Published: Wednesday, 10th March, 2010 5:00pm

Athlone's lady of the dance

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Community groups and hundreds of local children have been benefiting for almost six years from unique confidence, drama and dance techniques created by an Athlone-based Brisbane-born publican's daughter.

Drama teacher Suzi Hogan believes that children can learn through drama and dance that they have all the resources within themselves to create everything they need in the world. She freely says that she had a lot of trouble and upheaval in her teenage years, yet she had a fundamental belief in who she was and what she wanted to achieve in the community.

"Brisbane is working class and considered the redneck part of Australia, when I was growing up," laughed Suzi. "But in recent years, it's become a gateway to the resorts of Australia. I grew up in a pub there, and went to a catholic school in town."

A teacher of drama in Suzi's high school in Brisbane discovered Suzi's interest in the arts, and encouraged her to direct and produce shows. However despite studying drama for just two years in high school, Suzi became one of 20 out of 400 applicants to gain a place to study in performing arts in the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she enrolled following completion of a BA in Communications and Cultural Studies.

"That teacher had great pride in me, and she was proud of me for producing shows and encouraging my peers to also put on fashion shows and musicals. I was 12 years old when I put my entire class in a show," said Suzi, who is a writer, producer, director and actress of stage productions.

And Suzi tries to apply the same approach to her students. "I always discover talent throughout my groups, and I encourage that talent, and allow it to blossom in children."

Suzi was part of a five-person comedy group who did improvisation theatre and television ads for regional stations, before she formed a theatre company called Porridge Productions in Australia. Her group took part for several years in the prestigious and very popular Australian fringe festival, Art Rage.

Suzi came to live in Ireland six years ago, and walked into Athlone's Dean Crowe Theatre, and approached the then manager, Fionnuala O'Connell, who came up with a business plan for Suzi.

Fionnuala put Suzi in touch with Westmeath Arts Officer, Catherine Kelly, who further helped Suzi get established in the area of arts in the community.

"I offered to do classes in drama there for young people, and I became Director in Residence there in 2006 for one year, but then I branched out on my own, and moved on to working locally for RAPID and Westmeath Community Development, and into local communities," said Suzi.

"Over the past few years I've worked with community groups in Brawny and Battery Heights developing projects specific to their areas, and hopefully I bring to life the children's own imaginations and fresh ideas, by giving them their own uniquely written plays. But the whole ideas and choreography comes from the Athlone children themselves."

Suzi sometimes produces plays that she has written for her Athlone children's group ReAyct (Regional and Athlone Contemporary Youth Theatre). ReAyct has been on the go for about four years, and consists of approximately 25 children between the ages of seven years and fifteen years.

Suzi has worked with many children's groups in Brawney, Battery Heights, the Bower Day School, St. Peter's School, St. Hilda's School, Tang and she also used the same skills in working with an elderly persons group in Kilbeggan.

For almost six years, she has worked with the Nuala O'Brien Day Centre for special needs adults in Arcadia Court, Athlone, and with Rosemount National School as a Drama Director in Residence for almost two years.

In Rosemount she produced local writer, Shane Keenahan's play, 'Snow White Unplugged' in Tuar Ard and the Dean Crowe theatres.

But over the past two years she has mostly been involved with the Athlone Dance Company.

Suzi's qualifications and experience is in drama teaching, and she admits that she is not a trained dancer, but has put herself ten-fold into working and producing dance shows with professional choreographer Jannine Maguire-Lowry. The dance company also works with Rionach Ni Niell of Dance Ireland, and professional dancer, Niamh Ni Condron, who organised the Vibrate Dance Festival which ran in counties Roscommon and Westmeath in recent years. The Athlone Dance Company, performed a show 'Synergy and Light' in Tuar Ard, Moate recently.

"We the artists have become the mentors of the children, at the Dance Company but the children become the artists," she said. "There is a crossover of children from my ReAcyt group, and from Brawney and other local areas."

The Athlone Dance Company and ReAcyt rehearse in the Attitude Dance Studio in the Blyry Industrial Estate, Garrycastle, Athlone.

"I work very dedicatedly with children, via drama and performance, to teach them self confidence, problem solving skills, self reliance, to understand the meaning of team work and to embrace all regardless of culture or socio-economic standing," said Suzi about her work with Athlone children.

Suzi has two young children, Sophia Rose, who is a member of the Boston Ballet in the USA and five-year-old Senan, who has taken part in some of Suzi's stage productions.

"The content of the Athlone Dance Company is driven by the kids desire to express themselves, and myself and Jannine just help to bring it together, but the kids choreograph their own dance-pieces," said Suzi. "The key principle is that everyone is the star on the stage, and everyone has a chance to shine in each role, because the focus is on teamwork rather than the individual."

"The kids in the Dance Company work with a variety of media, and are in the process of creating their own costumes and masks, for an upcoming performance in July, and recently we put on a show, 'Synergy and Light', which depicted a circus, where I played the trapeze artist," laughed Suzi. "While I never danced before, I did a dance routine with the children, which was choreographed by Jannine."

Athlone Dance Company gave Suzi more time onstage as a performer, which she loved, and which brought her back to performance and to her stage roots. Suzi and Jannine are now in their third year with the dance company.

"With the Athlone Dance Company, hopefully we demystify dance so it is understood as a wonderfully creative expressive art form that can be incorporated into any performance" said Suzi.

Suzi has taken to treading the boards a few times in Athlone, and working with other directors such as Harry Smith, Mel O'Flynn, and the late Joe Ducke.

"Lately I've done some acting, and I like being on stage, and I was very happy with my work in 'Rumours', directed by Mel O'Flynn, and she was wonderful to work with," said Suzi. "I replaced an actress who unfortunately had to decline the part. Mel is a great director and her sense of comic timing when directing her cast is impeccable."