Brisbane's Valley Fiesta to showcase young artists

Photo: a scene from Valley Fiesta 2010 by Conan Whitehouse for Strut N' Fret Production House

A Council-funded 'creative space' for young people provides the platform for emerging artists who will perform at Brisbane’s Valley Fiesta on Saturday. 

Map: Fortitude Valley

Visible Ink in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley has been a hive of activity as a host of young artists tune-up to perform at the 2011 Valley Fiesta.

Visible Ink is a Brisbane City Council-funded program that provides free or low-cost facilities for young people aged 12 to 26, such as computer labs, meeting rooms and rehearsal space.

At this year’s Valley Fiesta, the Visible Ink Youth Stage will showcase emerging artists who have used the program’s facilities to prepare for the event.

Valley Fiesta is a free two-day street party which aims to showcase the best live music, food, fashion, art and entertainment that the Valley has to offer.  Streets are closed to traffic and performances are held on six outdoor street stages.

But the Fiesta is not just about entertainment; the popular event also celebrates the Valley’s vibrant social and cultural diversity.

Beauty and the Beats, an all female acoustic soul band, is just one of the local acts that will take to the Visible Ink Stage in Fortitude Valley’s Chinatown Mall on Saturday. 

Valerie Musu, a member of the Brisbane-based quartet says the youth space has provided invaluable support for Beauty and the Beats which otherwise would not have had a place to rehearse.

“We all have full-time jobs and Visible Ink is the only place we know of where we can rehearse after work,” she said.

“Rehearsal spaces usually charge about $100 per hour while Visible Ink is free.  It’s a great initiative.”

Elerrina McPherson and Angie Fleming, both from Ipswich, established a performing arts company called DreamWave Entertainment in July of this year.

DreamWave’s hip-hop dance act ‘IMVU’, will be performing on Valley Fiesta’s satellite stages on Ann Street, near the Brunswick Street Mall and at the Brunswick Street entrance to the Fortitude Valley train station.

IMVU (which stands for Inspire, Motivate, Versatile and Unique) consists of seven dancers aged 19 to 26.

Ms McPherson says DreamWave used the free rehearsal space at Visible Ink to hold auditions with over 100 young dancers from all over Brisbane, from which IMVU’s dancers were selected.

“It was just a massive month of auditioning,” she said.

Ms Fleming says DreamWave plans to open studios in Ipswich, Logan and Fortitude Valley in 2012.

“We want to get our own studios but at the moment, we’re just starting out,” she said.

Photo: Angie Fleming (left) and Elerrina McPherson of DreamWave Entertainment

That’s where Visible Ink has played an important role, by helping the young creative entrepreneurs to establish themselves.

As well as providing quality rehearsal space and other facilities, Visible Ink mentors young artists.

Ms Fleming says that without the help of Visible Ink, DreamWave would not have come this far.   

“They’ve really got behind DreamWave and what we’re about and have just encouraged us to keep going, which is great,” she said.

Kate Mocsay studies social work at Queensland University of Technology and works at Visible Ink on a student placement.

She says Visible Ink gives young artists who use the space the confidence they need to make it in the real world and the Visible Ink Stage at Valley Fiesta is testament to that.

“It [Visible Ink] promotes the idea that you can do it as a job and it’s not just art for art’s sake,” she said.

Valley Fiesta will take place in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley on 7^th and 8^th October 2011.  The first performances will take to the stage on Friday evening and the festivities will conclude at around 11.00pm on Saturday.    

Information on artists who will be performing plus the live music program and other information about Valley Fiesta can be found at www.valleyfiesta.com.

Information on how to get to Valley Fiesta via public transport can be found on the Translink web site or phone 13 12 30 for train, bus and taxi services operating during Valley Fiesta.

Information about Visible Ink can be found at http://www.visibleink.org/, by visiting the Brisbane City Council web site or by contacting Council on (07) 3403 8888.