By Parker Mckenzie
On a Thursday afternoon, performers at Colourz – Performance with a Purpose are busy preparing for their biannual show, which will be held at Burrinja Cultural Centre on Saturday 25 March at 3pm.
There’s the crash of drums, laughter and singing as over 30 people practice their dancing, singing, music and performing at St Steven’s Anglican Church in Bayswater, and the fun and joy is infectious to everyone involved.
Colourz founder Arthur Le Fleur said his organisation caters to participants with disabilities and gives them the opportunity to follow their dreams.
“A lot of us want to be an actor, a lot of us want to sing or model or make movies. Some want to be a director and some would like to edit,” he said.
“They want to be musicians and that’s what they get out of this.”
The performances are as varied as the people involved in the program.
Kathryn, who plays the drums and dances, said everyone is really excited about the upcoming show.
“When people watch us and clap their hands, it’s like amazing,” she said.
“Colourz helping us with what we’ve been doing, it’s just really good.”
The program runs daily from Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. Beyond singing, music and dancing, Colourz also runs programs in modelling, film and acting.
Mr Le Fleur said wants to see those involved go onto further employment in the field they want to pursue.
“We’ve got a friend here who has an editing degree, I would love to see him progress into working at channel 9, 7 or 10,” Mr Le Fleur said.
“I want to see Home and Away actors, I want to see them catwalk modelling. I just want them to have opportunity.”
Colourz – Performance with a Purpose started during the Covid-19 pandemic when Mr Le Fleur ran online performing arts classes for people with disabilities during lockdown.
“A lot of people cannot get that passion of performing because they withdraw and hold it in, a lot of what we see here wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago,” he said.
“We just wanted to get this model right. We want to make sure that we had our routine, our staffing, policies and everything that we’re doing right.”
Our Voice, the show at Burrinja, is a two-hour “musical extravaganza,” featuring solo performances and group numbers.
Mr Le Fleur said he wants the local community to join them in celebrating the hard work of everyone involved in the performance.
“They work one year to prepare for our show. We’re just asking for people to come and share the emotions with us to two hours out of your year,” he said.
“They spent all year preparing, give them two hours out of your here and bring a box of tissues because it is an emotional moment.”
For more information on Our Voice, visit burrinja.org.au/burrinja-whats-on/whats-on-schools
