Dance / A Stellar Lineup by Liz Lea Dance. At Belconnen Arts Centre, until November 23. Reviewed by MICHELLE POTTER.

The dance scene in Canberra has long had a strong community focus, with representation from multicultural communities, groups of senior artists, people living with physical issues, groups focusing on a distinct form of dance and many other specific groups.

Everyone wants to feel what dance can offer and what dance can express.

Canberra’s Liz Lea, director of A Stellar Lineup, has so often been at the forefront of developing and presenting community dance in Canberra. The 2024 presentation of A Stellar Lineup is, in fact, the third iteration of a production that brings together groups of dancers representing the range and strength of this community focus.

The 2024 presentation focused on the Olympic Games, and not just on the relatively recent 2024 Paris events. We were told through dance, with a background of film, still photographs and spoken and printed words projected on to a backcloth, of events that have stood out, often focusing on Canberra-based stars across the history of the Games, and sometimes on Olympic funding issues.

Groups represented in the 2024 Lineup included the Indian community with several turbaned Sikh members of that community standing out; the now well-known GOLD  Company of senior dancers; Fresh Funk representing breakdancing, which was included as a sport for the first time in the 2024 Paris Games; the Deaf Butterflies; ZEST for Wellbeing; the Chameleon Collective, Lea’s relatively recent addition to Canberra’s community groups; a large gathering of very young dancers including two babies carried in slings; and others.

The dancing itself was unsurprisingly varied in terms of performance strength. For me the breakdancing from Fresh Funk stood out. Their section, Moment 4 Life, was fast paced, and filled with energy and surprising moments of spectacular movement. Every single dancer gave his or her very vibrant best.

The GOLD dancers also showed their strength, especially in their ability to engage the audience with their physical and emotional engagement with the choreography. I was also impressed by Rachel Hilton, who paid homage to her mother, Daphne Hilton, a Canberran and Australia’s first female Paralympian to win a medal. Then there was a homage to the legally blind cyclist Lindy Hou, and towards the end there was The Silent Spirit of Deaf Sports! from the Deaf Butterflies. And more…

An Acknowledgment of Country opened the evening and was also a highlight given that it was a choreographed acknowledgment from a stage filled with performers of various abilities. Indigenous input into the Games was also strongly acknowledged with an amusing section from a group of the youngest performers including those two babies carried in slings. It featured an Aboriginal flag to match the red, black and yellow costumes of the performers.

We can but admire Liz Lea’s determination to present community dance to Canberra audiences. Similarly, the strength and determination of members of the community groups that have developed over the years is also admirable, and a strong and definite addition to dance in Canberra. Dance is for everyone.