dance - qut...dance dance collections this quality _performance season at the woodward theatre on...
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DANCE No 8 April 1994
AT THE ACADEMY
QUEENSLAND UN IVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, ACADEMY OF THE ARTS," DANCE PROGRAM, L()CKED.BAG NO 2, RED HILL, QLD 4059 _ . \ .
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DANCE COLLECTIONS This quality _performance season at
the Woodward Theatre on QUT's Kelvin Grove campus will highlight the cre_am of Queensland's aspiring professional dance talent in an exciting, challenging and highly entertaining.evening of contrasting dance styles. Highlights of Dance. Collecfions '94 will be performed in Perth at the Options '94 Ter-· tiary_ Dance Festival immediately following the Brisbane season.
Highlights will include a ne~ work created by Artistic Director of The Queensland Ballet, Harold Collins and the return of 1987 ADA graduate Paul O'Su II ivan, who wi II restage Leigh War" ren's highly enNgetic Never Mind the Biildies.
L'eonie Leahy, former principal dancer ofThe Australian Ballet, London Festival Ballet and the Norwegian Opera Ballet in Oslo, and currently enrolled in the Bachelor of A~s (Dance) at
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the QUT Academy. of the Arts, will reproduce a ballet repertoire piece.
New full-time s.taff member Tiina Ali-Haapala will choreograph a new contempo~arywork and Nikolaus Gobel; who teaches jazz and musical .theatre dance styles at the Academy, will cho~ reograph a high-energy modern musical
,section based on the theme of Carmen. Acting Head . of Dance Shaaron ·
Boughen will restage her quirky and inventive A Memory of Modern Dance performed in - Bodyline for the 1993 graduation season, and Dianna LaskaMoore will again produce the lively and ever popular Folk Dance section.
Dance ColleCtions is alway..s a firm audieoce favourite, otten performing to sell-out houses. Don't miss out!! _For performa,nce details, see back page.
Cover Detail: ' Steven Lavender and Elissa Fullerton in Shaaron Roughen's
. 'J\ Memory of Modern Dance" which will be re-staged for Dance...Collections '94
POSTGR\\DUATE STUDIES Postgraduate study in Dance has-ex
panded very rapidly at QUT. Five years ago the only postgraduate coutse with any dance content was the Graduate Diploma in Education (Pre-service) Secondary which is a Faculty of Education course for training secondary dance teachers.
This course is still in place providing prospective tea cheFs with a good grounding in dance education. However, the reaL growth, in terms of stud en( numbers, has occurred in the recent Master of Arts and the new Master of Fine Arts. A strand in both courses allows students to specialise· in dance studies.
The Master of Arts is a research' degree requiring students to complete a large research project contributing to 0ur understanding of dance. With dance being the under-researched area that it ·is, there is plenty of scope for students to make significant contributions through their research. '
Current MA students and their research projects are. as follows: Maggi Sfetsma, An Investigation of the use of ·Voice/Text in Dance; Sue Fox, A Model lor teaching Evaluation of Dance to Secondary Students; Judith .Smith, Assessment . of-performance in Secondary Dance; Jacqui Carroll, A System of Actor/Dancer Training;-Lei saG iII, Black
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Dance in Mtisical Theatre; Barbara Bennetts, TeachingPostmodern Dance in Secondary SchcJOI; Susan Bowden, The- History of Modern Dance in· Australia;Julia Postle, Australian Po_stmodern · Dance. _
, The Master of Fine Arts taught by coursework is aimed at the professional develepment of-people working in the dance industry. This course started this year with two dance students - Roc Tapeng Lei and Helen Leeson. These students will be engaging in a smaller
· research project with a more practical expression of results .
It is vital for the future of dance within the University that ppstgraduate study continues to expand and' produce high quality results, so I appreciate the . efforts of our current students and welcome enquiries regarding entrance requirements and course details. Kristen Bell .
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CHOREOGRAPHY-AT TKE ACADEMY. TOP FACILITIES I
An innovative/move by Dance at the Academy in profi I i ng our you ng-choreographic: talent has seen New Moves expand to offer two seasons of fresh new work by Academy dance students.
The first season will be a selection of works in various styles, featuring choreography by the second year ADD and BA students. The second season will . highlight original works ora more substantial nature by the third year BA choreographic majors. '
This change was prompted by the serious need to highlight, and prov_ide exposure for, the future generation of choreographers. Students electing this pathway of study need an environment to not only ' practise their ' craft, but to experiment with and .create their art, without the pressure associated with commercial success O( fa(lure.
Students interested in choreography
ACADEMY CENTRES ON INNOVATION
In response to a rleed for the promotion and support of new artistic.works, the QUT Academy .Of the Arts recently establislled the Centre for Innovation in tl}e Arts. _
The Centre will facilitate the creation and pleset ltadon d neW artistic wori<s, ~ courage multi-media innovation iniherontemporary arts and enhance the commer .. dalisation d new 'artistic worb.
The Centre will mariage the Academy's Arts Technology Laboratory and the Artist-in-Residence scheme. It will also-be the focal point for doctoral can_didates within the Acad~y.
~ntre Director is Rod Wissler, al')d · the multi--disciplinary management committee involves choreographer Jean Tally, visual aJtist~ilyn Fairskye, composer Michael Whelan; and actor/director/playWright Sean Mee. The Centre's primary focus is the staff and gradua~e studehts of the Academy, but a number of prpjectsAwill involve undergraduates as weH in high-profile arts events.
During 1994 the Centre's program will invotve productions of ne\'\"dance and theatre works, an exciting range of visual and performing artist residencies, commissions for future works and exhibitions. ....
have often used the dance staff as a platform i~ organising their own ventures, frequently in spite of difficult odds. , The Academy believes A~,Jstral ia' s young artists need encouragementtofulfil their -role in .the constant redefinition of AustraHa's cultural identity.
1984 Academy Dance graduate Natalie Weir had her humble beginnings as a choreographer through the weekly composition classes and showings in her ADA course. Nqtalie, whose works have been performed throughout Australia, and in New York and Tokyo, has made a name for herself as an exciting y6Ling choreographic talent. Natalie will· be creating her first full-length contemporary work for The Queensland 'Ballet later this year:
New purpose-built facilities in 0 Block at Kelvin Grove provide QUT dance students with the most modern studios in Queensland. They include three bright, fu_lly-equipped airconditioned studios -with 'sprung floors; staff and student change rooms '-with showers and lockers; costume storage and construction rooms; student grfen room; fully-equipped physiotherapy clinic; seminar room; and staff offices. All are welcome to view these superb new facilities. The two G Block studios will continue to be used until th_e building is demolished to allow for construction commencement in 1998 of the
· Academy of the Arts building. ...
Nieole Reordan and Jonathon Cameron-Smith -
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NEW STAFF Tiina Ali-Haapala began her profes
sional dance career with Tasdance after graduating from and performing with the Australian Ballet School. Tiina taught and choreographed at the West Au·stralian Academy of Performing Arts and studied contemporary dance in - New York. She has danced wit~ .Expressions Dance Company and Leigh Warren 's Australian Dance . . "(heatre where she also taught company class. Tiina ran community CQRtemporary dance classes for adults and creative dance·classes for children on the Sunshine Coast and has taught part-time at QUT. Tiina was one of many Academy Danc-e representatives who attended this year's Green M~ll Dance Project. Tiina teaches contemporary dance and composition at the Academy and will be choreographing a. new work for Dance Collections '94.
D. Following his graduation with dis-
. tinction from the Academy of Dance in Leipzig in the former German Democratic Republic,· Nikolaus Gobel embarked on a professiona.~ dan'ce career performing in ballet and musicals in · Berlin and on Germqn television . After several years on the 'opera stage', Nikolaus concentrated on the commercial side of his career including a stfnt performing on cruise ·ships. He came tb Austral ia three years ago as a dancer and assistant choreographer for the first Indy car race spectacular and as· a dancer at Jupiters Casino. Nikolaus then taught jazz dance aethe Northern Rivers lnsti- . tute NSW before resuming his performance career in the currentjupiters show, , ~ '
Odyssey - A journey to Paradise. Nikolaus teaches jazz and musical thea~ tre dance styles at the Academy.
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As w€!11 as teaching music theory for Dance . at the Academy, Mi<;hael Faragher is a part-time lecturer with the Academy of the Art~- Music, a teacher at Sommerville House High School and is undertaking his PhD atThe University of Queensland. Michael has spen_t many years working and performing as a jazz and commercial musician and with brass bands thro.ughout Australia, including band master with the Australian Army. - \ .....
GREEN MILL DANCE PROJECT In January I attended the Green Mill
Dance Prdject in Melbourne accompanied by a contingent of the Queen~land dance community. ,
The Green Mill Project is a nationwide choreographic festival and conference where topics are open for discussion. This year's theme was Contempo-. rary Narrative. I
QUT Academy dance staff, students and graduates, participated in paper presentations_. performances, c~iring"sessions and as general audience. Acting Head of Academy, Sue Street, discussed the narrative that dance inherits from
' ballet. This included the integrity of re=producing ballet works where sections in current productions of the same work are omitted, sometimes confusing the ·narrative.
I delivered a presentation concerning autobiography as non-linear narrative - Acting Head of Dance at the Academy, Shaaron Boughen, and Avril Huddy (BA 1993) assisted by performing their autobiographies simultaneously in movement, text and photographs. Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director of Ex" pressions Dance Company, currently completing her MA at QUT, presented a comparative of her works, Dark Heart , and The Dream Hunters, looking at the pathway the individ~al dancers took and their· meaning in relationship to the piece. Clare Dyson, 1991 BA (Dance)
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graduate and 1992 BAHons (Visual Arts) graduate, delivered a strong presentation on an emerging -choreographer's perspective of dance developments in Australia. _,
Other QUTstaff and students taking partwerestatfmemberTiina~li Haapala; BA 1988 graduate Helen Mullins (teaching secondary dance in Bundaberg); Gai I Hewton, a former part-tih,e staff member and BA 19~2 graduate; and Katie joel, a current third year BA student who received a QUT dance. scholarship to attend the Project. -
T~e conference examined the means of discussing dance with literature o_ften used as a metaphor. When describing how dance evokes meaning, it was difficult to get into any in-depth form of discussion due to the lack of 'dancing' versus 'talki,(lg about dance'.
A highlight was the lunchtime performances of Trotman and Morrish whose improvised dance detective narratives provided comic rei ief after hours of intense listening. It was also very interesting to interact with people working professionally outside academ i.a, and discuss how their experience informs their .work. I felt privileged to be a part of the discussiol'} and inquiry arising from Green Mill, and believe that it continues in our work at the Academy.
Jean Tally
KINDLE THE FIRE Sydney's Macquarie University will
host the 6th triennial Dance and the Child International Conference (DACI) from 12-20 July, promisfng to be a huge event involving a cross section of the international dance community.
Organiser of the event, David Spurgeon, from the School of Applied and Performing Arts at Macquarie, has enlisted the assistance .of QUT dance lecturer Kristen Bell and myself, along
' with others of diverse dance backgrounds and experience from other institutions, to help select the presentations.
Kristen will be chairing a p,anel, and together we will be involved in the general day-to-day running of the conference. J will be'i)resenting a paper dealing with gender issues that may impact on dance teachers in the early childhood area.
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Dance and the effect it has on other art forms is the central focus of the conference, which I believe, makes it an important hallmark in Australian dance history.
TonyGeeves .... TONY ON THE ltBC Following an article in prestigious
European scientific journal New Scientistlast December, lecturec.:r ony Geeves was interviewed via sateUite on the British-Broadcasting Corporation.
Tony, author of The Safe Dance Report(1990), a significant research work in dance kinesiology; was. keynote speaker at Dance UK's 1993 conference, presenting a paper on the psychology of dance teaching. Exposure 'of Tony's dance science research will enhance the international reputation of the QUT Academy of the Arts. .
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ENVIABLE GRADUATE. EMPLOYMENT RECORD v
A recently coni pi led statistical analysis indicated that 70'per cent of all QUT Academy dance graduates from the BA and Associate Diploma courses·between 1985 and 1993 were employed in a daQCe-related area within two years of graduation. ·
Of this number, 60 per cent were succe~sful in gaining jobs as professional dancers . (This included ballet and contemporary dance compa-
nies in Australia and overseas; commercial and musical theatre; cabaret; freelance and independent artists; and educational touring programs.) A fu.rther 33 per cent of all graduates employed are teaching (in the state education gystems or private dance studios) with ·dance as part, or all of their primary teachi~g function. The remaining seven per cent gained employment in other dance
·areas such as arts administration . .
Gene Barrell and Greg Tebb
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~ ' Of all Academy BA. graduates, 67
per cent have gained employment in several dance-related areas, w'ith -50 per centalso g_oing on to postgradu<;1te study. Statistics show that 71 per cent of all Associate Diploma graduates since 1985 gained employq_1ent in a dance-related field, with 77 per cent of tliat number becoming professional dancers. Theremaining 23 per cent are either teaching or working in other related areas .
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. PERSEVERANCE 'FOR ORIENTATION
. This yea~'s orientation at.lhe aptly~ named Lake Perseverance introduced
·more thai'L 40 dance students to tertiary study. The camp is nestled amidst a canopy of trees alongside a tranqu i I lake near Crows Nest. It was the first time we had utilised this superb venue and we were overawed by the 'state of the art' facilities and were kept comfortable during the continuous rain.
During the camp and preyious week, the-students were introduced to the fun
_, damental 'survival skills' necessary in undertaking a'full-time dance ptogram. Informal lectures and practical -sessions 1
'were conducted by lecturer Tony Geeves to graduate students' initial workload highlightiQg the reduction and possible severity of-dance-related injuries. Having this orientation 'getaway' prior to
_, start of classes, staff _have noticed students appear to _settle in with. stud,ies
_ more quiGldy once semesJerbegins.
Sue 'Caulfield-Leclerq
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' ZZZOOM ON VIDEO . Fiona Cullen, parHime- Academy
Dance lecturer, .and Andy Arthurs from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, spent an exhausting two days ' filming their collaborative work ZZZOOM with eight Academy dance students. Filming was intheQUTWoodward Theatre and editing was completed in December. ZZZOOM was an origin~ ! collaborative music and dan.ce pi~ce created by Fiona and Andy for the 'Wild Front Ear) multimedia and music festival ~t the Conservatorium last year. It wa~ also performed in Dance Collec
tions 1993.
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GRADUATE NEWS Nicole Galea (BA 1992), recently
returned from South Africa, is currently perform~ng with The Queensland Ballet
Louise Taube-(BA 1992) is pursuing her choreographic career interests, studying a postgraduate course in choreogra
'phy at th~ Victorian College of Arts of Melbourne.
Fiona Allwood (BA 1992) is now teaching at~n Early Childhood centre in Ashgrove following completion of her postgraduate studies in E~rlyChildhood. Danielle Deveraux (BA. 1992), has.received a contractteaching position with Kelvin Grove State High Scbool while Kristy Anderson (BA 1992) is tutoring part-time in Dance at the QUT Academy of the Arts.
' " News recently received of Robert Tannion (BA1992) is that he has a contract with 'Alias Compagnie', a contemporary dance company in Switzerland and is currently on tour throughout Europe. Gabrielle Johnston (ADA 1992) has signed a further one year contract with the Australian Opera Dance ensem~le. Ano'ther QUT graduate to join Gabrielle this year with the AO is Darren Vizer (ADA 199_1 ). ,
1 Angus Lugsdin (BA 1993), coordina-
tor of the Queensland Dance School of Excellence, and Pamela Buckman (BA 1993) a-fre~lance choreographer qnd teacher, nave recently completed their Bachelor of Arts studies in aance at the QUT Academy of the Arts. Angus and ~amela are among the first ex-profesJ sional dancers to graduate fr.om QUT.
. Angus was a dancer with the Austral ian Ballet, the Frankfurt Ballet and ballet master of The Queensland Ballet before assuming his current teaching position . in 1987. Pamela danced w.ith Ballet Victoria, Australian Dance Theatre and was rehearsal director for The Queens-land Balret prior to pursuing a freelaQce career. · I
Nicole Brooks (ADA 1993) is working with fa'med Melbourne televisiorv and show choreographer, Tony Bartuccio and is currently back in Brisbane doing promotional work for him. Other graduates working on the musical theatre circuit include Grant Whitfield (ADA 1991) who is in Phantom of the · Opera, playing i n,· Sydney and Sarah Uppill (ADA 1991) who is touring Australia with the latest Barry Humphries (Dame Edna) show Look at me when I'm
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' Graduates Hakyan Clark (Left) and Andrea Officer, both dancers with Expressions Dance Company. '
talking to You. Sarah will be with "Dame Edna" at Seagulls on the Gold- Coast later in the year.
Stephen Davison (ADA 1990) who has maintained steady employment in the musical tlneatre scene sjnce graduation, returned recently to Brisbane's Lyric Jheatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex playing the role of :Don' in the hit muscial A Chorus Line. Ihe production, which qpened in Brisbane,
_ is now touring Australia. -Eight of the p'rofessional jobs avail-
. able to dancers as part of the Queensland Arts Council sponsored primary schools touring shows are held by QUT graduates. The most recent being Michele Carolan (ADA 1993) with the Australian FolkloriC Dance Company currently on tour in North Queensland, and Andrea Officer (BA 1993) and Halcyon Clark (ADA 1992) with Expressions Dance Company, currently performing in Brisbane schools prior to embarking on a tour of the state's southwest Other graduates working in this area are Nicole Brown (ADA 1989) and Damien Hoyle (ADA 1991 ) with the AFDC, Bruce Wells (ADA 1989) with Expressions Dance Company, and Suzan Williams (BA 1989) and Rachel Crompton (A DA' 1989) with The Q ueensland Ballet - .
Paui .O'Sullivan (ADA 1987) returns to his old stomping ground and the new
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Kelvin Grove dance studios in April this year to mount Leigh Warren's. exciting and energetic work Never Mind the Bindies< for the 1994 graduating year. Along with Paul, fellow QUT graduate Victor Bramich (ADA 1989) performed at the Holland Festival last year with the Adelaide~based Leigh Warren and Dancers.
Miranda Lind (ADA 1990) informed • the Academy dance staff of her impend
ing move from Tanz Forum in Cologne, Gei:(!Jany to the London-based Rambert . · Dance Company under the artistic direction of world renowned choreographer Christoper Bruce. Miranda's friend and former university class mate, Elissa Gibbs (ADA 1990), performing with the International Folkloric Dance Company of Amsterdam, also wrote to the dance staff highlighting her W'Periences touring with this Dutch Folkloric company through China and India.
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A GRADUATE'S EXPERIENCE The director resigned ... half the com
pany left ... some of the theatre staff were made redundant, the rest went on strike ...
. The Opera Theatre was burnt"out by arsonists .. . and finally, the performance
. boycotted!!! So was iny introduction to South Africa as a member of NAPAC Qance Company. .
NAPAC stands for "Natal Performing Arts Council" and incorporates the orchestra, opera company, dance company, and choir. It is in the. cit y of Durban, on th.e Indian Ocean coast of South Africa within the province of Natal. In August 1993, I was contracted to dance with the company for three months. Despite all the above, which sounds like a nightmare, it was the best learning experience of my life- not only
. career-wise, but personally. South Africa is a country going
through a lot cif political change. April 27 sees the country's first democratic election and one is constantly' aware of the tensi6n permeating the entire coun-· try. Even within the NAPAC structure, · the feeling cannot be escaped. The theatre is often vie~ed as "white man entertainment", therefore, under a new government it is possible that ar:,ts funding may drop dramatically.
But, while all these outside influ~nces and 'horrors' transpired, we at NAPAC continued to press onwards. After the fire in our main theatre, smoke surged through the stairways causing our studios, dressing rooms and the small theatre that we were currently performing in, to be smoke and water damaged. One show was cancelled ~ but yve were
determined to continue the season . The following day, with the theatre staff on strike and unavailable, we fronted up with buckets, mops, dusters and a vacuum cleaner, to restore the theatre to its former condition, ready for public use. It was then, despite our lack of an artistic director who had incidentally resigned and left the previous week, that we truly became a. company. As the old / cliche quotes, "The show must go on!"
Within NAPAC, I made many friends. The company was very muiti-culturalconsisting of South African whites and Zulus, Spaniards, British, New Zeal<md- . ers, Brazilians and Australians. What
' surprised me was that at 21 , I was the 'baby' of the company. I had always had a nagging beliefthat21 was a little 'old' to be starting my fi rst professional job. I
• . soon learnt how wrong I was, ' plus a great deal more, from my older coworkers.
Perhaps my biggest perception was the difference in training wlien comparing Australian dancers to the rest of the world. It appears, and I may be generalising, that in overseas institutjons a dancer is trained either classically,- commercially or in a <:ontemporary style. Jheir trair:rtng rrl'ay include the other forms, but they are labelled as one orthe other. After the all-encompassing training at QUT, I take the liberty to consider myself just 'a dancer'. This covers all aspects and implies versatility . This seemed to surprise some people who found it difficult to comprehend that we can be versatile dancers,- and gooa at
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South Africa is a beautiful co.untry, as contrasting and varied in its landscape as Australia~ There cart be no denying the brilliance of the surf on a deserted golden beach, or the splendour of .a snow-peaked mountain in the DrakensbUfg. However, one factor differentiates the two countries. Australia's quality of life far exceeds that of South Afri~a . Nev,er again will I take the safety and security that is a part of the AustraLian lifestyle, for granted:
To conclude, South Africa, the Wonderful people that I met there, and the opportunity of a full-t jme professional jo,b, all combine to have made my three month stay a time to remember. It was a time to experience a different culture and country, and most definitely an ·experience to stand me in good steCJ,a for the fCture. ·
NicQie Galea (BA 1992)
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PERFORMANCE DIARY '94 Dance Collections
QUT Woodward· Theatre 21 -25 1une 7.30pm
25 june 1.30pm Adu It $15 Concession $1 0
School Group $6 ... New Moves 1 & 2
QUT Woodward, Theatre . Season 1 : 7 -9' September 7 .30pm
Season 2: 28-30 September 7 .30prn Adult $10 Concession $8
School Group $6
• Body and Sole QPAC Concert Hall
30 November and f December 8.00pm Queensland Regionall our . l-15 December Adult $15 Concession $10
School Group $6-
AUDITION DATES _ Brisbane ,
Studio J, 0 Block Kelvin Grove Camp45 ADD 14 Nov, BA t5" 16 Nov
BA Interviews 16 Nov ... Rodmampton
Debra P.a'rker Academy of Dancing ADD and BA 16 Nov ....
Mackay Theatre Arts Mackay ADD and' BA 17 Nov ...
" Townsville Ann 'Roberts School of Dancing
ADD and BA 18 Nov ... "" ~irns '
Patsy Fry Dance School ADD and BA 19 Nov
· ~ Sydney Sydney Dance.Company
ADD and BA 16 Nov ... Canberra
National Capital Ballet School ADD and BA 17 Nov ...
,.,. Adelaide Susan Taylor Dance School ,
ADD a11d BA 18 Nov ... Melbourne
Victorian College of the Arts ,ADD and BA 19 Nov . .
F~r further information please contact the Dance secretary on (07) 864 3423
DANCE
Fiona Mcl/kenny and Jonathon Cameron-Smith, performing in "My One and.-()n/y" in Body Line last DeceiJlber
APPLICATION PROCEDURES I
Academy of the Arts Applicant Information Kits wi ll be avai lable from Guidance Officers at· all Queensland high schools and the Academy's Dance Secretary from 'May. All applicants must complete.the Applicant Information Fo~m included in the kit and submit it to the Academy of the Arts together w ith a cheque or money order for the $20 aud ition fee by 31 October 1994. Applicants must also apply to QT AC to be eligible for an offer. For further- details, contacrthe Dance Secretary on (07) 864 342 3.
OPEN CtASSES As part of this year's Dance Week
activities, the Academy of the Arts is opening its doors to anyone interested in watching QUT dance students at work . Classes wi ll be open for viewing from Tuesday 26 April to Friday 29 April inclusive., providing teachers, parents and prospective students with an oppor- . tunity to see the NEW dance faci l ities. For further informationTegarding Dance Week activities contact Ausdance (07) 22 1 9124, and for the QUT open classes, tl(_e Dance Secretary (.97) 864 3423 .