Month: January 2015

Infectious family fun at Strictly Ballroom

Strictly Ballroom tells the story of dancer-in-training since childhood, Scott Hastings as he faces the challenge of gaining acceptance for his creative dance steps in the competitive world of ballroom dancing. At heart, Strictly Ballroom provides audiences with an inspirational message—”a life lived in fear is alifehalf lived”—in the form of a romantic comedy. Scott (played by Thomas Lacey) joins with amateur dancer, Fran (Phoebe Panaretos), to beat the repressive nature of ballroom dancing and create acceptance for creativity and attitudes outside of Australian ‘norms’. Strictly Ballroom was first revealed in a stage play co-written by Baz Luhrmann and his fellow National Institute of the Dramatic Arts (NIDA) colleagues in 1984. The play received critical acclaim and Baz Luhrmann later transformed the story into a hugely popular film in 1992 that won many national and international awards and the hearts of audiences worldwide. If you loved the film, Strictly Ballroom, you’ll likely really enjoy the musical too. The show is full of all the great songs—Love is in the Air and Time After Time included. …

Celebrate Australia Day with our cultural guide!

Published by We Know Melbourne

Australia Day Parade Begins at Melbourne Town Hall and proceeds along Swanston St and St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Monday 26 January, 11am – 11:45am Swanston St will be tranformed this Australia Day into a wave of colour and movement in a proud display and celebration of our diverse multicultural communities. This year’s Australia Day Parade will include all the favourite traditional cultural and community groups as well as some new faces. In 2015, in recognition of the ANZAC Centenary, the Australia Day Parade will also provide an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of our ANZACs through the participation of their descendants. We will also be drawing special focus on the men and women who serve in our local communities across the state – our emergency service volunteers.www.australiaday.vic.gov.au Fireworks At 9:30pm the Australia Day fireworks will light up the sky over Victoria Harbour in a display to rival New Year’s Eve. The fireworks will be synchronised to a Nova soundtrack and will be visible from various locations around Victoria Harbour. Stay after the fireworks for entertainment on …

Summersalt Festival

Published by We Know Melbourne

Launching this year, the Summersalt Festival will celebrate the arts over five extraordinary summer weekends. This outdoor arts festival will take place across various locations from the city laneways and courtyards through to the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and Malthouse Theatre. The event includes some of Melbourne’s leading arts organisations such as Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Victorian College of Arts, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and many more. Highlights include: GENTLE IS THE POWER “Choreographed by Chunky Move Artistic Director Anouk van Dijk, gentle is the power is an exploration of contained power. Created specifically for, and with, dancers James Vu Anh Pham and Niharika Senapati, gentle is the power merges Van Dijk’s physically challenging movement language with Pham and Senapati’s refined virtuosity.” NGV SUMMER SUNDAYS “Spend Sunday afternoons soaking up the sun in Melbourne’s best backyard – the NGV Garden.” Acts include British India DJs, I Oh You Djs, World’s End Press, Clubfeet DJs, Alpine and many more. THE GIANT OPERA DRESS UP BOX Dress yourself up in Opera Australia’s elaborate collection of costumes and take to the …

Your Fast Serve to the Australian Open

Published by We Know Melbourne

Melburnians love their sport—AFL Football, cricket, horse and car racing all contribute to Melbourne’s much-loved, sporting culture, but during the last two weeks of January each year, the sport of choice is tennis. Melbourne’s Grand-Slam tennis event is the Australian Open, which last year attracted a record 686,000 during the fortnight of play. Getting into the swing of it Whether you’re a ticket holder or a wannabe attendee, the We Know Melbourne team will give you the perfect serve of tennis news, insider tips, and knowledge so you can get your tennis fix, even if you don’t have a ticket to the event. Australian Open 2015—the event Who | Thirty-two seeded men’s players drawn from 21 countries and 32 seeded women from 18 countries, 49 Australian players. In total, 524 players—289 male and 235 female. What | The Australian Open is one of four Grand-Slam tennis events worldwide. It is the first in each year’s calendar of events. The others are: the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. Where | Melbourne Olympic Park—Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Hisense Arenas …