Warrnambool, Australia, will be the event that dancers throughout the country will flock to.
Josie Walsh, the artistic director of Joffrey Ballet School (JBS) in Los Angeles and San Francisco, will have the pleasure of teaching workshop classes and holding auditions at this year’s Victorian Dance Festival. Throughout the audition process, Australian dancers will be chosen to participate in the JBS Summer Intensive Program in the U.S.
Josie Walsh of Joffrey Ballet School. Photo by Jody Q. Kasch.
“I’m really looking forward to the synergy of this festival,” says Walsh. “This is where so many professionals from around the world get to share their expertise and wisdom with each other and the students.”
Australian students from all over who participate in this wonderful festival are vying for their chance to be educated by some of the best in the dance world but to also focus on their dance career at a professional level. Throughout the audition process, as well as in workshops, promising students who show significant potential will be chosen to take their training to the next level through the Joffrey Summer Intensive Program.
As the artistic director of Joffrey West, Walsh discusses what she looks for specifically in a potential student. “I look for many things,” she says, “but one quality that always stands out to me is focus, passion and the ability to absorb information.”
Besides looking for students who can pick up quickly and applying what they’ve learned, Walsh also mentions the importance of taking risks and embracing the unknown in the students who she’ll encounter during the festival. With the opportunities offered through the JBS and its intensives, versatility is of great importance.
“My focus is to empower students through my hybrid approach to ballet in an all-encompassing way, technically and artistically,” Walsh shares.
The Victorian Dance Festival is just a subset of what the JBS and Walsh hope to do for Australian dancers. Kate Peila, producer of international programs for Joffrey, says that many amazing opportunities await the gifted students who will get to be a part of the JBS Summer Intensive. Partial and full scholarships are not the only perks that Australian dancers can look forward to after being accepted into the summer intensive program with Joffrey.
Josie Walsh teaching. Photo by Jody Q. Kasch.
“When there is a student who shows promise and growth, they may be invited into the Trainee Program,” Peila explains. “Within the trainee program, dancers will receive top-notch training.”
Because dance training doesn’t stay static, Peila discusses how JBS, along with the Victorian Dance Festival, will foster great talent through the students who participate and receive scholarships along the way.
“While we strive to follow the mission and vision of Robert Joffrey,” Peila continues, “we also seek to create an exchange with the countries we travel to and essentially want to make the Joffrey name stronger abroad.”
Each summer intensive with JBS offers something different for those who participate, according to Peila. Not only are dancers exposed to influential teachers like Walsh, but they also have the opportunity to be exposed to real producers and take part in auditions at a professional level.
“The summer intensives are a way for the kids to really experience professionalism,” says Peila. “They receive a proper foundational training in ballet, jazz and contemporary styles.”
With the support of the Victorian Dance Festival and amazing sponsor Energetiks, the JBS’s vision for its international program is slowly falling into place. The future is bright for the dancers lucky enough to be a part of such a prestigious program. Dancers will be able to walk out with more knowledge and a deeper respect for the art form.
By Monique George of Dance Informa.
Photo (top): Josie Walsh will teach at Victorian Dance Festival. Photo by Jody Q. Kasch.
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