WORKSHOP SERIES 2025
Photo Credit: Lorna Sim, Dancer Credit: Nicholas Jachno
Our Workshop Series program is intended to inspire and expand dance practice by connecting participants to different styles, cultures, and ways of experiencing and understanding dance in its multiple facets. Workshops connect pre professional advanced and intermediate dancers with professional artists and companies.
We loved presenting another exceptional workshop with Bangarra Dance Theatre!
While in Canberra, Bangarra is always committed to engaging with the community beyond the performance by holding a beautiful contemporary dance workshop inspired by the Company's work. This year they presented Illume, at the Canberra Theatre on the 25th and the 26th of July.
Dancers of different ages and styles joined us for a special event taught by the wonderful company members, who shared the rich culture and history that is sewn through their storytelling. Experiencing the special and unique world of Bangarra Dance Theatre is a treat!
The session started with a magical singing and dancing-circle, followed by a beautiful warm-up with centre practice and travelling sequences. We then all dived in the fascinating choreographic abstracts from the Company's repertoire and finished with a captivating Q&A, no one wanted to leave!
Photo: Canberra Streets
This Workshop was presented with support from Bangarra Dance Theatre & Gorman Arts Centre.
MASTERCLASS WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET
In June we were delighted to present a Masterclass with The Australian Ballet during the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Canberra Theatre Centre.
Presented on stage of the Canberra Theatre the session was with The Australian Ballet's Repetiteur Charles Andersen exceptionally accompanied by pianist Andrew Dunlop.
Charles led the class with absolute mastery and great generosity. For their warm-up at the bar, all dancers worked on strengthening their technique and the detailed use of movements, gestures and musicality. Centre practice was joyful, rhythmical and spatial, after adage, footwork and small jumps, everyone was leaping, travelling and gracefully turning for some exquisite travelling sequences.
The Australian Ballet Masterclass was an absolute highlight of the Ausdance ACT 2025 Workshop Series and a wonderful opportunity for local dancers.
Canberra Dance Theatre - CDT, Lisa Clark Dance Centre, Dance Development Centre, The Studio International, 6th Position, OnBeat Dance Studios, Kim Harvey School of Dance Pointe2Pointe
Canberra streets
This workshop was presented with support from The Australian Ballet and Canberra Theatre Centre.
As part of our Workshop Series we presented a session for secondary school students to encourage the practice and use of dance film making. This workshop was led by the international dance artist Hsiao-yin Peng (Grace) from 舞蹈生態系創意團隊 Dancecology Taiwan.
Grace introduced her work as dance film maker by sharing some beautiful videos portraying young dancers, school students and professional dance companies. Students were led to explore movement and create short dance sequences and film them by using various methods and techniques. They learned how to frame various scenes as well as storyboarding and scenes were taken both indoors and outdoors.
It was an excellent workshop, and we could see how everyone gradually became more confident, collaborative and engaged in the creative process. Dance filmmaking is a special way to express ideas and feelings about something. By the end of the session everyone had developed mini scenes, expanded their abilities in dance film making and taken back to school something special and unique to further elaborate with their teacher.
Photos Canberra Streets
Photos Canberra Streets
EVE'S BURSARY
Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, we donated various bursary places for this event to students in need of financial support.
This bursary is named after the donor's mother who instilled a lifelong love of dance.
VICTORIAN STATE BALLET
We were thrilled to again work with Victorian State Ballet (VSB) during their Canberra Theatre season.
The VSB workshops were our most popular to date! The magic of Swan Lake repertoire and the unique opportunity to take a workshop with the company principals and cast members on Canberra Theatre Stage attracted many young and independent dancers from all over the region. We presented two beautiful, fully booked workshops, one for junior dancers aged 9-13 years and another for advanced dancers and pre-professionals aged 14 years plus.
The atmosphere was magic. Entering from the stage door, walking backstage and dancing with the company on the actual theatre stage was electrifying and a wonderful opportunity to perfect technique whilst getting precious feed-back and guidance first-hand from the artists. The Q&A sessions after the workshops were rich and informative with the company generously sharing about their lives and training.
Photos Canberra Streets
Photos Canberra Streets
Ausdance ACT’s Workshop Series is presented with support from Canberra Theatre Centre
