NEWCASTLE is almost ready to raise the curtain on 10 days of art, culture and creativity at this year's New Annual festival.
City of Newcastle is giving locals the chance to become part of the performance and immerse themselves in the experience when the festival kicks off at the end of the week.
Fifteen local dancers took part in a masterclass on Wednesday, learning new skills from members of the internationally renowned Dancenorth Australia ensemble.
New Annual senior producer and curator Adrian Burnett said the program is packed with opportunities like the workshop to get involved.
"Last year Dancenorth blew us away with their performance of Noise, which involved 60 local drummers coming together to accompany their dancers in a powerful, united performance," he said.
"This experience became a catalyst when curating this year's program to build on the aspects of community engagement and participation.
"It is fantastic to once again collaborate with Dancenorth, which delivered today's professional masterclass and an additional workshop with young up-and-coming dance students, ahead of their official New Annual performance of Wayfinder at the Civic Theatre this weekend."
Mr Burnett said he is looking forward to seeing Novocastrians join in with a range of other performances and events, sharing stories of hope, power and resilience through Truth to Power Café and Belongings, to becoming hands-on through the Scrub Club at artist Megan Cope's Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House.
"By incorporating a range of fun, interactive opportunities into New Annual, we ensure our community becomes engaged and invested in the program, which encourages them to explore more of what the festival has to offer," he said.
New Annual will run from September 27 to October 6 offering a vibrant mix of dance, music, circus, visual art and theatre.
Dancenorth associate artistic director Amber Haines said the dance experiences offered as part of New Annual are an opportunity for dancers to dive deeper into the richly textured world of Wayfinder.
"Wayfinder is all about reminding people about our capacity for connection, joy and optimism," she said.
"Our dance experiences in Newcastle invited dancers to experience that love and positivity in a more physical way.
"While we hope engaging with dancers will encourage them to come and see our show, it's also a beautiful way to connect with the communities we visit."
Ms Haines said dancing and moving with others helps to deepen connections, broaden expression and strengthen communities amid the hustle of everyday life.
For more details and the full program visit newannual.com.
