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August 2004
There has been a number of developments for Ausdance NT. First of all,
the board wishes to extend thanks to Janice McEwen for her dedication
and commitment to the organisation over the last three years. Her hard
work and effort was phenomenal and this is evident through the current
status of Ausdance NT. Jenny Milne has also moved on after many years
of service.
Maryke Mac became the Executive Officer in June. Maryke comes from a
performing arts background. Her knowledge and experience spans a wide
platform in arts management. Prior to relocating to Darwin she held a
short-term contract with the 2004 Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts. Hayley
West joined Ausdance NT as Temporary Project Officer in July.
Joe Mallia began working with Ausdance at the end of March under the
Work for the Dole scheme. He is a great asset to the organisation and
performs a variety of roles including implementing our website updates.
There has been talk of Joe staying on as a volunteer; Ausdance NT is
very excited about a tech-savvy volunteer on board.
Dance Intensives were held during the June/July school holidays. Beginners
class included three excited young men and some are now attending a weekly
hip hop / break class conducted by Marko Taopo as part of the UpfroNt
program.
Tracks is currently in rehearsal for Snakes gods & deities to be premiered at the upcoming Darwin Festival. Dancers from various
cultural backgrounds including Indonesian, Filipino, PNG/ Pacific Islanders,
as well as guest artists from the SAMA Ballet in Sri Lanka, will feature
in the performance.
In Katherine, the Croc Festival has had schools around the region in
a whirl. They have spent the last few months planning their performances,
designing costumes and learning dances. They are now putting the final
touches to their performances and preparing for the long drive to Katherine
where they will perform.
Arts Katherine, working in partnership with the Education Department,
have been working to access training for the Croc Festival. Offering
young people in four isolated communities—Jilkmingann, Timber Creek,
Minyerri and Wugularr—the opportunity to put their story into a performance
to be presented at the festival, has been rewarding. Artists Martin Kwasner,
Jason Campbell, Sarah Hosford and Marko Taopo have offered youth dance
and choreography workshops to build skills and confidence of the participants
who will soon perform in front of the large crowds expected at the festival.
August continues to be busy. As part of the Darwin Fringe Festival, Ausdance
NT is presenting i [ndependent]-moves—a contemporary dance program bringing
together seven choreographers from both the established and emerging
local dance community. Artists reflecting Darwin’s unique culture through
their own different cultural backgrounds include Julia Quinn, Julia Gray,
Samantha Chambers, Jenny Devlin, Gary Lang, Martin Kwasner and Marko
Taopo. In addition to this, Ausdance NT is also proud to present Streets
of Dance during the Festival of Darwin. Streets of Dance reinvents public
spaces throughout the city and beyond—these spaces will come alive as
Darwin dancers take dance out of the studio and into the world.
May 2004
more...
November 2003
The Indigenous performing arts sector
August 2003
Festival of Darwin
May 2003
Closer contact with the dance community
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