Phunktional - Melbourne Breaks
Join Phunktional for a Sunday afternoon workshop, a Sunday evening performance or both.
Melbourne Breaks 2009
Award-winning and critically acclaimed break dance, hip hop theatre show, Melbourne Breaks, has been blowing audiences away with its high energy tricks and feats that really have to be seen to be believed.
Featuring dancers from Wicked Force Breakers, (3 times national champions), the dancers tell a story about how hip hop has become their lives and it is through this medium that they express themselves.
Entertaining and a great night out for the whole family, Melbourne Breaks will be sure to get you on the edge of your seat wanting more. "...an engaging show with no shortage of jaw-dropping skills." (Herald Sun)
Receiving a standing ovation lead by So You Think You Can Dance Judge Jason Coleman, Melbourne Breaks is a show that relates to everyone and will have the whole audience clapping and cheering - don't miss out!
This performance will have a Deaf Relay Interpreter
To see promotional trailer please visit this website: http://www.phunktional.org.au/index.php/touring/melbourne_breaks
The Melbourne Breaks 2009 Tour has been made possible by: Phunktional, Newsboys Foundation, the Australia Council and Wickid Force Breakers
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
BACKGROUND
Phunktional is a cutting edge arts company that creates and tours dance, theatre and film projects around Australia. For more info click wwww.phunktional.org.au
Using a broad cross-section of artistic forms such as dance, theatre and film, Phunktional uses the arts to provide a forum to provoke discussion about difficult issues to deepen cultural understanding.
Sub cultures such as hip hop combined with dance styles including break dance, flamenco, African, Capoeira and contemporary indigenous dance are used to tackle difficult subjects head-on, capitalising on Phunktional's own youthful blend of creative expression to reach its audiences.
Over the past 5 years since the company's inception, Phunktional has successfully delivered arts projects that have reached both metropolitan and rural areas across Australia, and overseas for international engagements. With new works continually being created, Phunktional's success continues to grow.
Wickid Force Breakers: As Australia's leading breakdance crew and celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2008, Wickid Force are a team of highly skilled performers that are known for fusing together many dance styles with their innovative and dynamic breakdance skills.
Competing in major breaking competitions Wickid Force Breakers have taken the title of Australian Breakdance Champions for three years consecutively and competed at the prestigious "Battle of the Year" World Breakdance titles held annually in Germany.
Other competitions professional performing engagements have taken them around Australia and overseas including Asia, Europe and the United States, and appeared in festivals, major events, media, television shows and commercials. Other live performing credits include supporting such acts as The Black Eyed Peas, Run DMC and Joel Turner.
Alongside competing and performing the crew work with many youth communities encouraging and supporting positive forms of self expression through physical art forms.
ARTISTS
Gerard Veltre, Director, Script writer
Gerard Veltre has a passion for dance. He was first introduced to dancing as a teenager when he was part of a CCD (Community Cultural Development) hip-hop dance project in the western suburbs of Melbourne. He went on to dance at clubs and then completed a Performing Arts degree at Deakin University.
Over the last 10 years he has worked with diverse cultural groups of young people and their communities around Australia to foster an inclusive culture of dance that champions artistic expression. These communities include remote Aboriginal communities and young people in prisons.
Gerard Veltre's professional work reflects the diversity of his grass roots experience in Australian communities. In 2004 Veltre guest Directed ‘Crouching B'boy, hidden Dreadlocks' a hip hop show by Morganics for the Opera House in Sydney. In the same year he created ‘Love Drunk' a show about an incident of Sexual Assault that is still successfully touring upper secondary schools across Australia.
More recently he has created: ‘Remember Me' a multi-cultural dance performance that toured Australia through Kultour; and ‘Melbourne Breaks' an award winning full length dance piece working with some of the best b'boys in the country.
In 2006 Veltre choreographed for the Terrain Program (supported through Ausdance and Multicultural Arts Victoria).
In 2007 Veltre did dance workshops in Serbia with Joe Allegado and in Cuba with the National Contemporary dance company of Cuba.
In 2008 he was part of Dance House ‘Girls on Boys' season choreographed by Yummi Umiumare, and taught dance workshops to young people on Palm Island in North Queensland and created ‘The Sound of Silence' Australia's first full length dance work with deaf dancers.
Gerard is currently Artistic Director of ‘Phunktional' a company dedicated to making entertaining art that creatively explores issues about conflict and social justice to promote wellbeing and sustainability. For more information click: www.phunktional.org.au
Arch Ilias, Choreographer, lead artist
Being an original founding member of the break dance crew Wickid Force (Australian national champions), and Unitd Styles Hip Hop Movement Studio, Arch Ilias has been a leading force in the growth and rise of Australian break dance and is largely responsible for many of the activities operating across Australia today.
Arch's active performing career as a dancer and choreographer spans more than 12 years and has covered various arenas around the world.
Some of his many career highlights have included performing with and supporting acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Kurtis Blow, TV Rock, Joel Turner and The Hill Top Hoods. Others include The Logies with Guy Sebastian and Shannon Knoll, The 2006 Commonwealth games launch, The Australian Grand Prix and Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. Television appearances include Neighbours, Rove Live and Hey Hey its Saturday, and commercials for Autobarn, Western Star, Boost Juice and Jetstar.
Wickid Force has competed at many Australian competitions taking the national title three years in a row. Internationally they have represented Australia at the World Break Dancing Championships in Germany in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Alongside his performing and choreographic engagements he leads break dance workshops for schools, universities and youth communities and works closely with city councils in engaging youth through artistic expression.
George Awad, Artist
George Awad is an original founding member of Wickid Force.
As a professional artist in both national and international arenas, his extensive performing experience includes Wesley Snipe's Blade premiere, CD launch for Janet Jackson and Baz Luhrman's opera La Boheme. Television credits include Star Struck, Neighbours, The Logies and Rove Live; along with commercials for Fruitopia, Starburst and Libra.
Competing in Australian championships, Wickid Force won the national title consecutively for three years. They are also responsible for putting Australia on the international map going on to compete at the World Break Dancing Titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Wickid Force also won the Styles Anniversary Jam in Phoenix Arizona giving them recognition amongst the best break dance crews in the United States. George is the only Australian ever invited to judge the International BC1 Red Bull Break Dance competition - one of the biggest international events in the world of break dance.
He has modelled for Dolce & Gabana, Calvin Klien and Windsor Smith and appeared in fashion parades for Polo sport and Deisel, most recently modelling for Gucci International's south-east Asia tour.
George also choreographs and teaches break dance, inspiring many youth into taking on positive forms of self expression.
Deon Nuku, Artist
Born in New Zealand, Deon works extensively as a dancer, actor and breaker in film, television and theatre.
His theatre experience began with the IMG/VSO production of West Side Story followed by Red Hot & Rhonda, Sisterella, Oh! What a Night, Get Happy, the South East Asia tour of Fame - The Musical and Footloose.
Television appearances include the ARIA music awards, Hey Hey its Saturday, In Melbourne Tonight, Australian Film Industry Awards, the Logie Awards, Fast Forward and Neighbors, and on video clips for Sophie Monk, Ricki Lee and Peter Andre. His film credits include being a featured dancer in the films Moulin Rouge and Scooby Doo.
Deon's performing credibility's have seen him tour with Shaggy, Kylie Minogue, Macy Gray and Will Young in his U.K., Scotland and Ireland tour.
Alongside his television, theatre and acting work he is a founding member of Wicked Force Breakers, Australia's top break dance crew.
As an active member of Wickid Force Deon has appeared in various video clips and TV commercials and performed at major events and launches both nationally and internationally, going on to tour across China for several months.
In addition to his performing capabilities he has choreographed for many major corporate events and on video clips for artists such as Deni Hines, Joanne BZ and Ricki Lee.
Deon's contribution to the arts continues as he teaches classes and workshops in Melbourne, Australia where he is currently based.
Joel Chamaa, Artist
Joel Chamaa works professionally as an MC, beat boxer and B boy with the Wickid Force crew.
Being a core member of Wickid Force, his live performances include supporting acts for international artists such as The Black Eyed Peas and Pharsyde, and has also supported Australian acts such as The HillTop Hoods, Joel Turner and 28 days.
He has competed both nationally and internationally with Wickid Force at many competitions. These include the Battle of the Year Australia in 2002 & 2003 winning first place on both occasions, and the international Battle of the Year world titles in Germany in 2002 & 2003, where Wickid Force placed 7th in the world out of 17 countries.
As a beat boxer and MC, he has recently launched his own album.
