The Yard

I was lucky enough to go to see the first showing of The Yard last Thursday at the Seymour Centre. Unfortunately, if you didn't see it, well I am hoping they will do some more shows, it was so inspiring.
Shaun Parker, leading Australian choreographer has been working with students from western Sydney Catholic Schools on this dance and theatre work.  The students are part of the Diocese of Parramatta's creative and performing arts initiative, CAPTIVATE, and have been working with Shaun for over two years to develop this amazing, breath taking and thought provoking piece of work. The Yard is set in a western Sydney school yard, it depicts the daily reality of conflict and division between cultures, gender etc. The Yard is set to an electro acoustic score by Nick Wales. The performances fuse dance styles - break dance, locking and popping, tutting and krumping and jerking which are all forms of dance that can be found round the yards of western Sydney.

Shaun has brought the audience an exciting show, he has not over worked it. Each dance is short and to the point. Rather than making each performer learn long lengthy highly choreographed moves, he has worked with their individual talents which gives it a more real, natural and almost spontaneous feel to The Yard.

The students were very professional, when I saw it, it wouldn't have been easy as the audience was mostly made up of their peers.  There was one student who really stood out, David Mavisa. He must spend hours practicing with a football and various other objects. He is certainly one very talented young man, he had all the audience sitting on the edge of their seats not daring to breathe as he walked across the stage with the peak of his cap balanced on his head. When I left the theatre almost all the boys I saw were trying to do the same thing with they caps, it was very funny!
It was very inspiring and it would be great if they could do more shows to inspire more teenagers and adults!

     
The students and schools in this production were:

• St Agnes Catholic High - Rooty Hill: Chris Adriano, Aidan Ahmet, Dominic Asuncion, Daniel Bernal, Darryl Bernal, Lloyd Calica, Jovann Caperal, Derryl Cosarez, Kim de Leon, Steve Fontillas, Awadia Kuol, Jarod Nool, Marvin Yumol, John Wingco
  
• St Clare Catholic College - Hassall Grove: Diana Bullen, Mikayla Dunn, Theodora Fakhori, Anna Inyasio , Aouk Lunguar, Christine Makuac, Julie Makki, Ieesha Maybury-Picatoste, Kevin Nguyen, Justin Rodriguez, Lyric Tii Tii, Susan Tongu
  
• Loyola Senior High School - Mount Druitt: Katie -Lee Ardzejewski, Natasha Chandra, Jeremiah Dionisio, Price Johnson, Jerome Macavinla, David Mavisa, Jude Nacua, Earl Vicente
  
• St Patricks Marist College - Dundas: Ebony Matthias
  
• McCarthy Catholic School - Emu Plains: Jayson Reyes, Libby Zyrel Montilla
  
• Caroline Chisholm Girls Catholic College - Glenmore Park: Brianna Law 

(photographs: Red cap David Mavisa, Heidrun Lohr photographe)