JUNE 2018, ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1
ODE TO ALL BREAST CANCER WARRIORS
“No matter the age, history or not—I would never wish breast cancer upon anyone or family.”
STEPHANIE Stephanie was just six-years-old when she found out her mother had Breast Cancer. What was considered a long, painful and treacherous six year battle ended in heartbreak and loss. The Cancer had spread through her entire body. The battle became one-sided, weighing in favour of the cancerous cells. Her mother took her last breath at age 40 while her three daughters and life long partner watched her soul float out of her body. It is tragic for any daughter to live her life without the witness of her mother, particularly facing the same battle her mother faced with such bravery. Stephanie misses out on the small joys like having her mother give her away at her wedding or introducing her children to their grandmother. It is something so sweet and innocent that Breast Cancer has now stolen from young Stephanie. As a result, Stephanie never had a normal childhood. Her classmates would stay up all night playing video games and laughing about kid jokes, while Stephanie stayed up all night listening to her mother howl in pain, crying ferociously.
MURPHY
“But that’s okay because, maybe, if I didn’t go through everything I went through with my mum, I wouldn’t be as strong and fierce as I am today fighting my own battle!” It has been a year since her diagnosis and she is stronger than ever. She’s had six surgeries and has lost all her hair but still smiles like an energetic 23-year-old. Stephanie is a proud Diva Dance Photography ambassador, posing in aweinspiring shots and unapologetically showing her battle scars. Initially, the thought of having no hair for a young woman posing in high quality editorials, Stephanie’s confidence hit rock bottom. Photographer Leah made Stephanie embrace her baldness in the most beautiful way imaginable with golden beads to decorate her scalp. “It was so much fun flaunting my glittery bald head! Showing off all my battle scars has been a great way to share my story, and raise awareness for breast cancer!”
Stephanie has always been an energetic girl, competing in Calisthenics at Heathergene Calisthenics club for many years. The idea of performing in a team still makes her smile. She may come back to her beloved sport one day but her double mastectomy restricts her from doing things she used to do. “Exercising and staying overly positive is what helps me get through my day to day life!” Stephanie’s life mission now is to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer and help fight the statistics back to zero. As organisations such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation receive no government funding, spreading awareness is even harder. “Every year breast cancer diagnosis figures seem to increase. Younger and younger people keep getting diagnosed. Women need to know their risk and be taught how to self check,” Steph advised. “No matter the age, history or not—I would never wish breast cancer upon anyone or family.”
Nine months that transformed her life
DANIELA ZOE CROCI Zoe considers herself a very strong person, and it is contagiously empowering how much she trusts her instincts. Even with such a diagnosis, she knew: “I can do whatever I have to do, it is all part of my healing.” Daniela Zoe Croci was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in summer 2014 after doctors found a lump during a routine checkup. She went through nine months of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Italian born, now New York resident Zoe, has been dancing for as long as she can think, and, even though it is not the only thing in her life, she feels that it is her main passion. It was easier and cheaper to receive treatment in Italy, so she stayed
Story by Sandra Kluge NYC Dance Writer contributor
there for the entire nine months of her life with Cancer. Friends of hers had a local dance studio down the road, where she went to stay fit. Dancing kept her happy and going. During that time she discovered a lot of “evolutions,” as she calls it, which she could not access when she was younger. In those four years since her diagnosis, her dancing changed a lot, it progressed, matured, and gained depth. Zoe’s diagnosis was a painful to take in. Like the strong dancer and creative she is, Zoe took it in her stride. Overcoming Cancer has helped her become a different person—a happier one. After initially feeling “mad at the universe” because her professional and personal life had seemed to be going very well, she quickly...
Photo: Massimo Di Marzio
Zoe is the founder of the eclectic production company Zoe Map Films, she loves bringing creative people together.
“Sometimes as an artist you don’t know why you do what you’re doing, you just feel like you have to.” Her experience has brought her closer to this “why”: “I love to connect beautiful people, brains, and talents, and to see them blossom.”
“That is what chemotherapy does. It makes you a sick person. And then you rise from it after.”
DANIELA ZOE connected to the admirable power within her. Being overseas for her therapy made her feel far removed from her life in New York City. People around her felt lost, not knowing what to do or say, and close friends disappeared in helplessness. “It was tough,” she admitted, scrunching her brows. The pain of her chemotherapy could not be compared to the one of the surgery. Losing all her hair, having a metal sensation on her tongue, and being completely filled up with chemicals caused her to feel more like a robot than a person. “That’s what chemotherapy does. It makes you a sick person. And then you rise from it after.” Zoe managed to maintain the incredible strength within her. Even with an IV in her arm restricting some of her mobility, she still kept dancing. “At that moment you can’t understand. But I felt I was chosen before, [with] the chance to change something. When you’re taking life
CROCI the wrong way, that’s when diseases like [Cancer] knock at your door.” The disease as well as the yoga and meditation practice that derived from it “brought up lots of fears and problems I hadn’t released. I was very stressed and drained, not [dealing with] emotions in a good way, and putting my peace in jeopardy for others and outside [influences].” When Zoe came back to the U.S., she put up an event about her disease called “Nine Months Rowing Upstream.” Being the same timeframe as a pregnancy, it is like she experienced a rebirth herself. For the event, she described her experience in nine pages and picked nine people from the audience to read each one and discuss afterwards. Meanwhile, pictures on the screen behind them showed her transformation throughout the disease. Pictures that look like the caption of a strong warrior rather than a sick person. Today, Zoe is “embracing life in a different way.” That also translates into her art and how it resonates with other people.
Photo: Andréas Hernández. Story by Sandra Kluge.
“Sometimes as an artist you don’t know why you do what you’re doing, you just feel like you have to.” Her experience has brought her closer to this “why”: “I love to connect beautiful people, brains, and talents, and to see them blossom.” She feels more aware of what it is she can give. In dancing as well: “You’re giving yourself. It is like being completely naked and giving yourself to everyone. It is a big moment of sharing humanity.” Expressing yourself without words is very powerful to her. “Language can be a big barrier. [In art], everyone can interpret and find their own message, recognize themselves and their own stories, reflecting what you project out.” Learning about Zoe’s story and her incredible transformation is truly inspiring. She reminds us that no matter how difficult the circumstances, choosing to root into our power rather than our fears can completely change our reality. Dance —and any kind of art for that matter—is a miraculous tool to connect to this pure essence. So next time you ask yourself why you put on those dancing shoes: remember you will at the very least transform your own life, one step at a time, and maybe even touch somebody else’s. Just like Zoe.
KYLIE MINOGUE, AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS AND SINGER, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
“ONE IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IS YOU’RE STILL THE SAME PERSON DURING IT. I’M MORE EAGER THAN EVER TO DO WHAT I DID. I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING.”
SYDNEY DANCE
CONNECTS TENDERNESS WITH TURMOIL Are we relying on our primal instincts enough? Are we wholeheartedly embracing the art of loving making? Are we connecting with other humans on a basic level? 16 cast members of Sydney Dance Company unite to perform a new full-length work by artistic director Rafael Bonachela. It has been five years since his last original fulllength work, and audiences eagerly await to see what he produces this time around.
YENDYS
The show begins with a single cello string on repeat. The rigid black curtain with LED lights on its base rises up to the sky in heavenly fashion. Dancers stand motionless in the haze until they feel the impulse to move. A challenge poses itself already because there is no interval. Bonachela has to work hard to keep audiences captivated for a whole 70 minutes. He does this fairly well. I catch myself staring at the dancers in some sort of trance at times, not blinking. The utter fluidity of movement between different contemporary pas de deux never stops to take a breath; it keeps on swinging in all sorts of directions. It is this kind of entanglement between floor work and bodily lifting Bonachela relishes in.
THE WORDS AB [INTRA], MEANS ‘FROM WITHIN’ IN LATIN, WHICH IS ‘AN EXPLORATION OF OUR PRIMAL INSTINCTS, OUR IMPULSES, AND OUR VISCERAL RESPONSES,’ SAYS CHOREOGRAPHER RAFAEL BONACHELA. FROM TENDERNESS TO TURMOIL, AB [INTRA] IS A JOURNEY OF INTENSE HUMAN EXISTENCE THAT WILL COMMAND YOUR ATTENTION. AND, IT DOES.
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COMPANY’S AB [INTRA]
This journey of the human existence cannot live without the unforgiving physical element, which shows the dancers’ athleticism and faultless technique against the lush fuse of cello concerto with ambient electronica. The first extensive malefemale pas de deux is an exploration of gentle but steamy passion between two bodies. The dancers are touching each other at all times with some kind of body part, creating a sense of pure enveloping, like a flower growing its petals. As we watch this relationship blossom, the ensemble dances around them lonesomely, perhaps experiencing their own sense of turmoil—until the pas de deux ends on a somewhat sour note, and then the ensemble unifies to dance as one. Repetition of movement crops up consistently, which must have a purpose if Bonachela has something to do with it. It possibly represents the consistency with which we live our lives, day in and day out, toying with same synthetic themes. Are we learning from our human experience or are we looping them? ab [intra] is ultimately a bodily experience of human connection shown through admiral athleticism and raw emotion. Bonachela should be credited for his ability to create such poetic geometry on stage.
INAUGURAL TEEN WINNER OF MELBOURNE DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS TAHLIA GEROSA Dance Directory hosted its first competition Melbourne Dance Championships with Backstage Dance Academy’s Tahlia Gerosa taking out first place in the 13 to 14-year-old section. Tahlia Gerosa, 14, recently won the Melbourne Dance Championships with her lyrical routine choreographed by Timothy Barnes. It is an emotionally heavy routine, but a theme some young teenagers can associate with. “My interpretation of this routine is about self-blame and feeling like you have caused so much pain in someone else’s life. This routine is very emotionally powerful and means a lot to me,” explained Tahlia. Tahlia is working hard to make a career in performing and already has professional credits to her name. Her extensive dance training gave her the tools to master the role of Alice in the professional production of Matilda the musical when it came to Melbourne. “Being on the big stage at the Princess Theatre having the bright lights shine while hearing the audience applaud was truly the most amazing feeling. I met amazing people that I look up to and formed the best friendships,” said Tahlia, smiling. The musical theatre superstar is already immersing herself in the contemporary realm too. She recently finished her performance season with Indefinite Dance Company at Melbourne’s iconic Meat Market. Under the direction of Tahlia’s idol Casey Chellew, she has expanded herself in the style of lyrical. More than that, she has been a pivotal member of Scimm Dance Company alongside Melbourne’s best contemporary youth dancers. “I love dancing because I can move my body in ways I’ve never moved before.” You can catch Tahlia in the upcoming showcase with Bind Productions dance company performing ‘ELEVATE’ on July 21, which is co-directed and choreographed by Fiona Luca and Zoee Marsh. COMMUNITY | 23
AMBASSADOR CHAT This month has been really busy finishing off my two solos and trio. I’v e never competed in acro before and I’m a little nervous to do an Acro solo and trio. First is rainbow next week! I still can’t believe I got to dance at Broadway Dance Centre in Japan. If you ever get an opportunity to dance somewhere take it! It was scary at first but amazing. Astara Jackson
It’s been a busy few weeks! Dancing has definitely been a big part of it! I have been working hard at MAPA. We have just started to choreograph end of year concert routines! It’s hard to balance our school and dancing because of school exams, but it definitely helps me with working on my organisation skills! Scarlett Brumby
This month has been busy but so exciting. Get the Beat comps, two days filming on a movie, auditioned for a lead in a TV show and started new dances for our mid year showcase at my dance school, CPD. But the best was performing in Masters of Choreography junior showcase. I performed in a contemporary piece, ‘Black Swan’. It was choreographed by Gulcan Gulen and was amazing. I’m sad that rehearsals and the performance are over but hope I get to dance with the same group of dancers again one day! Lani Hirst
I've been involved in the school musical ‘Beauty and the Beast’. I’v e never been in a proper play like this before so it was my first time and I absolutely loved it! The whole cast was so lovely and kind. Everyone helped each other. We performed four shows all together. The audience loved it and said it was the best show my school had produced in the last few years. Everyone who watched gave us such great feedback and it is something i’l l never forget. Of course at the end of our shows everyone was crying. Hayley Ellis
Unfortunately, as dancers, we are subject to injuries, which stop us from dancing. We always work so hard and strive for the best. We push our bodies to be better and better. Sometimes, this takes its toll on the body. Recently, I injured my hip and was unable to dance for a couple of weeks. This was so hard for me. Thankfully, after several treatments with the manipulator, I have pretty much recovered. This has taught me to stretch my body properly to prevent any further injury. It made me realise that we really need to listen to our body and look after our body if we want to keep dancing in the future. Tiana Bilos
AMBASSADOR CHAT
This month I had the opportunity to compete at UDO dance championships with my hip hop crew. It was wonderful to be able witness some of Melbourne’s best talent and learn from other crews. Everyone supported one another and brought a positive vibe. At my dance studio we have also been working hard on our concert routines and everything is coming together nicely. Tayla Williams
The highlights of this month included performing in the Masters of Choreography as Billy Elliott alongside two other DW ambassadors, Sankara and Ayshia-Mila! I am also feeling very privileged to be chosen as a soloist for the Dance Writer charity gala “HER”. I’m currently choreographing my own solo for VCE dance. Rehearsals continue for my school musical, my jazz and ballet exams and my hip hop crew preparing for the Australian Dance Crew Championships – GO KADS KREW! The challenge continues regarding my schooling and how my studies can accommodate my dance aspirations. Lucas Faundez Dance is always full of challenges. Working hard, pushing yourself and going full out. I am facing my biggest challenge over the next few months after dislocating my knee this week. I was doing a turn I have done many times and slipped, hitting the ground. I had my first trip in an ambulance, plus my first experience on crutches and my first time not dancing. I am going to face this challenge positively. I will be on crutches for two weeks and the rehab from there. In my rehab I am going to focus on my core strength and upper body strength. I will come back stronger than ever. Daisy Boo
Last month I attended Melbourne Dance Championships. What an awesome new style of a dance competition. I performed in a real on stage audition then a solo to qualify for top 5. I then tried an improvisation and own choreography competition for the first time. I was really happy with my results and proud. I was so happy to see all my dance friends and watch them compete! I love watching other dancers perform –it really inspires me. Ash Siketa
This month has been exciting for me! We had our photoshoot for my dance school The Rage Dance Company. It was a full day with lots of cool photos and we got our new uniform, which I can’t wait to wear every week. There are many rehearsals ahead for our first troupe dance competition in a week's time. I am a little scared for my solo and duo but will try my best. This month I have been working hard on my turns I am improving but still need lots of practice. Milla Watts