Secondary students from across the Canberra region come together to showcase their student-led projects in the Youth Dance Festival at Canberra Theatre Centre on 18-19 October.

Incorporating live performance and dance film, the event showcases the talents of our youth in dance-making, choreography, theatre and filmmaking, while also allowing them to experience what professional-level arts practice entails.

Established by Ausdance ACT, the festival has been running since 1985. Students are asked to create a piece that fits into the annual theme, this year’s being the provocative ‘Bread and Circuses’. The term is often associated with the Roman Empire’s political strategy of distracting its people with food and entertainment while unrest, turmoil and governmental collapse were happening under their noses. 

“There’s an option for students to reflect on what is performance today – is it still an act of pure entertainment or distraction from everyday life and problems, or is it as well a vehicle for everyday people to understand what is really going on or what are the social, economic or historical changes we are going through,” says Debora Di Centa, Ausdance ACT project manager and program coordinator of Youth Dance Festival.

According to Ms Di Centa, choosing an academic theme that might be new for many of the students invigorates their minds and inspires them to research and get creative. While the pieces are all student-led allowing their creativity to shine through, they do receive help and guidance from professionals.  

Wearing the hat of mentor coordinator, Ms Di Centa is hands-on in schools across the region, arranging for professional independent artists, like her, to visit schools and provide some guidance throughout the process.

“When we go and visit them, we have a chat, we try to understand what they want to vehicle from the dance works, so the medium. Then we watch the rehearsals and if they need support, if they want to figure how to compose a section of the work, we can workshop ideas,” she says.

Creating every element of the production from the lighting, costumes and use of space to the message they are trying to express through the movement, Ms Di Centa says the process allows everyone the opportunity to experience performing, creating and choreographing, which may lead them to future careers.  

“There have been several artists who probably started like that, or people who went into theatre who became lighting designers or technicians. There are many options for performance, so YDF, through all these opportunities, creates an option and gives a vision and understanding to everyone of what dance, art and performative arts are.”

Heading into the schools, Ms Di Centa treats the students as professionals in a real dance company throughout the mentoring process to help empower the young dancers and encourage them to do their best.

“In the amount of time we have, their focus narrows down a lot and they actually realise they are going to be empowered through their dance on the biggest stage in Canberra. That gives them a taste of really what it is,” she says.

An independent artist working and teaching across many different fields of dance, performance and movement, Ms Di Centa feels honoured to be able to share her knowledge and experience with the young and excited performers.

“I really feel that I am a vehicle, I am a person who passes on what I’ve learned through other artists, teachers, performers, and I allow what I’ve been given in my experience so far to be shared with the new generations and carried on and developed to see what the future will bring.”

See the performances in Youth Dance Festival 2023 at Canberra Theatre Centre on 18-19 October; ausdanceact.org.au