Having recently returned from the UK after attending the Oska Bright Film Festival in Brighton, Lorcan Hopper has been awarded a JUMP Mentorship. This National Mentoring Program for Young and Emerging Artists is the largest mentoring program of its kind and is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

A member of the Youth Ensemble, the Education Team and a regular presenter (emerging director) of Restless’ DEBUT Program, Lorcan is one of 75 young and emerging artists selected – the largest ever intake into an Australian artist mentoring program designed to advance their careers and make their mark on the Australian arts industry.

Over the next ten months, he will work with Peter Sheedy from the Adelaide College of the Arts to devise a unique program of integrated participation with other young dancers. Lorcan will join contemporary dance technique and composition/choreography classes at the College and will be supported by a personal assistant (PA) throughout his program who will assist in his learning and help create a video of his JUMP experience.

To follow Lorcan’s project and for program updates throughout 2012, visit the JUMP Mentoring website.

The Restless Youth Ensemble has returned early this year for a week-long intensive rehearsal period. The dancers are working with guest director Zoë Barry (Alarm Birds – Melbourne) for the first stage development of the company’s major production for 2012, Howling Like A Wolf.

Zoë has worked with the company on a number of productions (Beauty, Safe from Harm, The Heart of Another is a Dark Forest, In The Blood and Perfect Match) as a composer, musician and performer.

Howling Like a Wolf is about the chaos of human interaction and how we prepare for it. Through researching the history of scientific exploration into non-verbal communication, from the classical philosophers, French neurologists of the mid 19th Century and Darwinism through to the pop psychologists of the 1960′s, the dancers are exploring how this information is used to assist us in connecting with or manipulating others.

Joining the Youth Ensemble for this major production are established independent guest artists and emerging artists from Adelaide’s disability arts scene including invited guest performers from No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability, Tutti Inc and Company@.

This new work will premiere at The Queens Theatre 17th August 2012.

Learn more about the process by following the blog for Howling Like a Wolf.