About the session

This session took place Thursday 10 December 2020, 1-2pm AEDT.

Hosted by Ross Hannaford and featuring a panel including Leah Howard, Amy Campbell and Ryan Gonzalez, this conversation will discuss the challenges and opportunities for choreographic practices in music theatre in the 21st century. The discussion will explore the concept of inclusion as it relates to embodied practice, touching on issues such as appropriation, authenticity, ownership and culture. By discussing learnings, mistakes and innovations, this conversation will be enlightening for choreographers, directors and educators looking to build a more inclusive and creatively rigorous movement practice that is forward thinking.

About the speakers

Host

• Ross Hannaford

  Ross’ career highlights include receiving a Green Room nomination for his portrayal of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, playing the coveted roles of Paul in A chorus Line and Princeton in Avenue Q. Ross became the resident director of Cats after playing Skimbleshanks in the most recent Australian tour. Other credits include, Wicked, King Kong, We Will rock You, Pippin and Shout. He is a recipient of the RAD Solo Seal award and a dedicated member of the Arts community. rosshannaford.com.au

Panel

• Leah Howard

  Leah has worked extensively across the entertainment industry both creatively and as a performer and is a versatile director and choreographer and a unique triple threat actor. Prior to School of Rock Leah was the Resident Director/Choreographer on the Melbourne season of The Rocky Horror Show starring Todd McKenney.

  Leah was the Resident Director/Choreographer for the previous Australian tour of The Rocky Horror Show and toured to Korea as the Resident Director for the UK Production of Avenue Q.

  Leah has worked creatively for; Rocky Horror Live (UK), Xanadu The Musical, Australia’s Got Talent, David Campbell’s Good Lovin and Swing Sessions 2 and Sydney Mardi Gras. She has choreographed for Hi-5, A Gurls Wurld, Blue Water High, and So You Think You Can Dance Australia and worked with artists including Macy Gray, Olivia Newton John, Cyndi Lauper, Peking Duck, Sam Sparro, Kylie Minogue, Vanessa Amorosi, Deborah Cox, Sheena Easton, Meatloaf, and Mika. Music videos: Olympia, The Vines, Rogue Traders, Faker, Young Divas, Paulini and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

  Leah is a sought after choreographer for television commercial campaigns including Bonds, Samsung, Telstra and Westfield.

  Theatre performance credits include: Disney’s Aladdin, Aretha Thomas in Legends! starring Hayley Mills and Juliet Mills, Mrs Corry in Mary Poppins, Avenue Q, Hair, Fame the Musical, Dein Perry’s Steel City (Australia and Radio City Music Hall NYC), UK tour of Tap Dogs Rebooted and Tap Dogs USA.

  Leah was the guest vocalist with KD Lang and Jimmy Somerville for the Sydney 2002 Gay Games, performed in the 2000 Olympics ceremonies, and is the face of Disney Juniors theme song, singing Heads, Shoulders, Ears and Bows. Leah was the Host of Disney Channel's My High School Musical and appears in the feature film Happy Feet.

• Amy Campbell

  Amy Campbell is one of Australia’s most accomplished dance talents with a career spanning all areas of the entertainment industry. Her extensive list of choreographic credits include the Sydney Theatre Award Nominated Once (Darlinghurst Theatre Co), In The Heights-Nominated for a 2019 Helpmann Award and winner of the Sydney Theatre Critics Award (Blue Saint Productions in association with The Hayes Theatre), the Australian premiere of Violet (Broadway World Australia Award), the national tour of HAIR (Sydney Opera House and Peace Productions), An Act Of God (Darlinghurst Theatre Co), Spring Awakening (ATYP), The Hayes Theatre Co’s Side Show and Hispanic Attack (for which she was also a co-creator), the original Australian work Guilty Pleasures (Blue Saint Productions) and Oklahoma for The Production Company. Amy’s theatre credits include dance captain and role cover in the Australian tour of Dirty Dancing, Fame The Musical, Saturday Night Fever, Xanadu, the world premiere of King Kong Live on Stage ,principal dancer in Opera Australia’s Carmen and most recently the Resident Choreographer of The Bodyguard Musical Australia. She was also the Choreographer/Movement Director and Assistant Director on The Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s productions of Funny Girl, Porgy and Bess and Candide. She has appeared in commercials for Sony, Vodafone, Coca Cola, Video Ezy, Sci-Fi Channel, Kmart and was an ambassador for Lorna Jane’s Active Living Campaign. Her other television credits include Everybody Dance Now, placing in the Top 3 on So You Think You Can Dance Australia Season 2, as well as appearing on The X Factor, The Nickelodeon Awards, TV Week Logie Awards, Australia’s Next Top Model, Australia’s Got Talent and The Biggest Loser. Amy has performed domestically and internationally, dancing alongside Kylie Minogue, Flo Rida, Redfoo, Tina Arena, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Sam Sparro and Sam and The Womp. Amy has choreographed on Dance Academy, The X Factor, ABC’s Giggle and Hoot and her film work can be seen across various campaigns for Opera Australia, Sydney Opera House and Powerball Lotteries. This year Amy choreographed Velvet Rewired for both the Australian Tour and the revival choreographer for Carmen (Opera Australia). She also made her directorial debut originating a brand new Australian production of A Chorus Line (Darlinghurst Theatre Co) Amy is currently the Resident Director on Hamilton.

• Ryan Gonzalez

  Ryan Gonzalez is a Spanish Australian performer with a career in theatre, cabaret and film. 2018/19 saw him starring as Frankie Valli in the national tour of international blockbuster musical, Jersey Boys, the role landing him a Greenroom Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He most recently finished the Adelaide Fringe season of Velvet Rewired and appeared as Gabriel in Melbourne Theatre Company’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. Ryan performed to critical acclaim as “Usnavi” in Hayes Theatre production of In The Heights for which he won the Sydney Theatre Award and GLUG Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He played Freddy in The View Upstairs, also Hayes Theatre, and took over the role of Charles Guiteau in Assassins for the Sydney Opera House season. He played Eddie Ryan in Funny Girl in Concert and featured as a soloist in the Bernstein Songbook Series, both for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Ryan won Best Cabaret Performer 2016, Sydney Broadway World Awards for his one man show ¡Hispanic Attack! Other credits include: Angel in Kinky Boots, Wayne Burns in Strictly Ballroom the Musical (cover Scott Hastings), Motion capture artist in Happy Feet Two Directed by George Miller, The Great Gatsby with Baz Luhrmann, King Kong Live on Stage (workshop and season), the Australian tour of Legally Blonde, Virgil in Violet at Hayes Theatre, Opera Australia’s Carmen and Australian film Goddess.

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