NEW BREED 2018 MEET THE NEW BREED OF AUSTRALIAN CHOREOGRAPHERS Forimmediate release August7 2018 29 NOV – 8 DEC CARRIAGEWORKS SYDNEY Sydney DanCe Company and Carriageworks, in conjunCtion with The Balnaves Foundation, announCe four Australian choreographers commissioned to Create works for the aCClaimed New Breed initiative that supports Australia’s next generation of dance-maKers. ‘An eclectic and consistently satisfying night of dance’ Time Out Sydney Co-presented by two of Australia’s most dynamic arts organisations – Carriageworks and Sydney Dance Company – with the generous support of The Balnaves Foundation, New Breed 2018 will provide Australian choreographers Prue Lang (Melbourne), Katina Olsen (Sydney/Sunshine Coast), Holly Doyle (Sydney) and Janessa Dufty (Yamba) with an invaluable opportunity to work with Australia’s finest contemporary dancers on a newly commissioned dance piece. These four new works will comprise the New Breed 2018 season from 29 November to 8 December 2018. The New Breed initiative made its debut in November 2014, supporting five emerging Australian choreographers through the commissioning and presentation of new dance work. Four sold out seasons in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 ensued. Adelaide-based New Breed 2014 choreographer Gabrielle Nankivell was the recipient of the 2015 Tanja Liedtke Fellowship for her New Breed premiere, Wildebeest. Wildebeest was part of Sydney Dance Company’s stunning double bill Untamed in 2016, and nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production in 2017. It went on to bepart of Sydney Dance Company’s European Spring Tour in April 2018, which included sold-out performances at the Chaillot - Théâtre National de la Danse in Paris. The fifth instalment in the New Breed initiative, will see Carriageworks, Sydney Dance Company and The Balnaves Foundation continue their commitment to the future of Australian contemporary dance, by supporting independent choreographers Prue Lang, Katina Olsen, Holly Doyle and Janessa Dufty. From August, these dance makers will benefit from the extensive support of all the departments of Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, in readiness for their premiere season, later this year. ‘★★★★ A great night of dance: all of it brand-spanking new, performed by some of the best movers on the planet and offered at $35 a ticket… exhilarating’ The Australian Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela says, ‘For almost half a century, Sydney Dance Company has been the home of contemporary dance in Australia, with a strong dedication to nurturing the next generation of Australian choreographic artists. We are proud to further contribute to this legacy through a unique program, and to invest in what we believe is the very foundation of the future of Australian contemporary dance – its creators.’ Carriageworks Director Lisa Havilah says, ‘Carriageworks’ partnership with Sydney Dance Company to support the development and presentation of this series of new works continues our commitment to collaboration and to showcasing new work from Australia’s most innovative emerging choreographers. We are thrilled to continue to provide this ongoing platform for contemporary dance with Sydney Dance Company and the Balnaves Foundation.’ Victoria Balnaves of The Balnaves Foundation says, ‘The Balnaves Foundation is delighted to again be supporting Sydney Dance Company in engaging outstanding new choreographic talent through the 2018 New Breed program. The New Breed program is a vital platform for emerging choreographers to push boundaries, explore creativity and expand their professional practice. The outcome of this innovative program has been extraordinary to date and has resulted in New Breed performances being taken on tour Australia wide as well as overseas. This next season should be especially exciting as it the first time the New Breed program has showcased all female created works.’ ‘★★★★ New Breed is well worth seeing…Extraordinary… powerful… memorable’ Sydney Morning Herald ABOUT SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY Sydney Dance Company is Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, presenting new works in Sydney, around Australia and internationally, under the Artistic Direction of Rafael Bonachela. Since 1985 the Company has been resident in purpose-built studios at Pier 4 in Sydney’s Walsh Bay, minutes from the city’s famed Harbour Bridge. Its studios house the largest public dance class program in Australia, attracting nearly 80,000 participants each year. Sydney Dance Company’s DancED program is a national initiative supporting dance education for all ages, from primary students through to pre-professional dancers. A legendary force in contemporary dance in Australia, Sydney Dance Company will celebrate its 50th year in 2019. ABOUT CARRIAGEWORKS Carriageworks is the largest and most significant contemporary multi-arts centre of its kind in Australia. Engaging artists and audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, Carriageworks has a reputation for presenting large-scale immersive programs that are artist led and emerge from Carriageworks’ commitment to reflecting social and cultural diversity. The Carriageworks artistic program is ambitious, risk taking and unrelenting in its support of artists. ABOUT THE BALNAVES FOUNDATION The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by the Balnaves family to provide support to charitable enterprises across Australia. The Foundation disperses over $2.5 million annually to organisations that aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts, with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged and Indigenous communities. Tickets are currently on sale for this limited season presentation, from 29 November to 8 December 2018, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street St Eveleigh. DATES: THU 29 NOV – SAT 8 DEC [VARIOUS] 8PM SAT 8 DEC 2PM COST: $35 DETAILS & TICKETS: www.carriageworks.com.au/ www.sydneydancecompany.com The New Breed initiative is made possible through generous support from The Balnaves Foundation. CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES PRUE LANG After studying at the VCA Melbourne, Prue joined Meryl Tankard’s Australian Dance Theatre. In 1996 she moved to France working for the Choreographic National Centre in Angers, Compagnie Cre-Ange in Paris, as well as creating her own independent projects in Paris. In 1999 she began an important and transformative collaboration with William Forsythe as a leading soloist and choreographer of the Frankfurt Ballet and The Forsythe Company. During her tenure she created five original works for the company. She also participated in the MK2 film One Flat Thing, Reproduced and online media project Synchronous Objects, and became a researcher for the MOTION BANK project. In 2005 she began working as an independent choreographer presenting her work in international festivals, theatres and museums throughout the world including Theatre National de Chaillot Paris, Rencontres Choregraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis Paris, Festival Temps d’Images Paris, Festival Faits d’Hiver Paris, Tanzplatform Deutschland, HAU Berlin, Mousonturm Frankfurt, Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf, Context Festival Hebbel-am-ufer Berlin, London Festival of Architecture, TATE Modern London, Adelaide International Arts festival, Chunky Move Australia. During this time in Europe Prue was additionally commissioned by the Frankfurt Ballet, MD Kollektiv Koln, TATE Modern, Leigh Warren & Dancers. She also co-created a film for the French-German television ARTE, published a chapter on Forsythe in Gerald Siegmund’s William Forsythe: Denken in Bewegung (Henschel: Berlin) and lead extensive workshops and conferences on choreographic practice and improvisation. In 2014 Prue moved back to Melbourne to continue her work in Australia. She began the Plant research lab from which to transmit, develop and create her choreographic practice in Melbourne. In 2015 she presented SPACEPROJECT at Dance Massive. In 2016 she created Handovers + Translations for the Gertrude Glasshouse gallery. In 2017 she presented Stellar Project for Dance Massive and became the Resident director of Lucy Guerin Inc. Parallel to this she created Zaurak for the MDKollektiv in Cologne, presenting in Tanzhaus Dusseldorf and Stadtstheater Darmstadt. In 2018 she created a new work for the NGV Triennial, followed by YONI, a commission by the Keir Choreographic Award. Throughout her career, Prue has been voted Most Outstanding Dancer, Most Innovative Production and Most Outstanding Choreographer by Europe’s Balletanz's Annual Critics' Survey, awarded in Hybrid Art by the Prix d’Arts Electronica, and has won Green Room awards for her Design, Original Choreography and Best Ensemble in Australia. KATINA OLSEN Katina Olsen is a proud Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri choreographer/dancer and also has Norwegian and German ancestry. Katina’s choreographic interests lie in the fusions of her Indigenous cultural dance and storytelling with contemporary dance, film, moving sculpture and installation. Katina holds a BFA (Dance) from Queensland University of Technology and a Diploma in Dance from Queensland Dance School of Excellence. Katina’s choreographic highlights include movement direction for a segment from the ABC TV series Cleverman 2 and Walking into the Bigness (Malthouse), collaborating with Dance Makers Collective on their Australian Dance Award nominated DADS and Instar as part of Big Dance in Small Chunks (Parramatta Riverside). Katina also recently