Harlequin Floors celebrates ADT’s 50th
To celebrate Australian Dance Theatre’s 50th anniversary, Harlequin Floors has produced a new video (see below) that profiles the creative work of the company and interviews the personalities at the heart of its success.
Crediting the ability of Harlequin’s products to give the dancers the confidence to perform their demanding choreography and movement, Creative Director Garry Stewart revealed, “Creating a safe environment for our dancers is fundamental so we really need great studios and a very sound floor surface to work on.”
The world-famous Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) has revealed it relies upon Harlequin Floors to provide a portable sprung floor system to ensure its dancers can safely deliver their ground-breaking performances.
As a company that specialises in exceptionally physical and emotional routines that are punctuated with ballistic floor and aerial work, Harlequin’s Liberty sprung floor panel system paired with Harlequin’s Studio performance vinyl creates a safe and resilient portable dance floor solution for the elite Adelaide-based dance company whilst they are on the road.
The company, which has produced some of the world’s most influential dancers and choreographers since it was established in 1965, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and will be visiting Europe as part of its celebrations. Its first show back in Europe will take place in Nimes, France on October 2, 2015.
ADT Executive Director Paul Cowley said selecting an appropriate dance floor solution was a rigorous procedure. “The process of auditioning the floors involved me travelling to different cities in Australia to view different products that other companies were using and to speak directly to the people that were using them,” he explained.
“We chose the Harlequin product because it was leaps and bounds ahead of the alternative products. Touring with our own Harlequin surfaces gives our dancers consistency. So, wherever we are in Australia or internationally, they know they’ve got the same surface to work with. That’s important for the peace of mind of our dancers.”
Harlequin Floors Group Marketing Manager Mark Rasmussen said, “It was an absolute pleasure to meet and interview the key personalities at Australia Dance Theatre and to see first-hand the hard work that goes into the company’s performances. Their dedication and love for dance is truly awe-inspiring and has served as the backdrop to one of the best videos we’ve ever produced.”
Rasmussen continued, “Reaching 50 years as a dance company is a fantastic achievement for Australia Dance Theatre – particularly as they’re one of the few dance companies in Australia to reach that landmark – and everyone at Harlequin wishes Garry, Paul and the rest of the company many more years of success.”
Photo: Harlequin Floors’ Mark Rasmussen and Anthony Goetz met with and interviewed Garry Stewart, Paul Cowley and the amazing dancers of Australian Dance Theatre in July. Photo courtesy of Harlequin Floors.