Untrained

So you think you can't dance

Lucy Guerin Inc is on the hunt for two men to join the company as paid dancers in an upcoming tour to Denmark. The catch: no dance training allowed. Guerin's show, Untrained, has enjoyed several incarnations around the world, with a pair of professional dancers met onstage by two inexperienced performers who try to match the motions of their skilled counterparts. The point isn't to humiliate the amateur movers but to examine what happens when the same choreography is played out through different body types, and how the dancers' personalities are affected by their training. The tour is in September, and performers will have to be available for a full week of rehearsals in late August. 

lucyguerininc.com 

Dancemakers' chance to show off 

Finalists for Australia's first major prize for dancemakers were announced last week. The inaugural Keir Choreographic Award saw 77 entries whittled down to eight, each of which has been commissioned to produce work for a season at Melbourne's Dancehouse in July. The contenders include dancers, choreographers and visual artists, and the range of styles and backgrounds is an encouraging one, though geographically the finalists are all Victoria or NSW-based. The line-up includes Sarah Aiken, James Batchelor, Tim Darbyshire, Matthew Day, Atlanta Eke, Shaun Gladwell, Jane McKernan and Brooke Stamp. After the season one winner will be awarded $30,000, with a further $10,000 going to an audience favourite. dancehouse.com.au. 

St Martins' new director 

St Martins Youth Arts Centre in South Yarra has made some bold strides in in recent years including works for adults created by young people. Now it has appointed Clare Watson as its new artistic director. VCA-graduate Watson is currently director-in-residence at the Malthouse Theatre and has created works for the stages of the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Theatre Company and Arts Centre Melbourne as well as disused swimming pools, the Old Melbourne Gaol and a crumbling apartment. She intends to further St Martins' current program of expansion to include main-stage appearances and site-specific projects as well as collaborations with some of the country's finest theatre makers.