Expressions Dance Company

March 2006

On this Page A New Face at Expressions Virtually Richard3 in California Movements Archives March 2006 May 2006 July 2006 November 2006 March 2007 August 2007	A New Face at Expressions This year we welcome back Justin Rutzou to the Company as Associate Artistic Director. Some of you may remember Justin when he was a dancer with Expressions from 1995 to 1998. He performed in numerous productions including Under Her Breath and Alone Together. Justin returns to Expressions to co-ordinate the artistic activities of the Company while Founding Artistic Director Maggi Sietsma AM embarks on a professional sabbatical as Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. Justin has had an extensive career as a dancer, starting with Sydney Dance Company in 1990, moving to Queensland Ballet from 1991-1994 and then Expressions Dance Company from 1995-1998. From 1999-2001 he worked as a freelance artist for the Queensland Theatre Company, the State Theatre Dance Company in Pretoria and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. In 1999 he remounted Maggi Sietsma's Alone Together for the State Theatre Dance Company in South Africa. In 2001 he joined the faculty of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts as Lecturer in Contemporary Dance and in 2004 became Coordinator of the LINK Dance Company. As part of his duties he has overseen the remount of works from other choreographers such as Phillip Adams, Natalie Weir and Sue Peacock. In 2003 and 2004 he danced as guest artist in Virtually Richard3 for Expressions Dance Company, Give up the Ghost (Sue Peacock) at the Perth International Arts Festival and other Independent projects with Sue Peacock, Olivia Millard and Clare Dyson. His choreographic credits include: Top Dogs for the Queensland Theatre Company, A Soldiers Tale for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Haze, Taut, Arasmas, Romantically Half Structured and Dolgrim for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and La Fille Dans La Boite for STRUT Independent Collective. Maggi Sietsma said she is looking forward to working closely with Justin throughout the year and will be returning to Brisbane to rehearse the company several times in 2006. Welcome back to Expressions Justin!
	Virtually Richard3 in California Expressions has just returned from a tour to San Francisco, where the company performed Virtually Richard3 at Stanford University. This year Expressions was on the Stanford Lively Arts programme with the Martha Graham Dance Company and The Parsons Dance Company Over 1000 people attended the show of Virtually Richard3 at the Memorial Hall, which was followed by a forum with Maggi Sietsma and the dancers. 130 people attended the post performance forum and discussed the creative process of the work. Many of the audience members were also very interested in the work’s soundtrack designed by Abel Valls, our General Manager. The reception to the performance and the forum was very strong with many audience members eager to find out where the Company would be performing in the United States next year. Whilst at Stanford University Justin Rutzou, Expressions' Associate Artistic Director, conducted a contemporary workshop for students of the University’s dance program. On the way to the U.S, the Company undertook a short residency at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts where Maggi Sietsma is now Dean of Dance. Expressions conducted workshops at the Academy with over 120 students taking part, and also held an open rehearsal with Maggi and the dancers. This gave the Academy students insight into Expressions’ rehearsal methods and they watched Maggi at work as a choreographer. Expressions continues to foster an exchange program with the Academy to bring dancers and ideas across borders.
	Movements Expressions is pleased to announce that Emily Amisano, Lizzie Chittleborough, Dan Crestani, Ryan Males, Zaimon Vilmanis, and Sally Wicks have returned for 2006. Jason Northam will also dance in the main company after touring with us in 2005. This year we are welcoming Megan Futcher to Expressions. Megan is a QUT graduate, who has danced with the Queensland Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet and was a guest artist with West Australian Ballet. Lisa Wilson left Expressions at the end of 2005 to start a family. We are happy to announce that Lisa has just given birth to a happy, healthy baby Girl named Keira Grace Peirce. Congratulations to Lisa and her husband Dave! Amy Laughton heads our dance-in-education team this year, with newcomers Richard Causer and Hannah Kelly, both Graduates of QUT. We would also like to welcome David Tyndall to the Expressions team as Business Manager. David will assist Abel Valls, our General Manager, in the development of funding, sponsorship and corporate partnerships for the Company. David has extensive experience as a dancer and has worked with Chunky Move over a period of six years as a Performer, Rehearsal Director and Company Coordinator and served as a Director of Chunky Move from 1999 to 2001. More recently David worked as Executive Producer for Dance Works in Melbourne.
	Back to Top