Brown’s Mart Theatre, Darwin City

October 20, 1996

A Community Dance Event with a watery theme, featuring over 100 dancers, as part of the launch of National Water Week 1996.

Surround yourself within Bodies of Water. Your local Life Guards, Tracks Dance will guide you through this big splash. Brown’s Mart Theatre will be our ocean for the night. Watch the different dance groups as they create waves. Give yourself some relief with these aqueous dances as they reflect the youthful energy and cultural diversity of our city.

Director's Notes

This community dance event utilised dance performance, physical theatre, design and visual elements. Supported by Power and Water, we created an evening of performance that looked at the role of dance and movement in many different social contexts. Using the theme of water we worked with various cultural groups, Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre, general public through our dance mob classes, school students, scientists, environmentalists, teachers, public servants, politicians, and computer specialists.

Bodies of Water allowed us to target specific cultural groups with water related dances. Kulay Lupa Filipino Cultural Group and the Thai Lao Australia Association performed with dance and rituals based on the sanctity their cultures hold for water.

We were able to target school children and promote dance as a performance activity. They and their parents are future audience members who have been exposed to a wide range of dance and cultural activity. This type of project allows us to forge stronger links and work towards a two-way exchange with our audiences. After every show the audience was encouraged to stay and meet the artists.

Bodies of Water demonstrated a commitment to creating high standard performances led by professionals, having these seen widely, and making links with our community and cultural groups. This gives our work the style, form and firm basis that is recognised as pushing boundaries and breaking down barriers between professional and community dance making and performance.

Creative Personnel

David McMicken, Sarah Calver, Tim Newth, Berenice Franklin, Lisa Campbell

Performers

Local Troupe, Dance 2000, Kulay Lupa Filipino Cultural Group, Nightcliff Primary School, Larrakeyah Primary School, Thai Lao Australian Association, Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre, Theatre North, Small Works Musicians, Darwin Dance Mob: youth, adults, the Grey Panthers

Tracks Dance 1996

Co-Artistic Directors: Sarah Calver, David McMicken, Tim Newth
Administrator: Liann Stevenson

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