Directory

Merge Dance Theatre - Pre-Professional Youth Contemporary Company

Performance dates: Saturday 12th October and Sunday 13th October

Auditions for 2020 intake in February 2020

MERGE DANCE THEATRE IS A YOUTH CONTEMPORARY COMPANY AIMING TO BRIDGE
THE GAP BETWEEN DANCE SCHOOLS AND PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES.

MERGE is the ideal company for aspiring young dancers who are looking for challenging, explorative and technical work that will give them the knowledge and understanding of what is involved in the contemporary dance industry.

The vision for MERGE is to enhance and develop the artistic individuality in each dancer, challenging them to explore and create contemporary dance while collaborating with some of Australia’s leading contemporary artists.

MERGE aims to extend and engage young artists to be independent, creative and confident in their contemporary dance abilities with the goal of developing their performance skills to that of a professional standard.

MERGE TRAINING PROGRAM is designed for students aged from 9–11 years (Junior) and for students aged from 12–14 years (Intermediate) to get a head start on the skills required to be part of the full company.

SUBJECTS: Choreographic skills, Improvisation skills, Collaboration with industry professionals, Contemporary Technique, Partnering, Task work

TEACHERS: Deanna Castellana (Artistic Director), Alana Sargent (Guest Artist), Timothy Hill (Dramaturg)

"I am so grateful for Merge Dance Theatre and absolutely love what it stands for. From the very beginning, Merge Dance Theatre has been the supportive foundation I needed to have the courage to pursue my goals for a career in the contemporary industry. This youth company allowed me to develop my passion for contemporary dance and learn how to channel my creativity. I have been with Merge Dance Theatre for the past three years and have gained skills in improvisation, choreographic skills, partnering, collaboration work and task work.

"I definitely feel like Merge Dance Theatre is a place where passion is nurtured and allowed me as a dancer to meet other likeminded creative dancers. I have gained so much knowledge and understanding of what is involved in the contemporary dance industry and have been lucky enough to work with some pretty amazing industry professionals. I never thought of myself to be a person who would enjoy the challenge of improvising and creating dance material, but during my time with Merge Dance Theatre I have become so comfortable with creating and now love experimenting with new and unfamiliar movement.

Personally, I feel like Deanna has helped shape me as a contemporary artist and has assisting in me finding my own unique way of moving and creating - it’s like I have developed my own style!" -  Monique Mangano