Around Darwin

Throughout year, 2003

Due to the success of our youth dance training in 2002 through Betchay Mondragon's Multicultural Artist in Residency and the Ignite performance (our first major youth dance performance with core youth dancers Kristy Rickert, Marko Taopo, Erwin Fenis, Josh Mu, Tim Omaji, Cristina Pantazis, Tara Robertson and Lydia Szczyglowski), we decided to formalise the Tracks Youth Dance Leaders Program. One of our key objectives for 2003 was to build the connection with our youth dancers to ensure our future survival. With our Dance Animateur, Julia Quinn, having a strong youth connection and interest, we devised an annual program that would allow us to work more rigorously with a select group of young dancers and instil leadership qualities. We also had a major outreach program through the Arafura Games Opening Ceremony, (unfortunately cancelled late in the process due to SARS).

Arafura Games Opening Ceremony - 6 Youth Dance leaders, 120 youth dancers. Key skills the youth leaders identified were: Punctuality, focus, quick learning of material, teaching, public speaking, presenting in front of a large group, cooperation, working with different dancers and styles. Although the ceremony was cancelled, we did show a short segment to a very enthusiastic audience of family and friends, giving a glimpse of the sheer human energy that was to be the trait of this show.

Youth Leaders

Arafura Games Opening Ceremony

Joshua Mu, Marko Taopo, Cristina Pantazis, Tara Robertson and Kristy Rickert

Local

Byron Low, Kristy Rickert, Tara Robertson, Erwin Fenis, Estelle Quindara, Matthew Cornell and Tom Brotherton

A Bowls Club Wedding

Byron Low, Erwin Fenis and  Joshua Mu

Performances

A Bowls Club Wedding - the chance for our youth males to shine in an intergenerational setting.

Local - a celebration of 10 years of Tracks gave another opportunity for our youth to show their skills.

Tracks 2003

Artistic Directors: David McMicken and Tim Newth
General Manager: Suzanne Fermanis
Dance Animateur: Julia Quinn
Book-keeper: Heather Richards
Publicist: Sue Camilleri
Office Administrators: Heather Richards (Jan - Feb), Janice McEwan (March - April), Rukshana Ramachandran (June - August), Jolene Mooney (September -December)

Committee Members:  Jackie Wurm (Chair), David Taylor (Vice-Chair), Glenn Bernardin (Treasurer), Kyleigh Hindson (Secretary/Public Officer), Ken Conway, Donna Quong, Jill MacAndrew, Kay Brown (Ordinary Committee Members), David McMicken and Tim Newth (Ex-Officio Members)