The Yard at Fairfax Studio
Post
Subscribe
Wed 13 Aug 2014 - Sat 16 Aug 2014
The Yard is an extraordinary project, performed by extraordinary performers. Three years ago, award-winning choreographer Shaun Parker was invited to work with a school in Sydney's west. It was part of a broader program to re-energise the way that drama, dance and music were being taught in schools. The concept was that students would have the chance to learn from real, working artists, which in Parker's case meant that he came to the project off the back of a show at the Sydney Opera House.
As Parker was to discover, engaging teenagers is not easy, but three years later, the program has flourished and
The Yard, an urban dance production, is set for a tour, including a short season at the Arts Centre, Melbourne.
The production is performed by 20 remarkable and talented students and provides a unique insight into life in Australian schools. Parker describes the production as "raw" and "filmic". The stories are driven by physical narrative, involving hip-hop, acrobatics and other forms of street dance, and pay a nod to William Golding's
Lord of the Flies.
It's inspiring listening to Parker talk about
The Yard. It's something that he could see evolving before his eyes. "That was the beauty of
The Yard," he reflects. "These were very physical students – they had great dance and street dance skills and what was coming out was just awesome material. They're up on all the latest trends and movement motifs. They're sharp and fearless! I could suddenly see a whole work developing from what they were doing. I can remember thinking to myself 'my god, what a big undertaking - this is epic'. I was excited and alarmed at the same time!"
It didn't happen all at once though. "Yeah, in the first year, they came up with a 15 minute performance and that was really cool. In that year, it was a challenge just getting them in the room some days. I had to develop a sense of trust with them first. We also had to establish that it was cool enough! These kids have really cool street skills and the question of whether what we were doing was cool enough was a real issue for them! In the second year, they continued and suddenly it was 30 minutes and then by the third year, we had a one hour show. It grew out of a sense of play in the rehearsal room. A work like this had to grow organically. I needed to make sure that the stories were told and that the students were ready. It's been a long-term collaboration."
Notwithstanding the element of collaboration, Parker runs the program like a professional dance company. At the start of each session, there's yoga, push-ups and boot-camp and during rehearsals, students are required to follow stage rules. "That way, when they're working in the business, they'll understand the protocols," he explains.
Over the three years, 60 different teenagers have gone through the program and 20 have stayed for the duration. Those departing have often left to pursue a trade or finished school. The program's also established itself as super popular. "This year's auditions created a real buzz," laughs Parker. "It's a good sign. You know you're succeeding with teenagers when the audition room is packed!"
Pleasingly, the program's been a springboard for other opportunities. Two of the students have gone on to join Parker's professional dance company and one of the two recently performed alongside members of the Australian Ballet during a solo festival in Brisbane. It's also provided a space for other skills to develop – another of the performers had a cameo in the Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby and is an amazing singer and rapper.
More broadly, it's benefited every student who's been involved. "Over the time, they've become really solid young adults," reflects Parker. "It's wonderful to see them taking pride in what they do and they're taking these skills, things like discipline, into every area where they're working. I've also watched the pure joy that they get from being involved in something special. You could see that some of them were really on the edge of becoming aggressive and losing the plot and now they're on the edge of turning it around and making something very special of their lives."
#theatre
#shows
#city
#theatre -reviews
!date 13/08/2014 -- 16/08/2014
%wnmelbourne
104834 - 2023-06-12 11:32:06