From November 14 to 19, the last public performances will take place in the Geoff Gibbs Theatre, with a stunning program of ballet and contemporary dance works.
Verge celebrates 45 years of dance performance at WAAPA’s Mount Lawley campus, so it is fitting that this be the last performance before the relocation to the brand-new ECU City campus.
Perth-based contemporary dance artists Emma Fishwick & Ella-Rose Trew reimagine Terra 3 for Verge, by Nanette Hassal AM, former WAAPA Head of Dance and a highly influential figure in the Australian dance scene. Fishwick & Trew trained under Hassal, bringing their memories as Terra 3 original cast to provide an invaluable connection with the original piece to the reimagining.
“Presenting a reimagined version of Terra 3 in this final season of dance at WAAPA is our way of acknowledging Nan’s longtime contribution to our Dance department, and to dance in general,” says Sue Peacock, WAAPA’s Course Coordinator for Dance.
Peacock and dance lecturer Kynan Hughes will draw inspiration from their own previous works to create a new contemporary dance piece for Verge, performed by the graduating class.
“We are honouring the past ‘spirits’ of dance at WAAPA as witness to the thousands of students who have honed their craft at the Mount Lawley campus,” says Peacock.
Also a part of Verge’s program will be a restaging of Moonlight Suite as a tribute to the combined legacies of other important WAAPA Dance figures, Dame Peggy Van Praagh, Dame Lucette Aldous AC, and Alan Alder.
Verge sees both the student dancers and WAAPA on the verge of new beginnings, ready to embark on professional careers and ready to start a new chapter at the state-of-the-art ECU City.
These performances will be the final opportunity to applaud the technique, artistry and passion of WAAPA’s graduating dancers this year, for the final time at Geoff Gibb Theatre.
