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Youth Ensemble

Our Youth Ensemble comprises like-minded dancers aged 14-19, who share the same passions and creative aspirations.

About

Australasian Dance Collective aims to enrich, inspire and support the young dancers of our community.

Our Youth Ensemble is a program designed to enhance young dancers' learning and capabilities by encouraging a strong focus on individual development and authentic connection with our Collective.

Dancers will have opportunities to work closely with Youth Ensemble Director Courtney Scheu, ADC Artistic Director & CEO Amy Hollingsworth, ADC Company Artists, and guest facilitators to further extend their technique, creative skills, and collaborative artistry. Through this, dancers will deepen their understanding of ensemble communication and develop creative habits that build confidence and encourage curiosity.

The program runs over two terms and features exciting performance opportunities alongside the ADC Company and Pre-Professional Program.

In 2026, our Youth Ensemble’s signature season, Echo, will see our young dancers perform ADC repertory work, two new commissions and an exciting collaboration with founding Youth Ensemble Director Riannon McLean’s ensemble, The Movement Lab GC. Echo highlights the talents of young creatives and designers, and showcases our ensemble in self-devised film works presented as part of the program.

Opportunities

#Youth Ensemble Audition

Registrations for auditions are now open for 2026 placement into our Youth Ensemble.

Sunday 19 October | ADC Studio, Judith Wright Arts Centre

If you have any questions please contact Courtney Scheu, ADC Youth Ensemble Director via email: youthensemble@australasiandancecollective.com

Applications will remain open until capacity is reached.

Youth Ensemble Audition Registration

Register Now

2026 Program

Term Dates
TERM 1 / Tuesday 27 January to Thursday 2 April—10 weeks
TERM 2 / Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June—10 weeks

Location
ADC Studios, Judith Wright Arts Centre, Fortitude Valley,
Meanjin/Brisbane

Times
Wednesdays 5.30pm – 8pm
Sundays 12pm-4pm (please note rehearsal times will be extended closer to Production time)

Program Fee
$2200 per participant
This fee is inclusive of costuming, ADC Youth Ensemble T-Shirt, and all additional rehearsal and production costs.

Previous Ensembles

2024

2024 saw our Youth Ensemble delve into the excitement of curating art for the stage for their Succession season alongside a performance of Youth Ensemble Director, Riannon McLean's Automaton, and 15LOVE by Company Artist, Lilly King. For Echo 2024, we again welcomed AUSTI. Dance & Physical Theatre (NSW) to perform alongside our Youth Ensemble. The program embraced the fragility of humanness with our Ensemble performing in The Fourth Wall by Richard Causer and Riannon McLean’s The Eve of Curiosity alongside the screening of their own dance film Recipients and Resemblance.

2023

Our 2023 Youth Ensemble collaborated with Brisbane State High School dance students for Succession, performing one of ADC’s most-loved works Arc, choreographed by Amy Hollingsworth, alongside a new work by Harrison Elliott. Echo featured two new works by Queensland makers, Courtney Scheu and Riannon McLean, presented alongside a new ensemble film by Ensemble Member Makeda Callinicos-Tomlin. We welcomed guest artists AUSTI. Dance & Physical Theatre (NSW) for the Echo season.

2022

Youth Ensemble Director Riannon McLean led a program focusing on the growth of each dancer in our 2022 cohort. Each member was offered a strong focus on artistry and performance as well as the development of choreographic skills, technique, and encouragement of self-devised investigative solo practice. The 2022 program featured the performance season of Succession showcasing the cast of 22 dancers through three new works followed by Echo with two new commissions and a suite of exceptional films made by the ensemble members.

2021

The 2021 our Youth Ensemble had two performance seasons at the Judith Wright Arts Centre. The first season, Succession saw the Youth Ensemble dance in new works by Riannon McLean, Bernhard Knauer and Lonii Garnons-Williams as well as performing alongside the ADC Company Artists in a new work by Jake McLarnon. Their standalone season Echo comprised two new works by Katina Olsen and Lauren Graham and the presentation of their own film works for the digital program, Curious Mind.

2020

In 2020, our Youth Ensemble performed alongside the ADC company artists in Arc at Brisbane Festival, a work of scale by Amy Hollingsworth, created especially for the festival. They also had the honour of being the first performers back on the QPAC Cremorne Theatre stage post-lockdown with Echo. They performed in new creations by Riannon McLean and Michael Smith as well as producing their film works inspired by the simple act of letter writing.

2019

After a successful pilot program the year before, 2019 saw ADC’s very first Youth Ensemble welcomed into the collective. Their inaugural performance season was Echo – a triple bill with the Youth Ensemble performing in same program as the company. The ADC company artists presented Amy Hollingsworth’s Deeper Than Ink, while the Youth Ensemble performed in new works by Riannon McLean and Jake McLarnon.