New Annual delivers hands-on festival experience

City of Newcastle is giving Novocastrians the chance to become part of the performance and immerse themselves in this year's New Annual experience.

Fifteen local dancers took part in a masterclass today, learning new skills with members of the internationally renowned Dancenorth Australia ensemble.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett and Dancenorth’s Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines with members of the Dancenorth Australia ensemble and local dancers at the professional development workshop.The professional development workshop was held in the lead-up to New Annual, which officially kicks off on Friday with 10 days of art, culture and creativity.

New Annual Senior Producer and Curator Adrian Burnett said the immersive program is packed with opportunities to get involved in City of Newcastle's flagship cultural event.

"Last year Dancenorth blew us away with their performance of Noise, which involved 60 local drummers coming together to accompany their dancers in a powerful, unified performance," Mr Burnett said.

"This experience became a catalyst when curating this year's program to build on the aspects of community engagement and participation.

"It is fantastic to once again collaborate with Dancenorth, who delivered today's professional masterclass and an additional workshop with young up-and-coming dance students, ahead of their official New Annual performance of Wayfinder at the Civic Theatre this weekend.

"I'm also looking forward to seeing Novocastrians join in with a range of other of performances and events, from sharing their stories of hope, power and resilience through Truth to Power Café and Belongings, to becoming truly hands-on through the Scrub Club at artist Megan Cope's Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House.

"By incorporating a range of fun, interactive opportunities into New Annual, we ensure our community becomes engaged and invested in the program, which encourages them to explore more of what the festival has to offer."

Dancenorth’s Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines said the dance experiences offered as part of New Annual presented an opportunity for dancers to dive deeper into the richly textured world of Wayfinder.

“Wayfinder is all about reminding people about our capacity for connection, joy and optimism,” Ms Haines said.

“Our dance experiences in Newcastle invited dancers to experience that love and positivity in a more physical way.

“While we hope engaging with dancers will encourage them to come and see our show, it’s also a beautiful way to connect with the communities we visit.

"Dancing and moving with others helps us deepen connection, broaden expression, strengthen communities and bask in the sense of wellness and positivity that can be very easy to overlook in the hustle of everyday life.”

New Annual will run from 27 September to 6 October, offering a vibrant mix of dance, music, circus, visual art and theatre. Visit https://newannual.com/ for more details about the full program. Dancenorth Australia will perform their groundbreaking production, Wayfinder, at the Civic Theatre on Friday 27 September, with tickets on sale now.