Young dancers open exhibition

Guests attending the opening of Bunbury’s premier art exhibition the South Western Times Survey this Saturday can look forward to a great night out.

Event organisers, in conjunction with Ausdance WA and the Four Towns Dance Project, have arranged for members of the project to perform a piece as part of opening night festivities.

Called Grounded, the piece has been choreographed by Alice Holland from Steps Youth Dance Company and Ausdance WA,with creative input from the performers.

‘‘I asked the girls to contribute and I was really impressed by their creativity,’’ Ms Holland said.

‘‘They had some great ideas.’’

Jennifer Farmer, from Australind Senior High School, and Talitha Maslin, from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, are helping Ms Holland and the dancers prepare for the show.

Ms Holland said she found the history of the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries building intriguing, especially in contrast to the lifestyles of today’s young people.

‘‘I was struck by the difference between the secluded and structured lives of the nuns, during the time the building was used as a convent, compared to the relatively high number of rights and freedoms enjoyed by this generation,’’ Ms Holland said.

‘‘It made me wonder, if the world was your oyster, where would you start?’’

These are some of the things the dancers explore in Grounded. The Four Towns dancers took part in a series of dance workshops, then in auditions in Bunbury late last year.

Aged between 12 and 16 years, the girls were more than happy to spend the last weeks of the school holidays rehearsing for the big night.

All want to study dance at a tertiary level, so performing with the project is a great opportunity.

‘‘The Four Towns Dance Project will look great on any young dancer’s resume,’’ Jennifer Farmer said.

Four Towns and the Future Landings Contemporary Dance Project are initiatives of Ausdance WA and are aimed at revitalising the art of dance in regional Western Australia.

Bunbury is joined by Busselton, Albany and Denmark as the four towns of the project.