Hannah Cooper
ask has been accepted to
perform in the Bodies dance season at Newtown Theatre. We will be
performing our newest work, Here and Now, choreographed for the company
by Isabelle Achard (see article later in the newsletter). We first
showed the piece to the audition panel on March 10, receiving feedback,
and waited with bated breath for the promised call. When it came
a month later, it was not a yey or nay but a call to re-audition as Norman
Hall, long standing organiser of the season, had not seen the first showing.
A few days later Michael Campbell, artistic director, called us to confirm
that we are part of the first week in the month long festival. This
is really encouraging as approximately 76 different pieces were auditioned,
with the majority for the first and fourth weeks, which feature contemporary
dance works.
So be there to support us
and witness what is likely
to be an evening of “interesting” art and vast contrast
Bodies - Wednesday 10th
May to Sunday 14th May!
DESIREE
PEARCE RENSBURG
Hi! I'm Desiree Pearce Rensburg
and I'm ask’s first apprentice. I’ll be taking on the roles of production
co-ordinator and choreographer while completing studies for a Bachelor
of Creative Arts (Choreography) at Wesley Institute. A bit about myself
- I have 13 years of dance training behind me and due to injury am pursuing
the choreographic and technical side of dance and theatre. I am 22 and
got married in late November, 1999. (that's my husband above!) We
are both actively involved in our church's youth group that spans Australia
wide.
I am really looking forward
to learning with and from ask, and also having input into the company.
I hope you enjoy being informed about the happenings of the company in
2000!
PILATES
CLASSES
Hannah Cooper
Ingrid Shaw has offered
to sponsor ask by providing free Pilates classes at Vass and Shaw
Pilates. Core members of the company can exercise at the studios
as frequently as we like, and people with us on project basis for the duration
of the project. We would like to thank Ingrid for her support and
this invaluable assistance in our training!
THE SPIRIT
MOVES: ICDF AND CDFA CONFERENCE
Hannah Cooper
We are getting excited about
our involvement in this special event incorporating teachers and delegates
from around the globe. The conference is designed for creative artists
of all kinds and will be held in Mittagong on July 8 - 15. ask will
be involved in two capacities during the week: we will be performing
in some of the evening events; and teaching workshops on collaboration
and dance theatre over two days culminating in a performance. Phillippa
is directing a special one-off work, facilitated by ask and incorporating
other artists, for the Australia Night. We will also take a new work
directed by Hannah to be premiered at the conference.
ISABELLE ACHARD
Isabelle is a dance practitioner
with twenty years experience in performance, choreography and tuition.
Trained in contemporary dance techniques, she has performed professionally
in France and Mexico. Her work in Australia has focused more on teaching
and on developing an individual movement practice.
She has an ongoing association
with various dance and theatre institutions such as the University of New
South Wales, University of Western Sydney, Nepean and The Actors Centre
as teacher and choreographer. Her main artistic interests lie in alternative
movement and non-stylised practice.
Isabelle lives in Sydney
with her husband and two children.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
February - August 2000
Bodies
Contemporary Dance Season
Here and Now, directed by
Isabelle Achard and performed by Hannah Cooper and Phillippa Oakden-Patch
will be performed each night in Week 1 of the season. This fourteen minute
work will be shown alongside a number of other short contemporary works
by independent choreographers.
The second week presents
contemporary ballet works, the third contemporary works by or performed
by youth and the final week is similar to the first with a different program.
Jenny Dennis, lecturer at Wesley Institute for Ministry and the Arts, will
be presenting Dry Bones with her students in the third week. Our production
co-ordinator, Desiree Pearce Rensburg, also submitted a work for youth
week and has been given the privilege of presenting it in the professional
show in Week 4.
The Spirit
Moves
We are excited about the
development for the conference, ask will be teaching a two session workshop
on collaboration and dance theatre culminating in a performance by the
participants. We will begin rehearsals in June for Storm, under Phillippa’s
direction and including a number of other professional or ex-professional
dancers. This will be our Australia Night contribution. Hannah is going
to rework a small section of These Doors are for Walking Through, to be
performed on one of the other night. Phillippa is also working alongside
poet, Cameron Semmens, in a half hour show for the Bleeding Edge Theatre.
This event will run for an hour each week night of the conference and will
present performance art that is more “on the edge”.
NOTE: Desiree’s work will
now be presented at Options, the Australian inter-university gathering
of dance departments to be held at the University of Western Sydney from
July 3- 7. Phillippa will also be teaching a class at the conference.
Dance on
the Edge
This season will only occur
once in 2000 and the projection is for December.
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