The Illawarra Dance Academy presents The Magic Toyshop

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The Illawarra Dance Academy presents The Magic Toyshop

The Illawarra Dance Academy presents The Magic Toyshop at The Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Sunday 1st of December where brisk trade goes on during the day and when night falls, the toys miraculously come to life.

The end of year production is more than just a little concert in studio Directors opinion, it’s an opportunity to give students a chance to experience and understand the broader workings of professional art and stage. The Magic Toyshop was born at the stage of 2024 when Miss Sharna was thinking of clever ways to get our tiniest dancers onstage in a fun and positive way. After the idea was born Miss Sharna then collaborated with local Wollongong based Artist Simone Chambers and commissioned the artwork for the show.

Simone chambers is a Wollongong based emerging artist proficient in drawing and painting in a variety of styles, from traditional/realistic to expressive to abstract styles. Simone was commissioned by Miss Sharna to bring the vision of The Magic Toyshop to life. Simone created the ‘magical’ A3 artwork that you can now find on the studio wall. She developed the artwork with mesmerising colours, shapes and light effects using with paint.

We then decided to take the production to the next level and have our commissioned artwork turned into a real-life masterpiece…..

Stuart Raymond from Cambewarra, NSW, began his career in the Navy, where he served for 10 years and completed his trade as a Maintenance Fitter. After his service, he continued working in the engineering field, applying his technical skills. Beyond his professional career, Stuart has a deep passion for the Creative Arts. He is known for his craftsmanship in both woodwork and metal, building and designing many masterpieces. He is often collaborating with his grandchildren to create and paint woodwork art. Recently, Stuart contributed to “The Magic Toyshop” project, drawing inspiration from Simone Chambers’ artwork. His use of paint and blending techniques brought a realistic, magical touch to the toyshop, perfectly capturing the enchanting atmosphere.

We hope you can support our arts community and come along to our performance of The Magic Toyshop showing at The Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Sunday the 1st of December.

Tickets on sale through the IPAC on Thursday the 17th of October: https://merrigong.com.au/venues/ipac/