Innovative. Inspiring. Groundbreaking.
While watching a screening of Jump First, Ask Later on Wednesday night, I was captured by the creative use of real-life stories from Young Immigrants in Fairfield, Australia. Devised by Powerhouse Youth Theatre, in collaboration with Force Majeure, the film sees a performance by the Dauntless Movement Crew, a group open to any Young Person with a passion for parkour, dance and general body fitness.
“They dance for their own survival… They dance because they have to.” – Karen Therese, Artistic Director
These Teenagers live and breathe their craft. The Performance is a fusion of heavily choreographed physical Theatre scenes, with personal monologues that narrate and reflect on some of the stories of their founding members. This carefully crafted narrative allowed each Teenager to draw the audience into their world, clearly communicating what it means to be in the Dauntless Movement. The Performance held an incredibly authentic and honest tone that explored not only the Teenagers’ own passions and desires, but also the challenges they face both as Artists and Immigrants.
While this event at Cradle of Creativity was only a screening of the Performance, I absolutely loved it. The power and precision of the movements complemented the hard-hitting themes that peppered the performance. This is what I imagine modern day Storytelling looks like: speaking directly to Young People’s experiences on both local and global levels, and giving them a platform to speak out and be heard.
