Youth Programs: Anders and Alissa’s Experience
published
6 June 2017
An interview with Pre-Professional Year Course Director Linda Gamblin for ilDance newsletter.
The PPY program is now in its 4th year, what are the core ambitions and values that guide your work on designing the program?
Person first, artist second, dancer third. I see students thrive when they use dance as their tool to discover themselves as artists. Technique is just the beginning. After years of formed (mostly aesthetic) study in dance this year-long intensive gives the student time to reflect and invest in their own authentic movement and voice, to dance deliberately with ease and rigour. Self reflection keeps you interested in the how and why. Being interested will make you interesting for any potential employer in any field.
Israel Aloni and Lee Brummer have been leading workshops with previous years of PYY but this is the first time that they are choreographing a new piece for the group of young artists. How do you feel about the process with Aloni and Brummer?
I recognised immediately Lee and Israel’s vision resonating completely with the direction of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year. It was only a matter of time before getting them back to choreograph a work for our graduation. Immersing ourselves in this three week development has led us deep in the understanding of Lee and Israel’s movement ideals, given us freedom to individually generate ideas and produced the opportunity to collaborate in their choreographic process. The work looks amazing! I’m really looking forward to where the dancers will take it by the time they perform the work at their graduation performance in December.
How do you see the work with Aloni & Brummer in the broader context of the experience that the young artists undergo during their time at PPY?
This experience with Lee and Israel fits exceptionally well in the context of the pre-professional year long experience. It’s within these intensive environments that the student dancer truly witnesses what it is like to collaborate in a creative process as a worthy participant. This is where full cultivation of maturity can occur. The dynamic and respect Lee and Israel offer in this process, creates the sometimes massive shift needed for the aspiring professional dancer to take the themselves seriously.
The dancers have been through a life changing experience with Lee and Israel and their endless supply of life lessons. Lee and Israel’s inspirational mentoring will be something the dancers will take with them and look back on for the rest of their lives.
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Our Pre-Professional Year students worked with Israel Aloni and Lee Brummer in their first term of the course. Find out more about our Pre-Professional Year course here.
Register your interest for our 2018 Auditions here.
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