May - Dazzled by dance

Australia celebrated Dance Week this month (3–9 May). The Australian Ballet is honouring its founder Dame Peggy van Praagh on the 100th anniversary of her birth with her 1979 production of Coppelia at the Sydney Opera House.

The establishment of the Australian Ballet in 1962 was intimately tied to the Australian experience of the Anna Pavlova, Ballet Russes, Borovansky Ballet and Ballet Rambert companies touring Australia from the 1920s to the 1950s, engaging Australian dancers. Australian audiences were dazzled by these dance companies. The new forms of expression in the dance and contemporary sets inspired Australian photographers and visual artists. Thousands of fans thronged train stations to greet the dancers on regional tours.

Van Praagh's achievement of her vision for dancers on regular contracts, a national school, classical works alongside new choreography and international tours established Australia's classical dancers on the world stage known for their technical excellence and versatility.

Alongside ballet, there is also the strength, innovation and excellence of Australia's 15 contemporary dance companies who have achieved worldwide recognition - with audiences in Paris, New York, Berlin, Glasgow and the Americas flocking to see them.

New and revised Australian Stories

Please see new and revised articles on:

The first wave of classical ballet in Australia

The Australian Ballet and Dame Peggy van Praagh

Contemporary dance in Australia

Monthly call-out

Entries by 31 May 2010

Applications are invited from Indigenous, roots and world music exponents for the Australasian World Music Expo (AWME) 2010.

Featured Resource

Search over 300,000 items from the Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre, Melbourne relating to the history of circus, dance, music, opera and theatre in Australia.

Featured event

Australian Ballet, Coppelia - Sydney and Melbourne

11–22 June 2010

This delightful ballet tells the story of Dr. Coppelius, a toy maker and magician, who attempts to bring to life his beautiful doll, Coppelia. Australian Ballet production by George Ogilvie & Peggy van Praagh from 1979; Music Leo Delibes; Costume and set design Kristian Fredrickson. More...

Featured website

Expressions Dance Company - Brisbane

Founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma and Abel Valls, Expressions blends abstraction with theatricality utilising speech, dance and visual media. Expressions has toured across the United States, Europe, Mexico, New Caledonia and Asia. Natalie Weir was appointed artistic director in 2009. Nominated for Outstanding Perfornance 2010.

Snippets

Design and architecture

culture.gov.au/news/design.htm

Hotel Hospitality and Design Expo - Melbourne

24–26 May 2010

Hotel Hospitality and Design Expo (HHD) 2010 is Australia's first hotel, hospitality and design showcase. More...

Digital media and film

culture.gov.au/news/digitalmedia.htm

6th Reeldance International Dance On Screen Festival - national tour

May–November 2010

The ReelDance International Dance on Screen Festival is Australia's largest event celebrating the art of dance film and video. More...

Festivals and conferences

culture.gov.au/news/festivalsandconferences.htm

Vivid Sydney - Sydney

27 May – 21 June 2010

Vivid Sydney is a festival of light, music and ideas. The Sydney Opera House will be the focal point of Vivid Sydney with the lighting of the sails. More...

History and identity

culture.gov.au/news/historyandidentity.htm

Palais - The Romance of the Dance - Geelong, Victoria

13 February – 23 May 2010

Palais - The Romance of the Dance celebrates the history of Geelong's historic Joy Ark and Palais Royal. Known as 'the birthplace of a thousand romances', generations of Geelong people met on the Palais dance floor. More...

Indigenous arts and culture

culture.gov.au/news/indigenousarts.htm

Vibe Alive - Townsville, Queensland

26–27 May 2010; touring nationally

Vibe Alive is a two-day festival for young people who like to dance, break, rap, sing, paint and play sport, to express themselves and show the school, the family and the community what they are good at. More...

Language and literature

culture.gov.au/news/languageandliterature.htm

2010 Emerging Writers' Festival - Melbourne

21–30 May 2010

The Emerging Writers' Festival exists to promote the interests of emerging writers—to improve their opportunities for professional development and their engagement with the broader public. More...

Performance

culture.gov.au/news/performance.htm

Chunky Move, Glow - Canberra

26–29 May

Glow is an illuminating choreographic essay from Melbourne dance company Chunky Move. The performance tracks a lone organic being mutating from one form to another.  A digital landscape is generated in real time in response to the dancer’s movement. More...

Resources and funding

culture.gov.au/news/resourcesandfunding.htm

Sydney's MCA to showcase new national centre

4 May 2010

A $53 million upgrade of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) is being jointly funded by the Australian ($13 million) and NSW ($13 million) governments, with the balance coming from the museum itself and private donors. More...

Visual arts and crafts

culture.gov.au/news/visualarts.htm

Rupert Bunny: Artist in Paris - Melbourne

26 March – 4 July 2010

This, the first major retrospective exhibition of the work of Rupert Bunny (1864–1947) since 1991 will open at the National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne-born Bunny was one of the most successful artists of his generation. More...

Websites - new

culture.gov.au/news/websites.htm

Australia Dancing

February 2010

The Australia Dancing portal, hosted by the National Library of Australia, provides users with access to current and historical information about dance in Australia. More...

Portal news

The Culture Portal at www.culture.gov.au will close from 1 July 2010. The Culture Portal closure is part of the Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2009-10 announced on 2 November 2009. Enquiries regarding this closure process should be addressed through the Comments and Feedback page, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.