When contemporary dancer Rhianna Dunaiski is artfully expressing herself on stage it’s a feeling like no other.
“If you ask any dancer why they love dancing, they will find it very difficult to explain,” she says.
“It’s a feeling that I haven’t felt in anything else, unparalleled to anything else I’ve ever experienced.
“I guess I’m just chasing that feeling by pursuing a career in dance.”
The 22-year-old Aldgate woman is a former instructor at the Adelaide Hills Performing Art Centre, now teaching students in a freelance capacity how to lose themselves in the art of dance.
For Rhianna, teaching dance is about having the opportunity to forge ties with other people hoping to master the art of performing with expression and originality.
“Dance is a universal language, it’s something that really connects with me,” she says.
“Growing up, I was definitely one of the quieter people in the crowd.
“I find that dance is a way that I can speak without using words.
“It sounds a bit corny, but to me, it means a lot.
“I can have a discussion or I can be in a room with a group of like-minded people and we can all bounce ideas off each other.
“I’m very lucky to have found something that I’m so passionate about.”
Originally from Mt Barker, Rhianna started dance lessons at a young age, but decided to pursue different activities.
In her early teenage years, she witnessed a dance performance by the Australian Dance Theatre and “was in absolute awe of what I was seeing”.
Dance lessons began shortly afterwards and a few years later Rhianna realised her talents mixed with passion and determination meant she could pursue it as a career.
Graduating from Flinders University’s Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance) through the Adelaide College of the Arts in 2023, she emerged with all the markings of a successful professional dancer.
“I think of myself as a movement artist who focuses on contemporary dance,” Rhianna says.
“Contemporary dance is all about expression.
“Unlike classical ballet, our bodies are free to move in any combination of movement pathways.
“Yes, there are techniques that follow the practice, but these rules can be broken or modified to create new innovative variations of movement.”
For the past three years Rhianna has performed in consecutive Adelaide Fringe shows, the latest being world-first spectacle Flamenco-Electro.
Rules can be broken or modified to create new innovative variations of movement
A blend of traditional flamenco and modern electronica, the show brought together an ensemble of handpicked musicians, dancers and vocalists to create an electrifying atmosphere.
Rhianna also performed in Fringe show That’s Amore, a satire and multifaceted dance theatre performance combined with five short films.
The show took audiences through a visual diary of a day in the life of a female bartender, exposing the stress and humour of the normalities of a hospitality worker.
While the curtains have closed on Adelaide’s festival season for another year, Rhianna is passionate about advocating for the arts to be a prominent feature on people’s social calendar all year round.
She’s also committed to ensuring regional communities are exposed to the benefits of arts and culture.
“I think if we’re able to bring the arts and dance into regional areas, we can allow children to think creatively and view the creative arts industry as a career option worth following,” Rhianna says.
“You can have a full-time job and be in love with what you’re doing.”
