Strictly Ballroom’s Tara Morice stars in State Theatre Company’s new play Dance Nation, part of the 2020 Adelaide Festival
Almost 30 years after she shot to fame on Strictly Ballroom, Tara Morice will return to the dancefloor in a new play for the State Theatre Company SA.
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Almost 30 years after she shot to fame on Strictly Ballroom, Tara Morice will return to the dancefloor in a new play for the State Theatre Company SA.
Tara stars in new production Dance Nation, which is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and is part of next year’s Adelaide Festival.
“It’s really weird, I never expected in my life that’d I’d be in so many things that have dance in them,” laughed Morice, who was in Adelaide for Thursday night’s State Theatre Company SA 2020 season launch.
“I guess when I was really little the first thing I wanted to be was a ballerina so maybe that just stuck.”
A co-production with Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre, Dance Nation delves into the world of teenage competitive dance, and also stars Adelaide’s Louisa Mignone, Amber McMahon, Yvette Lee and Chika Ikogwe.
“It’s quite dark. It’s a harsh, dark look at girls and the pressures at that age, and how they cope,” said Morice, best known for her performance alongside Paul Mercurio in Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 classic Australian film.
“It’s a really interesting dynamic between the characters.
“As for my own hip hop moves... it’s pretty difficult, I’m probably better at more of the old school stuff.”
Yesterday’s event was something of a homecoming for Morice, who spent several years in Adelaide as a teenager and attended Scotch College.
“My parents were working here, my mum was teaching at Scotch College,” she said. “I loved living in the Adelaide Hills, we had lots of animals, I went horse riding and I think I got my first job picking cherries.”
Morice, 55, admitted she still gets recognised for her role in Strictly Ballroom after all these years but she never gets tired of it.
“It’s amazing, I never expected it to be so massive. I’m still so proud of it,” she said.
SEE: DANCE NATION, SCOTT THEATRE, FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 7
TICKETS: STATETHEATRECOMPANY.COM.AU OR BASS ON 131 246
READ: MORE ON DANCE NATION IN SA WEEKEND IN THE ADVERTISER ON SATURDAY