2023 Programs Overview | Ausdance ACT

2023 PROGRAMS OVERVIEW

We are excited to share our Core Program of Activities for 2023!

Professional Dance Sector Opportunities

Australian Dance Week

Youth Dance Festival

Dance Artists in Schools

Be on the lookout for future project and opportunity-specific emails across the year.

Professional Dance Sector Opportunities

An all-year-round service for those who perform, choreograph, make, create and educate, supporting the development and promotion of diverse dance creation and activity.

Our team provides advocacy, production mentoring, marketing and publicity support, business, administration, auspicing services, and advice.

We attend performances and meet with the community, building relationships to support and develop a network for local artists and teachers.

We have an ear to government and provide policy, resources, and industry advice. Join as members to maximise access to these benefits.

The following programs have been designed to offer opportunities to independent artists to collaborate with us, and for dance artists to develop and showcase their practices, supporting opportunities for innovative approaches, and professional development.

Ausdance ACT has a commitment to supporting opportunities for First Nations dance practice and the local Ngunnawal people.

New Dance Work Commission with Canberra Theatre Centre
A new partnership with Canberra Theatre Centre to develop a dance/physical theatre work. 1-2 week development and showing at The Courtyard Theatre. On application.

Screen Dance
Ausdance ACT has commissioned 15 short dance films, and run 7 dance film making workshops through our partner programs over the last 2 years, winning a Canberra Critics Circle Award for our Dance.Focus program with Dance Hub SA. In 2023, there will be opportunities to engage with cross art form collaboration to develop this essential skill for dance artists and avenues to showcase their work.

'Streetlight' (ACT, 2021) by Robert Aspinall a Dance.Focus commission. Photo Ryan Telfer Media of Dancer Jade Schmutter.

Professional Development: The Centre of Applied Dramaturgy 'Doing Dramaturgy with Lou Cope Bursary'
We offer a bursary for Doing Dramaturgy - an online intensive professional development course for choreographers and dramaturgs. Limited places are available in the Australasian cohort and successful practioners are chosen by Ausdance ACT, The Centre of Applied Dramaturgy, Lucy Guerin Inc and Critical Path. On application.

ZEST Dance for Wellbeing

We auspice and promote this fabulous program, that keeps the body and brain active and healthy. Run by an expert team of professional dance artists providing classes for mixed abilities and ages all over Canberra.

Workshop Series

Presented in partnership with Ainslie and Gorman Art Centres, these workshops feature local, national and international guest artists teaching and sharing their artistry.

We run free, accessible workshops during Australian Dance Week and offer affordable workshops for pre-professional students when major touring dance companies are performing at the Canberra Theatre Centre throughout the year.
We host industry workshops on the business end of dance including Safe Dance ® Practice, Dance Insurance and Marketing. These workshops are suitable for studio owners, teachers, community groups, organisations and dance artists.

Bangarra Dance Theatre 2022 Workshop with local pre-professional dance students.

Australian Dance Week 28 April - 7 May

A highlight in the calendar of Ausdance events. The Ausdance network celebrates and promotes dance in all its forms every year during Australian Dance Week.

Each year, our opening event for Australian Dance Week celebrates UNESCO’s International Dance Day. Ausdance ACT’s Australian Dance Week remains the biggest Dance Week celebration in Australia. Australian Dance Week operates like an umbrella festival, semi-curated, with an open event calendar.

Program Highlights for 2023 Australian Dance Week:

Co-commission with Canberra International Music Festival to present 'Seeds of Life', a new site-specific work by Australian Dance Party to be performed at the National Arboretum. Choreographed by Ashlee Bye featuring dancers, Ashlee Bye, Yolanda Lowatta and Patricia Hayes-Cavanagh with music by Dan Walker.
Australian Dance Week Opening Event: join us for a celebration of our dynamic dance sector on International Dance Day, 29th April.
Networking Morning Tea: this popular event brings together dance studios, teachers, arts workers and artists from all over Canberra to learn about each other’s work, exchange ideas and experiences.
Free workshops by leading dance artists.
Performance day at the National Portrait Gallery, 7th May, an opportunity to showcase the diversity of Canberra dance.

Australian Dance Party's ‘a-love-dance’ choreographed by Alana Stenning. An Ausdance ACT 2021 Australian Dance Week Commission. Photo Courtesty of National Portrait Gallery featuring Patricia Hayes-Cavanagh, Alison Plevey & Olivia Fyfe.

Youth Dance Festival

Back in full-theatre flight, Youth Dance Festival (YDF) provides professional experience in live theatre making.

Each year, 30-40 high schools and colleges participate from Canberra and the surrounding region, with hundreds of students performing at the Canberra Theatre in September. YDF is a non-competitive celebration of dance that embraces co-creation, creativity, collaboration and the development of polished work for performance. YDF provides work experience in live theatre, performance and production.

2022 Youth Dance Festival, Art Atelier Photography

Dance Artists in Schools

Ausdance facilitates teaching opportunities for dance artists to mentor the next generation of dancers, theatre makers and choreographers.

Our Dance Artists in Schools Program creates a special opportunity for schools and students to work with leading dance artists in Canberra in diverse genres, cultural styles and First Nations dance. Ausdance ACT recommends professional, highly qualified, experienced teaching practitioners and facilitates WWVP checks, COVID-19 Safe Procedures and risk assessment for schools. Visits can be tailored to suit the needs of the school. As part of our Dance Artists in Schools program, we will be partnering with Project Beats for a performance outcome at the Canberra Street Dance Festival.

Join the Ausdance community. Your membership fee goes towards advocacy in dance as well as our programs to strengthen, grow and develop the dance sector.

Individual $66.00
Concession $33.00 (current health-care card or full-time student card holders)
Organisation $110.00 (schools, studios, companies, businesses)