WE.ARE Dance Project presents FOUND Choreography by Stephen Tannos

WE.ARE Dance Project … a not-for-profit commercial dance company "... by dancers, for dancers ..." with a mission to create exciting new works and employment opportunities for Australian performers and creative talent presents its premiere season 'FOUND' at Parade Theatre, NIDA for 5 shows only from 12 to 14 April. Choreographed by renowned commercial choreographer Stephen Tannos (So You Think You Can Dance Australia, Dance Boss, The Dream Dance Company - Genesis) and a stellar cast of Sydney's most captivating, one-of-a-kind dancers Tannos begs the question throughout this dance-centric show, "What does it mean to be FOUND? ... What are you searching for? How do you get there? What does it take?" Through six different story-lines culminating in an explosive finale, Tannos explores the many connotations of the word 'FOUND' ... the quest for love, the struggle with identity and dealing with expectation to name just a few. The storytelling is punchy, emotive and heartfelt using intertwined elements of light-hearted humour contrasted with moments of deep questioning and hard-hitting realisation.  Discovery of true enlightenment and happiness is key to this narrative and the quest each dancer undertakes to achieve it. Tannos promises to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster and deliver storytelling that will "... hit you straight in the chest!" Incorporating the individual and collective talents of an incredibly diverse world class cast, Tannos says " ... FOUND will be unlike any dance show you have ever seen!"  The narrative is told through a larger-than-life lens which is spectacularly punctuated with a musical repertoire of re-imagined classics from iconic artists such as Queen, The Beatles, Gotye and the enigmatic Prince. Choreography is expertly fused between genres using cutting edge styles of commercial Contemporary, Jazz and Hip Hop and complimented with cinematic screen content, state of the art sound production and stunning lighting design. Stephen Tannos says he is revelling in the opportunity to finally put together a full piece of his own work with total creative control, amalgamating elements of his diverse body of work across his entire career. Producers Chris Duncan and Lucas Newland have both been long term supporters and avid sponsors of numerous Australian dance companies over the past decade and are looking forward to adding to the body of exciting employment opportunities currently being created by like-minded peers.   Cast: (The Ladies) Lauren Seymour, Alex Miedzinski, Alysha Percy, Jaclyn Chambers, Lilly Jackson, Paris Cavanagh (The Gents) Jake Edwards, Jordan Grant, Neale Whittaker, Ben Zammit, Callum Mooney

VENUE:                NIDA Parade Theatre, Kensington   DATES:                Friday 12 April – 2pm & 7:30pm                              Saturday 13 April – 3pm & 7:30pm                                  (Studio experience)                              Sunday 14 April – 5pm TICKETS:            from $50   BOOKINGS:        ticketek.com.au

Stephen Tannos is arguably one of the most innovative minds in Performing Arts in Australia. His unique and exhilarating choreography, combined with his infectious personality and incredible work ethic has quickly established Stephen, as the most in-demand Choreographer in the country.

Stephen was born in Sydney and has trained extensively in all styles of dance as well as singing and acting. His career took off initially in Musical Theatre with roles in Cats and Fame -The Musical as well as being part of the cast of large-scale production of the opera Carmen choreographed by Kelley Abbey in 2013.

Stephen has also enjoyed much commercial success as a performer. His credits include working with with Artists such as Ricky Martin, Natalie Bassingthwaite and Jess Mauboy. Plus, in 2009 he was selected to be a part of the Top 20 in the 2009 season of the hit TV show So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

However, it is now Stephen’s choreographic skills and creative direction prowess that are truly making the industry sit up and take notice – both locally and Internationally. It began with showcases and events and then Stephen collaborated with Morgan Choice to create and direct Tannos & Choice with help from Producer Marko Panzic. Their very first production played sold out seasons in both Sydney and Tasmania and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public and their peers in the Industry.

Stephen’s stand-alone choreography has been featured on Channel 10’s So You Think You Can Dance Australia(receiving rave reviews from the judges) as well on The Voice AU on the Nine Network and Channel 7’s new dance show Dance Boss. He has also created work for music videos for Artists such as Alpine, RUFUS, Vaudeville Smash, Beatz & Set Mo. And in 2016, Stephen once again collaborated with Marko Panzic to choreograph and co-direct (with Marko) The Dream Dance Company’s 'Genesis’, to great critical acclaim.

Most recently Stephen choreographed Rita Ora’s Arias performance.

Stephen Tannos says he is revelling in the opportunity to finally put together a full piece of his own work with total creative control with WE.ARE Dance Project'spremiere season show FOUND, amalgamating elements of his diverse body of work across his entire career.

Stephen plans to continue pushing limits; creating original, mind-blowing performances as Choreographer and a Director as well as flexing his own performance muscles on select projects. He truly is a one of a kind Artist.