of the future was an original, hip hop & contemporary dance work created through an intensive mentorship process and presented at the 2008 Adelaide Fringe Festival. The work showcased some of Kurruru’s leading young contemporary dancers whom collaborated with professional artists, combining contemporary dance, hip hop dance and break/acrobatic influenced hip hop. The project provided Kurruru employee and a leading Aboriginal contemporary dancer, Damien Ralphs outstanding professional development experience as a director and choreographer under the artistic direction of Daisy Brown. Damien was mentored by professional choreographers Aidan Munn, Deon Hastie and Nikki Ashby, to realise the choreography and Damien’s vision for this exciting new production.

The story looks at the parallels between friendships and family, how you seem to surround yourself with a group of people whom inspire you, make you laugh and cry, allowing you space to be yourself. A highly visual work, of the future used photographs to capture moments in time – moments that transport the viewer back to past memories and feelings. Photographic images played a central role in both the story telling of the work and informing the productions design.

Damien worked with a team of highly skilled professional artists sharing a similar artistic aesthetic, together they created a 50 minute original dance work. Adelaide’s DJ tr!p created the score with five young dancers performing the show. Three of the dancers came from the Kurruru Dance Ensemble and two were new to dancing with the company. Other young Indigenous emerging artists were also mentored though out project in areas of production management, stage design and marketing/publicity.

Through the work, Kurruru made some significant changes to how it creates new work. The shows small cast opens the work to possible touring opportunities, providing a longer life than a single performance season.

Through an intensive rehearsal process the developing storyline and the aesthetic for the work grew. Aboriginal dancers and choreographers Nikki Ashby and Deon Hastie developed phrases and choreographic elements fast tracking the production of material.

Kurruru is extremely proud of of thefuture. The overall quality, performances, commitment and professional standards achieved highlight Kurruru’s investment and development in our young people, professional artists and the art we make. Diat made it her mission to deliver a program that met the needs of our young people while being culturally sensitive and appropriate to its wider community. Damien made sure the choreography was relevant and fresh for a young audience to get excited over and want to participant in. The combination made this work touch your heart as well was make you want to dance. You were drawn into a world where you could see the individuals and their journeys and were excited by it.

of the future culminate in an eight-show performance season at the Tandanya (National Aboriginal Cultural Institute) Theatre in the final week of the 2008 Adelaide Fringe Festival and received a nomination for ‘Best Dance Show’ at the Fringe Awards of that year.

of the future Cast

Derek Lynch, Tara Robertson, Tjimarri Sanderson-Milera, Taree Sansbury, Rikki Wilson

of the future Team

Cultural Director: Diat Alferink, Director: Daisy Brown, Choreographer: Damien Ralphs, Choreographic Mentor: Aidan K. Munn, Guest Choreographers: Nikky Ashby & Deon Hastie, Composer: DJ Tr!p, Musician/Song Composition: Robert Champion, Production Design: Chantel Tremaine Henley & Katheryn Sproul, Lighting Designer: Nic Mollison, Production Manager: Nathan Parker, Stage Manager: Janine Peacock, AV Consultant and Operator: Dwayne Blee, Vision Recording: Kristen Khan, Sound Operation: Matthew Martin, Lighting Operator: Michael Yeo,  Media/Marketing/Front of House: Donna Abulla, Nadia Khan & Martin Sawtell, Graphic Design: Benjamin Bayliss, Catering: Sam Nona, Jacqui Clarke & Narissa Clarke, Logistics: Les Sparrow