Fourteen young people, aged 9-14, will join the first iteration of the new company. They will be trained by artistic director, Danielle Micich, and join renown performer/actors Paul Capsis, Olwen Fouéré and Pamela Rabe in the world premiere of Force Majeure’s next major work, The Last Season, in January.
Micich took Dance Australia behind the scenes of the initiative:
Dance Australia: Why did you form the youth company?
Danielle Micich: The youth company came out of INCITE Youth, which was an expansion of our INCITE artist development program that happened last year with the support from Create NSW. We wanted to reach young performers who are wanting to develop and understand how to approach making new dance theatre works with narrative.
The goal with this youth company is to bridge that gap from training to performance for young people and to share dance theatre practice with the next generation. It places young people onto our mainstages so that we might look at the world from their perspective.
What you are looking for in your young performers?
Danielle Micich: It is important to have a good widespread representation of younger performers. 14 young people aged 9-14 were selected after an audition process. We were looking for an open mindedness to work with conceptually challenging ideas, a playfulness in their exploration of choreographic tasks, an ease and confidence with their range of movement and dance styles, a willingness to experiment with voice, and a collaborative nature.
What can you reveal about 'The Last Season' and the role the young dancers will play in it?
These young dancers play a vital storytelling role. They are the major movement component of the work. Our three “grown-up” actors, Paul Capsis, Pamela Rabe and Olwen Fouéré, are the keepers of old seasons and old world views, resisting change. As the title suggests, we are witnessing the cycle of the last season to which we as a species have played a huge part in damaging our planet. The youth company represent a new world view. The work is made in collaboration with them and the choreography is devised with and by them.
- CANDIDE MCDONALD
All photos by Brett Boardman.