An ability to adapt is key to being an artistic director in a small company.
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At least that’s what Stompin Youth Dance artistic director Caitlin Comerford has discovered.
She needs to quickly switch between her administrative role, which oversees several projects, and being the vibrant teacher and confidant her ‘stompers’ learn from.
“You really have to be a people person,” Comerford said.
“A lot of my job is about listening.”
She joined the company in 2016 after a nationwide call out was made for the position.
Comerford moved down from Brisbane where she worked as a teacher and choreographer.
Her first production with Stompin was Fully Grown, although she was working with a pre-established creative team, she said.
Stompin’s upcoming production Mirror Mirror explored body image, social media and identity, which was a concept pitched by her ‘stompers’ in a creative meeting the company held each year.
“Our mission is to give young people a voice.”
Comerford wanted Stompin to grow as a place where parents could take their children to have a strong contemporary dance education.
“I’d like to put Stompin on the map in Australia and internationally.”
The small arts company has thrived for more than 25 years after it was started in 1992 and received support from the community, which Comerford continued to foster.
“A key part of the role is solving problems in the most positive way possible.”
One of the issues Comerford was tackling was finding a new home for the company.
Stompin had been based in a studio for 16 years, but at the end of 2016 – three months into her role – the dancers had to move.
They were able to use a space in the University of Tasmania, but she wanted a permanent space for the students to feel safe and was suitable for dance.
While Comerford was half way through a three-year contract, she hoped she would be able to spend more time with the company.
Making a mark would take more than three years, she said.
The first year was about understanding the working environment, the second year was when changes were made and the third year was when the results from the changes would be visible, Comerford said.
“It’s not a job you do because you want to be rich. You do it because you’re really passionate about the arts.”
Comerford planned to search for more professional artists to collaborate with the young dancers, she said.
Stompin producer Mary Shannon said being an artistic director in a small company meant Comerford adapted to every role to keep the show running.
- If you want to see Mirror Mirror, it will be presented between April 18 and 22 at Door of Hope Church in South Launceston.