Fresh
June 16 to 20 2003
Earl Arts Centre, Launceston
Leven Theatre, Ulverstone
Peacock Theatre, Hobart.
Choreography: Trisha Dunn and Catherine Freeman
In collaboration with: Felecia Hick and Nikki Smith
Production/Stage Manager: Darren Willmott
Graphic Design: Peta Riddell
Costume Design: Kate Watson and Frith Loone
Dancers: Steven Blizzard, Samantha Bound, Maeve Breen, Brody Crane, Clint Elliot, Alishia Fyfe, Courtney Hayes, Anna Kingston, Bridget Nickalson-King, Rebecca Osborn, Alicia Perry, Jarrah Phoenix, Chantelle Roberts, Amanda Walsh and Andrea Wong Chi Ah
2003 celebrated International Year of Fresh Water and TasDance's education performance project Fresh used the greatest commodity of this century, fresh water, as a means of expressing young people's ideas through a contemporary dance production.
Company members Trisha Dunn and Catherine Freeman joined forces with Nikki Smith, an exciting young Aboriginal dancer and Felecia Hick, an emerging dancer/choreographer from Adelaide to conduct 28 workshops throughout Tasmanian secondary schools.
At the conclusion of the workshop program, 16 students showing talent and promise came together to create a new dance work, which toured Launceston, Ulverstone and Hobart.
We asked the Fresh participants what skills or benefits they felt they gained by being involved in the project that they would not have gained elsewhere?
- Patience: with the process and the people. Looking after myself when the brain and body is under pressure everyday.
- Being able to give dance movement a positive meaning! I've previously thought it was easier to create movement to a negative theme.
- Working with a wide range of different people, doing a professional performance in front of an audience, being able to focus.
- Understanding the demands of touring with a company.
- I have never been good at contemporary dance, which forced me to dislike it because it felt wrong. By the end of Fresh I loved it because I got the right feeling.