Spark Productions Australia | Non-profit organisation

Spark Productions Australia

Phone: +61 448 123 228

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• Performing arts

25.01.2022 From studio to stage Counting down the days til we can do this again IN PERSON! Who else has that Zoom Fatigue rn?

23.01.2022 A few weeks ago when Stage 4 lockdown was announced, we made a plan to gift each of our 13 dancers with a set of Beats Powerbeats Pro headphones, to help them access at-home rehearsals with the best sound possible. We would like to thank the Erdi Foundation for their incredible donation of $5000 that has made this possible. Not only do these headphones provide awesome wireless sound quality, they STAY on our ears AND they help our dancers keep their rehearsals their o...wn private safe space. Something much needed when they are spending so much time with family at home. Because of the Erdi Foundation, our dancers have been able to participate in our online rehearsals and it has greatly helped motivate them to keep moving and keep checking in with their Spark family through these tough times We are forever grateful to the Erdi Foundation for their support If youd like to make a tax deductible donation to us to help support these 13 young people (and countless other young people who are involved with the company) - send the word GIFT to 0448 123 228 today. FROM OUR DANCERS: What I love most about them is the fact that they are easy to connect and they give off great quality sound. My brother keeps on trying to take them because they are really good! I also like how long the battery lasts and you dont have to leave them on charge all day long. So big heres a big thankyou for supplying us with these amazing headphones! - Meaghan Wilksch Just wanted to say a big thank you for my headphones - I really enjoy dancing with them in! THANK YOU! - Asha Newnham Im grateful for the Beats headphones as theyve been an immense help in keeping me engaged through online classes, and I feel free to dance; truly a lifesaver. - Zoe Dellaportas ...they have made all the difference. - Liza & Francesca Grande

23.01.2022 #SparkSquad Meet Rohani Bixler! Rohani is on our Board but is also an incredible lawyer and mum to four wonderful children! She brings logic and the voice of calm reason to our Spark meetings and is always down for a good laugh and a brainstorm. She is incredibly intelligent and has a wealth of experience in her field. We love having Rohani be a part of the Spark team and love the energy she brings! "In one word Id describe myself as boring lol ((alex here and UM NO YOU ARE TOTALLY THE OPPOSITE BEAUTIFUL ROHANI)) and something weird about me is that I love moving house! Also I could NOT live without my morning hot chocolate!" - Rohani Bixler

22.01.2022 Uuhhhhmmm did someone say GRAZING BOX?! Grazing boxes are all the iso-rage right now so were delivering a handmade box of sweet and savoury goodies to EVERY single one of our Zoom Sleepover participants! Youve gotta be registered by TONIGHT to save your spot! We cant wait for next Saturday. Pizza, forts, movies, junk food and really good company - what else could you want?... LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! www.sparkproductions.org.au/sleepover

21.01.2022 #SparkSquad Meet Jessica Gration! This gal joined us last year as our Admin Assistant and has since begun choreographing with the company and now is even dancing in our new work with us! She is such a beautiful soul and is always such a genuine and kindhearted person. Jess is so passionate about dance and she is always the first to get involved in anything our industry has to offer. She dances with such lyrical grace and beauty and is so deeply connected to music. She is defi...nitely a choreographer to watch and we are so so grateful to have her in our Spark family! Q&A WITH JESS: 3 words to describe yourself? Workaholic, Passionate, Quiet What makes you laugh/smile the most? What makes me smile the most is listening to good music and being with friends. Something you cant live without? I can not live without dance! Weird fact about you? have terrible eyesight and even with glasses on almost failed my drivers license based on my eyesight (still got it though thankfully haha) What do you love about Spark? I love that spark is so welcoming and accepting of everyone.

19.01.2022 WERE HOSTING AN ISO SLEEPOVER! Well, sorta Calling all past and present dancers, volunteers and audience members of Spark aged 8-25 - youre invited to this wonderful online get together!... Join us for a night of laughter and fun over Zoom perfect for the whole family Yoga Self love workshop Pizza making Fort-building comp Movie Night + more surprises on the night! ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR MEMBERS! Not yet a member? Go ahead and register tonight so you can get access to all our free iso events in the next couple of weeks! www.sparkproductions.org.au/becomeamember

18.01.2022 #SparkSquad Meet Sadie! Sadie is one of our long-time Spark artists having danced with us in four seasons now. We have been privileged to watch her grow up before our eyes and are so proud of how well-spoken and mature she is becoming. Sadie moves with such detail and her intriguing mix of ballet and contemporary technique makes her an artist to watch. She is a creative powerhouse and often helps us come up with movement ideas and concepts. Sadie is such a wonderful membe...r of Spark and were so glad shes chosen to make Spark a place to call home! Thank you Sadie! Q&A WITH SADIE: 3 words to describe yourself? Fun, bubbly, caring What makes you laugh/smile the most? A good joke Something you cant live without? My friends and family Weird fact about you? I have zero tolerance for chewing noises. What do you love about Spark? I can be myself, and learn so much more about professional performance.

18.01.2022 #SparkSquad Meet Liz Dellaportas! Our treasurer, resident Spark Mum and accountant extraordinaire! Liz has run her own business @aspireaccounting for 20 years now and loves combining her talent for making numbers balance with helping as many people as she can. She is an absolute all-rounder in the Spark family and you will always see her helping out backstage and making sure our dancers and musos are well-fed and rested! Thank you for your all your hard work over the last 5 ...years Liz - we wouldnt be here without you. "In one word - I am patient. Something that is guaranteed to make me laugh uncontrollably for ages is when my children do something ridiculously funny - which is often! Like that one time in Bath, England when Zoe accidentally spat out her water at a waitress. A weird thing about me is that I have a very large spoon collection and also love collecting tea sets with flowers on them! And I couldnt live without having at least three books in my to-be-read pile." - Liz Dellaportas

18.01.2022 Tired? Stressed? Feeling a bit more teary than usual? Yep, we are right there with you. And all of what you feel is valid and completely okay right now. And its why were offering a FREE yoga class this Thursday 5-5.45pm with Jacqi Russo. ... A gift from us to you - a chance to spend some quality time with yourself on the yoga mat, to reconnect with your body and breathe deeply again. You deserve it, lovely human. Go register today fam: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/yoga-with-jacqi-russo-thurs Members: www.sparkproductions.org.au/membershome

18.01.2022 #SparkSquad Okaayyyy time for you all to meet our current company dancers! Meet Zoe Ablett - AKA our very first lead dancer Clara! We have been lucky to watch Zoe grow from a young girl in her incredibly heartfelt performance as Clara in The Nutcracker back in 2016, to the wonderfully passionate young person she is today. We are so proud of you Zo and of how much you have grown. Your movement style surpasses your age in maturity and depth and you bring so much passion and dev...otion to every single rehearsal and performance. We are so glad to have Zoe part of our brand new #iso work! Q&A WITH ZOE: 3 words to describe yourself? Funny, resilient, outgoing What makes you laugh/smile the most? Family, friends and dance Something you cant live without? Cheetos Weird fact about you? Im scared of deep water so I could never go on a cruise! What do you love about Spark? Spark is such a close family. I took a year break and was welcomed back with open arms. I just love the environment Alex has created.

16.01.2022 Head over to our Instagram today @sparkyouthdance as Spark dancer Ruby Bisogni (AKA Rose Red from our last show!) takes over our Insta story for the day and reveals what a day in the life of a Spark Artist is like in production week!

11.01.2022 DEEDS NOT WORDS. Throwback to this incredible production #SYDCShatter The values in this story of feminist courage and belief in oneself are still so much a part of our conversations today and we are so glad we got to tell the stories of some of these amazing women on stage through dance. We cant wait to re-stage this wonderful show sometime soon. Post your fave memories of this work below - wed love to hear what your experience of this work was like!

10.01.2022 Sending out love to our fellow artists and arts organisations today. We are not OK. The arts have been abandoned by many of the people who consume it daily. Stay strong Melbourne, we will get through this, hopefully stronger and with a louder collective voice than ever before that will no longer be ignored ... #RUOKDay

10.01.2022 Working from home can be rough. And not just for parents, but for our young people who have now done more days learning from home this year than being at school. Its different. And it can be challenging with all the distractions of home and the loss of some all-important environmental work cues. Basically, the most important thing right now is to accept that everything IS different, and that it is far better to embrace what your mind and body need now than to fight against... it and beat yourself up for not being able to work the same way you always have. That is just not healthy! So how can you make learning and working from home easier on yourself and your mental health? Set physical boundaries - no working in bed, set up a space or multiple spaces around the house that are your designated *work* spaces, so that when you need to switch off, you can actually leave your work in that space Be kinder to yourself! Stop trying to accomplish 1 million things on your list every day. Right now? Looking after yourself and your familys basic mental and physical needs is WAY more important that running 3 different side hustles. Use music - play with music and a good set of noise cancelling headphones to see what kind of music helps you work and focus your best. Get outside! On the days where it is sunny, take as many little breaks as you can throughout the day, just standing outside and breathing deeply. Your lungs and mind will thank you for it. And our last tip? Do something every day just because YOU love doing it. This could be reading, bingeing your fave Netflix show, yoga - anything you love that always makes you feel good. If you have any more working from home tips, post them below! Wed love to share them with our young people https://buff.ly/3dRu0bd

09.01.2022 Only a couple of days to register for our Zoom Sleepover peeps! The Sleepover is next Saturday 19th and we cannot WAIT!!! Link is below and it is FREE for members! One of the activities well be doing is making our very own face masks - and no, not the COVID kind for once!... Heres one of the recipes were using - try it for yourself as a little end-of-week iso pamper sesh! YOULL NEED: 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, ripe avocado, 2 drops of lavender oil HOW IT WORKS: Courtesy of Elle: Like one big glow in a bowl, this delicious-sounding face mask delivers deep hydration from the coconut oil, gives your skin a hit of antioxidants with the honey and soothes redness with the lavender oil. Mix it up and paint it on with a face mask brush for the ultimate at-home spa experience. Leave on for around 15-20 mins and then gently wash off with warm water and a face-washer for extra exfoliating. REGISTER HERE! www.sparkproductions.org.au/sleepover

07.01.2022 #ThrowbackThursday to the show that started it all in 2016!!! The Nutcracker - told through the eyes of a young girl living through WW1. Featuring former Australian Ballet Principal Daniel Gaudiello! What a magical, life-changing production this was for so many. Can you spot any familiar faces? Were you at this show? Tell us below!

06.01.2022 #SparkSquad Meet Audrey! Audrey has been dancing with us for the last 3 seasons and we are so lucky to have her bright, bubbly and energetic personality with us every single week! Audrey has one of the most vivid imaginations on the planet and is always giving us wonderfully wacky ideas to use creatively in our work. She is a hard worker and has a soft, empathetic soul - but shes also not afraid of a challenge and will always be the one to brighten up any challenging rehea...rsal. We love your energy Auds and we couldnt imagine Spark without you! Truly a young artist to watch, in every aspect of the word. Q&A WITH AUDREY: 3 words to describe yourself? Funny, Creative, Friendly What makes you laugh/smile the most? My dog Something you cant live without? Cant live without pasta Weird fact about you? I dont like blue butterflies What do you love about Spark? I love that at Spark I can actually be involved in creating the works, not just dancing in them.

05.01.2022 Snow and Roses bond begins to break... One of our favourite scenes from Snow and Rose.

05.01.2022 #LessonsFromAnADHDer I usually beat myself up quite a bit when I feel I havent "done enough work" for the day. Like Ill think I am the worst human ever for not planning 60 social media posts or for not clearing our inbox or for not planning an entire event in one day. These things would be difficult to complete in one day when there WASNT a freaking pandemic happening around me. I have ADHD so that means I usually struggle to be productive in whatever situation Im in, w...Continue reading

05.01.2022 "Snow and Rose transcends worlds..." - Dance Writer It certainly does. We cant wait to tour this work in 2021. We cant wait for more of you to see it.

05.01.2022 Oh how badly we wish we could be back playing in theatres Keep your head up and your heart strong Melbourne. Staying apart will keep us together. Tag a Melburnian in the comments below to encourage them to stay strong

02.01.2022 "One of the vibrant and highest standard of youth theatre companies I have had the privilege of playing for..." - Markus Allport, Musician We miss working with our Spark Orchestra musicians so very much. Were counting down the days until we reunite again for our long-awaited Snow and Rose tour! Sending love to all our past and present musos out there who are also doing it tough right now. Stay strong wonderful people. Your music, even the music being played from home, is holding a lot of the world together right now. If you have a musician in your life, send them an uplifting message and check in to see how theyre doing

02.01.2022 MELBOURNE: WE CAN DO THIS I dunno about you all but yesterday hearing the news about when we might return to "normal" was pretty much what I was expecting. So I didnt really think much of it. But today? I am completely wiped out. Like exhausted. I just had a 1.5hr nap.... And I was wondering why, because I went to bed at a really good time last night. I had a good breakfast. And a good lunch. And then I realised, its probably because the news has really just started to sink in. All the negativity from social media, all the posts I had been seeing from friends in other parts of Australia living their lives again. The news. Everywhere. The fact that my goals have now had to be moved AGAIN, removing a lot of motivation from my life. Its all just made me so tired. Because Im sick of this lockdown, but I also know that it is so so necessary to protect my family and friends and I would rather stay where we are now than have to come back to this later. But still, Im tired. And thats okay. I listened to my body today and while I did a bit of work this morning, I have taken the afternoon off before teaching my one dance class of the day tonight - which will be so good because exercise. So Melbs? If youre suddenly feeling burnt out or tired for no reason, there IS a reason. And its okay to feel weary right now. Let yourself feel it. And then take care of yourself like you were a best friend that needed your help. Im tellin you from my own personal experiences right now that some days you just need some time off. And the world will not end. Your business will not implode. You will not fail school. Give yourself permission to have the night off tonight - you certainly deserve it Melbourne Stay safe my friends - Alex #melbourneiloveyou #wegotthis #staysafe