Aspire ’24 opens

Pre-Professional Program dancers take to the stage for their annual showcase this Friday at the Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre.

Audiences can witness Pre-Professional Program dancers’ technical and artistic expertise across both classical and contemporary styles of dance.

The program will include excerpts from Ben Stevenson OBE’s popular production The Nutcracker, along with works by two Resident Choreographers Paul Boyd (Academy Ballet Master) and Louise Deleur (Head of Contemporary Dance), and a selection of pieces highlighting the emerging choreographic talent from within the cohort.

Ms Deleur said she was inspired by the beautiful music by Zbigniew Preisner, when creating For My Friend.

“I was brought to the memories of my dearest friend. A troubled soul who carried many a wound but who filled a room with light and love. A true artisan, he lived a blazing life with fearless adventure and a generosity that touched many. In the most condensed format, this is my story for him.

I would like to thank the dancers for the wonderful spirit they have brought to the creative process. It’s always a joy and pleasure to work with the generosity and heart that they bring,” she said.

Mr Boyd said he was drawn into what he had read about Ravel and Bolero, and while formulating the work the subject of ‘time’ kept coming to the forefront of his thoughts.

“So ‘time’ began to be the inspiration for my Bolero...912 seconds.

“Time is the one element in all our lives that we cannot escape from, it marches forward without regard to our individual needs, at times we have it in abundance and then suddenly we don’t have enough of it. It frustrates, manipulates, and dictates our lives and in this piece one dancer will represent and conduct time, manipulate, and drive the pulse while the other dancers represent the mechanics of the timepiece or the human emotions that time has upon us all,” he said.

Queensland Ballet Academy’s Pre-Professional Program is a full-time, final year training program providing young dancers with the preparation they require before joining a professional ballet or dance company. Based at Queensland Ballet’s home in West End, the next generation of dancers thrive in this studio-to-stage, industry-aligned training program.