4 minute read
Connecting
Jenni B Classes On Demand subscriber
In 2021 we connected with audiences and the community in new ways and through new partnerships, evolving our virtual and in-person dance programs to deepen connections with existing communities and, importantly, reach new ones.
The evolution of virtual dance classes for adults enabled connection with, and access to, dance. The classes provided people with a physical outlet during periods of isolation and when lockdowns, geographical or health barriers meant they couldn’t attend classes at the Wharf.
• Live online classes were a feature throughout 2021. Our Virtual Studio (964 classes and 22,431 participants) and Livestream Classes (128 classes and 514 participants), supported by LG SIGNATURE, allowed participants to view a live class taught in our
Wharf Studios from their devices and join in from wherever they were.
• In June 2021, we launched Classes On Demand with a Free Access Day, which attracted 961 unique views of our library of pre-recorded classes. The launch proved timely as it coincided with the start of the Sydney lockdown. By year-end we had a total of 21,235 unique views of our Classes On
Demand platform, and had built a library of 122 prerecorded classes taught by Sydney Dance Company dancers, our training faculty and our teachers. The development of Classes On Demand was supported by the Federal Government’s Restart Investment to
Sustain and Expand (RISE) grant funding. • As part of The Festival of Place, we partnered with
NSW Government to present I Want to Dance with
Somebody, a virtual community dance party for anyone, wherever they were, at the Sydney Festival.
Participants learnt a dance routine through a series of free online dance classes, which culminated in an online dance-off with live music from Australian pop group, Haiku Hands. We had over 1,038 online attendances.
• Another 176 participants joined our R U OK? Day free livestream class, which was led by our Dance
Class Manager, Ramon Doringo.
• Medibank and Sydney Dance Company joined forces in 2021 to help provide all Australians with free access to dance and movement. The strong relationship between health and dance has been celebrated throughout the year. Beginning with a Ballet class, led by Sydney Dance Company
Head of Training Linda Gamblin, being shared via
Medibank social media channels, the collaboration grew into a series of nine classes broadcast across both organisations’ social media channels on the last Wednesday of every month. Sydney Dance
Company and Medibank look forward to continuing their goal of sharing the joy of dance with as many
Australians as possible over the coming months and years. The classes, which ranged from Jazz to
Contemporary and Hip Hop to Ballet, received over 35,000 views. “It is amazing and is getting me through lockdown! I am really enjoying Christen's classes and would love more of them.”
Melissa E Classes On Demand subscriber
Delivering dance workshops and creative activities to children and young people around Australia provides opportunities for engagement, connection, social inclusion and fun, and overcomes barriers to access due to geography and transport, knowledge and financial means.
• In partnership with the NSW Department of
Education’s Education LIVE initiative, and led by our Rehearsal Director Richard Cilli, Sydney Dance
Company delivered two streamed workshops: - A primary-aged workshop with a focus on creative movement, that attracted 16,000 views - An HSC-targeted workshop, with a focus on using movement to boost mental health and increase productivity when studying, that attracted 6,600 views
• Thanks to the support of RISE funding, we were able to deliver 53 virtual workshops that reached 1,734 students in regional areas and national centres, such as Darwin, Cairns, Bendigo, Mildura, Dareton,
Orange, Adelaide, Toowoomba, Bathurst and
Shepparton, among others.
• Our 57 face-to-face workshops, held during our
National Tour and in the Greater Sydney area, reached more than 1,470 participants. • We designed, developed and released digital resource packs, aligned with secondary school curriculums, and made them available for schools to purchase to further enrich in-school learning. They provide rich context and background to the creative processes and professional work our artistic and production teams undertake when making works that tour the world.
• More than 600 students attended the School
Matinee performance of Impermanence in February.
The performance included pre-show demonstrations and discussions, and a post-show Q&A that enabled young people to experience and understand the work’s creative process, and to connect to contemporary dance.
Our In-Studio classes provide an opportunity for people from all walks of life to connect to the Wharf Studios’ professional and industry leading environment, and become part of a community that supports physical activity, skills development and social wellbeing. During the year we held:
2,949
In-Studio classes with 53,047
attendances
24
School Holiday Workshops with 799
attendances by young people
42
Short Courses with 668
attendances
78
individual Pilates sessions
45,218
Virtual, Livestream and On Demand classes “My students will never forget the wonderful gesture you offered them through this fully subsidised virtual workshop. They came away inspired and felt very privileged to be taught by the Company dancers. We are ever so lucky to have such a wonderful dance company that represents us on the international stage that embodies our dance language as Australians so well. My students are avid Sydney Dance Company fans now, and feel part of your community of dancers.”
Kariong Mountains High Schools dance teacher
