1991 Community Dance Program - Brown's Mart

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Darwin, Northern Territory Tour

Throughout the Year, 1991

The Community Dance program is well established with regular activites and limited opportunities to expand much further while there is only one employed Community Dance Officer. In this year there was a decision to create a fully professional season of works that would tour the territory (reminiscent of the FEATS Unlimited days.) Guest choreographer/dancers were brought in for the North Of The Border Project.

It was also during this year that David McMicken first came to the Territory. He performed in the Darwin season of North of the Border in a work that was first created through his Melbourne Company Storm in a Teacup where he worked with artists Tim Newth and Debra Batton. He returned later to work with Tim Newth on the Corrugated Iron show of Mapullbah which was a theatre, circus, dance, visual show with a diverse cast..

Core projects:
North of the Border - Professional Troupe, Darwin Season and Territory Tour
Dance Theatre: Spilt Milk (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre), Muppulbah (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre), Take Off (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre), Oedipus the King (with Darwin Theatre Company), Professional Dance and Tour, North of the Border
Darwin Dance Mob - Classes including Older Adults. Community Events: Storm Festival, Evergreens Easter Parade, seniors luncheon, Christmas show, Indonesian Consulate and Casino shows, National Dance Day, Mixtures (March and July), Fringe Festival, Senior Citizens’ Picnic, Life Be In It Sunset Series, Local Troupe
Local Troupe: Morning classes for local professional and independent dancers

Creative Personnel

Sarah Calver
with Tim Newth, Deb Batton, Maggi Phillips, Hellen Sky, John McCormick, David McMicken, Sumardi – Indonesian, Putu Desak Warti – Balinese, Jayachandran – Indian.

Notes - Sarah Calver

Dance Theatre
My work with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre as a tutor and choreographer continues to provide access to other professional artists such as Artistic Director Venetia Gillot, Bronwyn Calcutt, Annie Gastin, Maggie Myles, and Tim Newth. These collaborations enable a skill exchange and are generally stimulating and much demanded times for independent artists working in the NT. Dance theatre works I was involved with are:
Spilt Milk (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre). A show that focuses on the problems with youth dealing with issues around AIDS. Darwin, Palmerston, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine.
Muppulbah (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre). With Tim Newth, David McMicken and June Mills.
Take Off (with Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre) Based on the idea of “airports” this utilized the entire Corrugated Iron youth members and tutors. Presented at the new Darwin Airport Terminal prior to its opening with an audience of about 300 filling the departure lounge.
Oedipus the King (with Darwin Theatre Company) Town Hall Ruins, Darwin. Directed by Stephen Clarke and Choreographed by Sarah Calver, this cast of 50 used movement and music that fused South East Asian and Western concepts.

Professional Dance and Tour
See 1991 North of the Border

Community Events:
Community Dance: Dance Mob.
4 groups. Children (5 - 12 years), teenage and adults, older adults (50+), and a youth group 18 - 24 based in Palmerston.
Workshops open to everyone. The new works created through these workshops were presented at various community events.
Storm Festival – Older adults and children
Evergreens Easter Parade, seniors luncheon, Christmas show - older adults
Indonesian Consulate and Casino shows – Sumardi (Indonesian Dancer) worked with teenage/adult group.
National Dance Day – adult group
Mixtures (March and July) – adult dance mob
Fringe Festival – older adults, adults
Senior Citizens’ Picnic – older adults
Life Be In It Sunset Series – older adults

Guest Teachers
This year we saw a number of guest teachers pass through Darwin.
Hellen Sky and John McCormick form Company in Space – Technique, contact, choreography
Sumardi – Indonesian traditional dances
Maggi Phillips – took dance mob technique and choreography classes
Putu Desak Warti, Indonesian, Balinese dances
North of the Border troupe – 6 choreographers, musicians, and a visual artist took workshops in Darwin and on an NT tour.
Jayachandran, Indian. Older adults modern Indian folk. Teenage group – fusion of modern and Indian styles.

Local Troupe
A small group of professional and independent dancers have been meeting twice a week to share classes, making work and creating performances for Dance Day, Bougainvillea Festival and Blue Stocking Week. This new initiative gives a much-needed outlet for local dancers and helps overcome the isolation we feel here.

Schools
Workshops were taught by myself and guest artists: Casuarina Secondary College, Dripstone high, Driver High, Sanderson high, Palmerston Ballet, Kormilda College, Wagaman Primary, Nightcliff High, and in-service for childcare centers organized through Migrant resource centre to highlight multicultural needs.

In addition, negotiations are well underway for residencies at Yipirinya School, Alice Springs, and Angurugu community on Groote Eylandt.

Over the year we took 376 workshops for 5,605 people and performed 45 performances for 5,343 audience.

1991

Dance Development Office: Sarah Calver

[Under Brown’s Mart Community Arts – Executive Officer Ken Conway]

Photos: 

Explore Further

Participation Projects

Research and Development

Professional Dance

Artists Notes

“This year has seen some developments and new directions for dance.”  Dance Development Officer Sarah Calver

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