Austinmer Dance Theatre is providing young Illawarra dancers the rare opportunity to pursue professional careers right on their own doorstep.
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Early morning at the base of the Illawarra escarpment and a group of dancers sculpt their chiselled forms for a photo shoot.
A mix of ultra-feminine lines and strong, powerful, contemporary techniques shift in harmony and melt into the stunning bush backdrop.
These are the 2015 members of the Austinmer Dance Theatre (ADT), aged between 15 and 26, elite contemporary dancers who have completed years of training, many having started out in leotards and tiny pink tutus long before primary school.
These are highly trained dancers and I guess that was the main reason I started the company
- Michelle Forte
Competition is fierce for the handful of coveted dance positions in Australia and many young dancers are forced overseas to pursue a career. As a dance teacher, ADT founder and artistic director Michelle Forte has witnessed many promising students give up on their dreams because of a lack of national opportunities. Those who move overseas to dance professionally may struggle with cultural change and many return to Australia disheartened and homesick.
Forte decided to fill the void for young dancers, establishing ADT as a junior company in 2011. It was a 15-year dream in the making.
"Usually the dancers who come back home after giving it a go overseas never dance again," says Forte. "These are highly trained dancers and I guess that was the main reason I started the company. The aim was to bridge the gap. To provide that stepping stone for Australian dancers."
This year the company members have doubled, with 10 dancers being offered positions for 2015. ADT attracted 22 dancers at the October auditions - some applying via DVD from Western Australia and Queensland.
"I was very excited to have people audition from interstate, people who had heard of us and who were interested in taking that next step to move out of home to follow their dream. It's a lot easier moving interstate than it is overseas," says Forte. Queenslander Saraphina Irvin, 18, was offered a position with the group. The company also has dancers from Nowra and Sydney.
The not-for profit company pays its dancers for performances if the box office intake, after expenses, can stretch. However, they are not paid for the hours of rehearsal time, workshops or training.
On top of marketing and costume costs, ADT needs $9000 a year to pay for dance space. That figure is already at reduced rates with Thirroul Dance Academy, Joanne Grace School of Dance and a Helensburgh dance school offering a substantial discount. To make ends meet, the dancers have part-time jobs or are studying at university and fit in ADT classes around their busy schedules.
"It would be great to get to a position where we could pay members for their time," says Forte. "That way they could focus on dance, but we would need to have a major sponsor for that to happen."
Forte has been teaching classical and jazz since she was 18 and later moved into contemporary dance, which became her passion. She met Maurice Causey at the Netherlands Dance Theatre Studios in 2006, during an independent study tour.
The pair hit it off and the internationally acclaimed contemporary choreographer and former ballet master became ADT's patron.
Causey travels to Wollongong annually in September to conduct exclusive workshops and to create a contemporary piece for the company.
The company is attracting interest from other international and national choreographers.
Iratxe Ansa, also formerly of the Netherlands Dance Theatre, has just completed a week-long workshop for ADT members and other interested dance students at Fairy Meadow.
She too will create a piece for ADT, as will Thomas Alfred Bradley, a lead dancer with the Sydney Dance Company.
"When dancers work with a range of choreographers they begin to develop their own, unique style and they begin to understand the level of work ethic that's required," explains Forte.
"I've already had several emerging choreographers approach me wanting to work with the company. It's hard for choreographers starting out and so it's two sided, we will help them and they will help the dancers achieve what they want to achieve. But the people who work with us need to believe in the whole philosophy of ADT. We're not about making money. It's about creating this company together. It's also about welcoming all dancers regardless of stature. So it's not just about amazing technique, it's about dancers who have passion and are willing to put the work in. That's why the classes are free of charge. I'm very firm on that as a lot of these kids wouldn't have these opportunities otherwise."
The aim is to nurture the young dancers until they land jobs in a professional company or they decide that a career in dance is not for them.
Last month, ADT member Olivia Berrell was offered her first professional contract with the Melbourne Dance Theatre.
In the future Forte hopes that all of ADT's performances will be created by outside choreographers, giving her time to concentrate on administration and marketing.
She has just submitted an application for a Wollongong City Council cultural grant - last year they were lucky to receive a $4000 grant for audience development.
"That made a huge difference to our bottom line," she says. "I'm trying our luck again this year with a different project."
Forte describes herself as a "tough but fair" teacher and members are expected to be fully committed to their craft. If they fall short, they are asked to leave.
"It's difficult but it's important for the group that everyone pulls their weight," she says. "We want to create a professional dance atmosphere and work ethic so young dancers can experience what it's like to work both physically and mentally at a professional level."
Forte's next challenge is to take the company on tour to national festivals.
"The goal is to get to national festivals like the Adelaide Fringe and then ultimately down the track international festivals. It gives the dancers touring experience but it's also good for exposure and recognition."
■ The ADT dancers will perform two productions this year. The first, Forty Minutes, is a one-hour production on May 29-30 at Coniston's Phoenix Theatre.
A second new production of Uncoiled will showcase works from Causey, Ansa and Bradley at the end of October.
Both productions will include performance times for dance groups and high school dance students.