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    Learning self acceptance through street dance

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    Amelia Vu is a Vietnamese-Australian dancer, choreographer, videographer, and Artist in Residence at the Bowery Theatre at the St Albans where she is making a new work called Without Words

    From a young age, Amelia was drawn to videos of dance online, connecting with a combination of music and movements and wanting to express herself in the same way. 

    “My first encounters with dance were online. I was drawn to expressing myself through dance. I also love listening to all kinds of music, hip-hop, disco, even K-pop. The community is a huge part of why I dance. You get to meet so many different people, from all backgrounds and ages. Everyone is so supportive and there’s a great energy and culture,” says Amelia.  

    If you’ve wandered through the city at night or public spaces like Argyle Square or in front of IMAX in Carlton, you might see groups of dancers taking turns to show their moves. And in the West, you may have heard of community spaces like Tin Shed in St Albans holding breaking jams, or occasional jams at Footscray Park.

    “Being from the West, I feel that we’re willing to be out of the box and we are emerging strong. There are lots of different types of street dance styles like, hip hop, krumping, and breaking, just to name a few, which are taking hold all over Melbourne in a really great way,” says Amelia. “We’ve recently been focused on growing our  community in the West and encouraging people of all ages to express themselves in dance.”

    Recently, Amelia produced her first street dance battle event Free The Spirit, in celebration of the vibrant community and culture that street dancers uphold and nurture. “You feel the support when you rock up to a dance event. Or when we come together for a jam, we will stand in a circle and take turns to dance. We share our moves with each other. We sustain our community through jams and they happen almost every night.”

    Without Words is about Amelia’s personal experiences, searching to express herself in other ways than just words, understanding that finding the right words can be a real challenge. Something we all have experienced in our lives and even especially when English is a second or third language. 

    “I’m still trying to figure out things, but I’m loving this journey and everything it is bringing with it. It’s a great feeling being able to create. Having that space to create and being open to whatever happens. Come along to Without Words! I hope you enjoy this story about self-acceptance. You can tell me what you think, in words, or better still, in dance.” 

    Without Words is on at the Bowery Theatre on 21 and 22 February at 7 pm. For tickets go to https://creativebrimbank.com.au/without-words

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