''Dancing Daze'' is a 1986 Australian mini series about two sisters from

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

who leave their family pig farm to make it as dancers in the big city.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p186 The ABC series stars

Meryl Tankard Meryl Tankard (born 1955) is an Australian dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. She started her career at the Australian Ballet in Sydney in 1975, and was principal dancer with Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany between 1978 ...

as Phoebe Green and Patsy Stephen as Kate Green. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1987 The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. The awards were in ...

, Wendy Matthews was nominated for

ARIA Award for Best Female Artist The ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Australians, Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out ...

for the title track. Martin Armiger was nominated for

ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genre ...

for the album.

Cast

as Phoebe Green * Patsy Stephen as Kate Green *Laurence Clifford as Joe Wyatt * Lance Curtis as Harry *

Norman Kaye Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox. Early life and education Kaye was born into a tough childhood in Depression Era Melbourne, as one ...

as Stephen Issacs *

Paul Chubb Paul Dunford (14 January 1949 – 9 June 2002), professionally billed as Paul Chubb, was an Australians, Australian film, television and stage actor and scriptwriter primarily in genres of comedy and drama. Early life He was born in Arncliffe, N ...

as Oliver *

Dinah Shearing Dinah Hilary Shearing (12 February 1926 – 14 June 2021) was an Australian actress, active in all facets of the industry, in particular theatre. Early life and education Dinah Hilary Shearing was born on 12 February 1926 in Sydney, to Englis ...

Jane Clifton Jane Clifton (born 10 April 1949) is a Gibraltar-born Australian actress, singer, writer and former radio and voice artist. She is best known for her role in TV serial ''Prisoner'' as tough prison bookie Margo Gaffney. As a singer, she had ...

as Lee Harper

Reception

Jacqueline Lee Lewes of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "You will like ''Dancing Daze''. There's an originality and energy about it which is contagious." Susan Molloy, also of The Sydney Morning Herald, said "This one has wit,style, imagination, youth-giving enthusiasm for anyone aged under 40 and more than 18, intelligent script, pacy scenes, fabulous fashion ..., can this be true? And it's from the ABC."

Soundtrack

Dancing Daze soundtrack was released in February 1986. A second soundtrack album featuring the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was also released. SIDE A: # " Dancing Daze" (

Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with "Maxine (Sharon O'Neill song), Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Re ...

) performed by

Wendy Matthews Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models (band), Models and Absent Friends (band), Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in th ...

and Jenny Morris. # "Can I Dance" (Mick Walter, Glen Muirhead - G. Lungren) performed by Mark Williams. # "Second Opinion" (Jenny Morris, Richard Fataar) performed by Mark Williams. # "Dare to Be Bold" (Sharon O'Neill) performed by Wendy Matthews. # "You're So Curious" (Jennifer Hunter-Brown, Michael Hegarty) performed by

Marc Hunter Marc Alexander Hunter (7 September 195317 July 1998) was a New Zealand rock and pop singer, songwriter and record producer. He was the lead vocalist of Dragon (1973–11/1979, 8/1982–1989, 1995–11/1997), a band formed by his older brother, ...

. # "Disaster" (Stephen Cummings, Dean Richards) performed by Jane Clifton. SIDE V: # "Against the Dance" (

Martin Armiger John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...

) performed by Mark Williams. # "I Love It When We're Dancing" (

Greg Macainsh Gregory John Macainsh (born 30 December 1950) is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Austra ...

, David Briggs) performed by Martin Armiger and

Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Mae Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present. Mirwood Employing her as bot ...

# "Might Have Been" (Martin Armiger, Michael Cove) performed by Jenny Morris, Mark Williams, Wendy Matthews. # "Phoebe" (Martin Armiger) performed by Marc Hunter. # "Casanova Club" (

Larry Van Kriedt Larry Van Kriedt (born July 4, 1954) is an American-Australian jazz musician. He is best known for being the original bass guitar, bassist for the rock band AC/DC around November 1973, joining Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar), Angus Young (lead gui ...

) performed by Larry Van Kriedt. # "Lost in a Dancing Daze" (Martin Armiger) performed by Wendy Matthews.

References

External links

* Australian television films 1986 soundtrack albums Films directed by Peter Fisk Films directed by Jane Campion {{Australia-tv-film-stub