STEPS Youth Dance Company (Perth) and Quantum Leap youth dance ensemble (Canberra) have been invited to perform in Taiwan at Dance and the Child International (daCi) in July 2012.
The two companies will present Scratch the Surface, a 20 minute work inspired and co-created by 20 young dancers, and facilitated by Artistic Directors Ruth Osborne (Quantum Leap) Alice Lee Holland (STEPS) and choreographer James O’Hara. Scratch the Surface will represent both the dancers' surface – their skill, discipline and commitment, and what is underneath – their spirit, personality and individuality.
STEPS dancers. Photo: Tony Bonney
To overcome the tyranny of distance the companies will begin by working separately on shared tasks to generate individual sections of the work. They will communicate by sharing videos and using Facebook to exchange conceptual and movement ideas. In July they will come together at QL2 Dance in Canberra to work with O’Hara in creating a final combined section.
"This is a great opportunity to represent and embody Australian youth dance," comments Osborne. "At daCi, we will demonstrate the quality of our performance work, but also bear witness to the impact of youth dance on the national dance ecology."
Quantum Leap in action. Photos: Lorna Sim.