The Dream Comes to Life

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Marko Panzic
Marko Panzic

It’s time for Australia’s commercial dancers to move from backing up the stars to being the stars themselves. By Sally Clark.

Marko Panzic has worn many hats since he first came to our attention as a Top 20 Finalist in the first series of So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2008. But the most benevolent one he currently and very proudly wears is as founder, artistic director and producer of the Dream Dance Company. This Sydney-based commercial dance company will launch its second season program, “The Secret Society”, at NIDA’s Parade Theatre on July 13.
The seed that started “the Dream” – as Panzic lovingly refers to it – came in 2014 when, as artistic director of the Australian Dance Festival, he presented what was predominantly a “faculty” performance at the final night concert. Panzic remembers that “the audience went crazy”. But it wasn’t just that performance or the audience’s reaction that stayed with him; rather, it was the fact that in spite of all the talent working professionally in commercial dance in Australia, or the potency of the energy he had experienced with that team of dancers in the rehearsal room, no platform existed in this country for it to be anything more than a one-off experience. And, more importantly, he realized that even the best commercial dancers rarely got to be in the foreground of the performance or step into the spotlight as the star – and he wanted to change that.

This is an extract from Sally Clark's article, "The Dream Comes to Life", about Sydney's new commercial dance company in the current June July issue of Dance Australia. How could you miss it? Buy it from your favourite magazine retailer or subscribe here, or purchase an online copy via the Dance Australia app.


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