Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company is a Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager (and composer for many works). Expressions has experienced 30% reductions in funding by the Arts Queensland, subsequently Sietsma and Valls announced their intention to finish and Natalie Weir will take over as Artistic Director in January 2009.
The company has danced the work of a number of choreographers, including, in 1985, Natalie Weir, Rosetta Cook and Graeme Watson; and in later years Jonathan Taylor, Margaret Wilson, Guy Detot, John Nobbs, Jacqui Carroll, Garry Stewart, Brian Lucas, Sue Peacock and Don Asker.
The company has toured extensively, including: America, China, Germany, Switzerland, Macau, Korea, Singapore, Israel, New Caledonia, Austria, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico and Great Britain;and undertakes significant school and community dance education activities. Expressions Dance company has performed internationally
Broader impact
Expressions Dance Company has employed many people within Australia's cultural industry. These include critically acclaimed dancers, choreographers, designers and dramaturgs:
- Drama Consultant Jennifer Flowers - directing credits include Sydney Theatre Company including as Associate Director to Cate Blanchett, Queensland Theatre Company, Grin and Tonic Theatre Company, Harvest Rain
- Costume Designer Deslye Kruck - a director, actor and costume designer, also lectured Drama and Speech at the Queensland University of Technology
- Choreographer Natalie Weir - choreographed for the Hong Kong Ballet, Australian Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre, Dancenorth and Tasdance and to return to Expressions from January 2009.
Awards
- 1996 - Awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for outstanding achievement in the performing arts
- 2007 - Awarded 2 Drover Awards - Tour Management Excellence - Special Panel Award for Innovation
Works
Works performed by Expressions Dance Company include:
- Snow Drops, (1985), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma at the national conference of the Australian Society for Education in the Arts
- Alone Together, (1995), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- Decadances (1999)
- Jigsaw, choreographer: Natalie Weir
- Alone Together
- Vanities Crossing, (1999), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- Virtually Richard3, (2000), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- Rites of Spring, (2002), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- Flight!, (2003), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- The 5th Door, (2004), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- On Thin Ice, (2008), choreographer: Maggi Sietsma
- Memory
- Jigsaw (previously performed in 1999)
- Fragments of Memory, (2007), choreographer: Cheng Tsung-Lung formerly a dancer with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre