The Ballet Bible

Expressions Dance Company

Expressions Dance Company is a company limited by guarantee, founded in 1984 by Founding Artistic Director, Maggi Sietsma and General Manger/Composer, Abel Valls. It is Brisbane’s only professional contemporary dance company.

INNOVATION, ORIGINALITY and ENERGY have been the trademark of Expressions Dance Company since its debut in 1985. Founded under the Artistic Direction of Maggi Sietsma AM, Expressions is acclaimed for its high calibre and compelling brand of dance theatre. Expressions creates works in which speech, dance and visual media combine and confront each other. Radical yet accessible, Expressions pushes the boundaries of dance and theatre, creating meaning with powerful imagery and movement.

Through a hectic program of main stage performances, touring productions in Australia and overseas, schools productions, and school and community dance classes, Expressions keeps itself at the forefront of contemporary dance. The company has toured to over 15 countries in recent years and in 1997 was the recipient of the Sidney Myer Award for excellence in the Performing Arts, Australia’s most prestigious national performing arts award.

The company has achieved national and international recognition through its extensive touring program and has performed at festivals throughout the world. In recent years the company has performed in the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, China, Macau, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Israel, Mexico and New Caledonia. These tours have included the Taipei International Festival, the Ludwigsburg (Stuttgart) International Festival, The Beijing Modern Dance Festival, Tokyo’s Next Wave Festival, Linz (Austria) Dance Festival, and The 2nd Guandong Modern Dance Festival.

The company gave its first performance in Brisbane in 1985 as part of the national conference of the Australian Society for Education in the Arts. The first production was Maggi Sietsma’s Snow Drops and in that first year the company’s commitment to presenting contemporary works by Australian choreographers was clear. Over the years Expressions has featured the work of many Australian choreographers such as Natalie Weir, Rosetta Cook, Graeme Watson and Sue Peacock. Since 1985 Maggi Sietsma has created over thirty-five works for Expressions including the widely acclaimed Alone Together, Rites of Spring and Virtually Richard3. Abel Valls has created original scores for many of the company’s works.

Expressions Dance Company has performed at festivals throughout the world and has earned its reputation as one of Australia’s most dynamic contemporary dance companies, achieving national and international recognition for works in which speech, dance and visual media combine to create powerful imagery and intriguing dance.

The company’s history is defined by a hectic program of main stage performances, touring productions, schools productions and school and community dance classes. By continuing to develop this program and find new ways of engaging audience and artist, Expressions keeps itself at the forefront of contemporary dance.

In January 1985, the company had its debut performance at the Lyric Theatre, as part of the Australian Society for Education in the Arts national conference. Here they performed Snow Drops, choreographed by Maggi Sietsma. Since then, the company’s repertoire has included many original works by Maggi Sietsma as well as works by other prominent Australian choreographers, including Graeme Watson, Jonathan Taylor, Margaret Wilson, Guy Detot, John Nobbs, Jacqui Carrol, Natalie Weir and Don Asker.

The company comprises two dance teams - the largest of these employs eight dancers who specialize in theatre seasons and full evening length performances, This group tours Queensland, performing repertoire from its theatre seasons as well as working in high schools teaching and workshopping. This main part of the company has also toured repertoire both nationally and internationally.

As well as its main company, Expressions has a separate touring team of three dancers that travels throughout the regional centres of Queensland performing primary and high school shows as part of Expressions’ dance-in-education program. In 1987, Expressions was presented with the Australian Society For Education In The Arts Excellence Award. Since its inception, the company has received continuous support from the Federal Government (through the Australia Council) and the State Government (through Arts Queensland).

July 8, 2007 | In Ballet Companies |