Sydney Dance Company: 'Dance Noir: Euphoric'

After a three-year hiatus, Sydney Dance Company’s Dance Noir returned to Sydney 

for a sensational evening of dining, dancing, fundraising and fun!

On Saturday 17 September, Sydney Dance Company made a triumphant return to The Hordern Pavilion with their gala fundraiser, 'Dance Noir: Euphoric'. 

The evening lived up to its reputation as the sparkliest party of the year, while also raising vital funds to ensure that Sydney Dance Company’s artists and audiences can continue to be supported and inspired by exceptional contemporary dance experiences.

The dress code was 'Glittering Glamour' and guests stunned in spectacular ensembles embracing the true Dance Noir spirit.

The 450 guests in attendance included:

Bianca Spender, Paris Neilson, Kerr Neilson, Hon Julie Bishop, Skye Leckie OAM, Ellie Aitken, Rebekah Giles, Taryn Williams, Marten Peck, Felicity McVay, Chris Wirasinha, David Hancock, Nadia Fairfax-Wayne, Nicky Oatley, Deborah Symond-O’Neil, Alyce Tran, Caroline Tran, Kate Bond, Hannah Gold, Tamie Ingham, Angus Logan, Faraz (Fuzz) Ali, Michael Lo Sordo, Richard and Jane Freudenstein, Don Harwin, Rebel Penfold-Russel OAM, Guy and Georgina Fergusson, Martin and Michelle Walsh, Andrew and Jane Clifford, Shemara Wikramanayake, Hayley Bailey, Pip Smith,  Kate Keane, Tory Archbold, Alex Smart, Peter Reeve, Mandy Foley, Alexa Haslingden, Sally Burleigh and more. 

The Company performed an excerpt from Rafael Bonachela’s critically acclaimed 'Impermanence', an intimate duet by Rafael Bonachela - originally created for a Cartier High Jewellery event - and Holly Doyle’s electric finale piece, Euphoric.

Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year students also dazzled in intricate neon costumes by the Enmore Design School.

The incomparable Matty Mills was the MC for the evening, with the event raising in excess of $600,000 to support Sydney Dance Company. What an incredible result!

These funds are instrumental in delivering Sydney Dance Company’s transformative artistic and touring programs (international and national), as well as supporting vital community outreach and advanced training.

There was friendly fierce competition for a suite of spectacular prizes at the live auction held by Romany Brooks of BresicWhitney.

Thee impressive prize list included:

- a pair of exquisite Jan Logan pearl and diamond earrings

- an unforgettable cruise for 30 people aboard custom-built luxury super yacht Quantum

- luxury stays at 5-star resorts, The Datai in Malaysia

- a 10-day getaway in a private retreat in Mexico

- a week in a luxury villa on Lake Annecy in France

- a sublime 7-nights on the privately-owned Turtle Island in Fiji complete with staff

- and an exclusive MasterChef dining experience at Sydney Dance Company with MasterChef Australia alumni Michelle Walsh (we love her!)

Beverage partners Champagne Henriot, Archie Rose, Capi and Cassegrain Wines provided refreshments throughout the evening to accompany a delicious array of canapés, mains, sides, charcuterie and cheese stations.

Roving desserts, cocktails and mocktails fuelled the guests as they hit the dancefloor while DJ Sveta got the party started.

Sydney Dance Company extended a huge thanks to the incredible Dance Noir committee for helping to make this unforgettable night possible:

Co-Chairs Peter Reeve and Mandy Foley, Sally Burleigh, Hilary Burton, Jane Clifford, Debbie Coffey, Georgie Fergusson, Alexa Haslingden, Jan Logan, Jane McCallum, Stephen Thatcher, Christina Voitenko, Michelle Walsh and Judy Wolf.

Sydney Dance Company is Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, presenting new works in Sydney, around Australia and internationally, under the Artistic Direction of Rafael Bonachela. Since 1985 the Company has been resident in purpose-built and recently refurbished studios at Wharf 4/5 in Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.

Its studios house the largest public in-studio and online dance class program in Australia, attracting nearly 100,000 attendances each year. A legendary force in contemporary dance in Australia, Sydney Dance Company celebrated its 50th year in 2019.

More information: www.sydneydancecompany.com

And, see the gorgeous guests in all their sparkly glory here:

Dr Raewyn Teirney: One of the World’s Leading Fertility Specialists and Gynaecologists

Dr Raewyn Teirney is one of the world’s leading Fertility Specialists and Gynaecologists. 

She has spent the past 15 years helping thousands of people to conceive. And what an honourable role to have. Imagine being the person responsible for turning a couple into a family!

As someone who knows many couples who have struggled for years to conceive, and then the absolute joy and relief to finally be able to do so, I actually think people like Dr Raewyn Teirney are doing God's work. Even if you don't subscribe to any kind of religion, we can all agree that the gift the good doctor gives is life altering, and is one of the most treasured experiences in the world.

Dr Teirney currently works as a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) fertility sub-specialist at The Royal Hospital for Women, and in private practice with IVF Australia, at Bondi Junction, Alexandria and at St George Private Hospital, Kogarah.

She is a member of the Fertility Society of Australia (FSA), and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Endocrinology (ESHRE) and is a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Training Supervisor for the next generation of fertility specialists.

After many years of practice, Dr Teirney understands the frustrations many encounter in their bid to start a family and is renowned for her caring approach and the time she invests in her patients, exploring the plethora of conception options available.

She focuses on fertility issues affecting women living with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and fibroids, and has published extensively on PCOS, and lectured and trained many sub-specialists on the topic.

Dr Teirney specialises in:

• Female infertility and male infertility

• Fertility preservation in oncology

• Ovulation disorders

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (POS)

• IUI Treatment (intra-uterine treatment)

• In vitro fertilisation: IVF

• Endometriosis

• Miscarriage

• Laparoscopic surgery

Dr Teirney obtained her MB ChB medical degree from Auckland University, and her Masters of Medicine in Reproductive Health and Human Genetics from The University of Sydney.  She completed her FRANZCOG training in Sydney at King George V Memorial

Hospital for Mothers and Babies and the Royal Hospital for Women.

With a special interest in fertility and infertility problems, Dr Teirney continued further sub-specialty training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility as a clinical lecturer at Cambridge University and Bourn Hall IVF Centre, England – one of the world’s leading centres of IVF research and excellence, and where the world’s first IVF baby was conceived.

Dr Teirney obtained her Certification in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI) from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) in 2002.

conceiveplease + infertility support for both partners in the relationship

Infertility is one of the most heartbreaking experiences in life, and unless you've been through it, it can be hard to understand how upsetting the whole ordeal can be, even after you've triumphed as a couple and had your precious baby. That memory lingers, and you truly never forget the whole experience. And this also applies to the many people who experience trouble conceiving Baby Number Two, a common condition known as 'Secondary Infertility'. 

Enter, all-natural, holistic fertility kit conceiveplease, created by one of the world’s leading fertility specialists.

It's sold at www.conceiveplease.com as well as selected pharmacies, including Pharmacy 4 Less. 

conceiveplease supports couples who are struggling to fall pregnant to do so naturally, without turning to IVF.

The kit has seen amazing success with one couple who had really struggled with 'secondary infertility' becoming pregnant for the second time using the kit.

conceiveplease is the first of its kind as it targets both the man and the woman in the equation - after all it takes two to tango, right!

It’s really inclusive for the man, as he not only gets to take vitamins to improve his long term health, but this can include him in tracking ovulation and planning for intercourse.

The comprehensive booklet in the kit also offers lifestyle tips on how to keep things a bit romantic - those who have been through this journey know the whole thing can go from "hey, let's have fun making a baby" to "this is the pitts." It can turn from a romantic moment into a clinical and perfunctory act pretty quicky.

There’s even a meditation CD in there too. It has all bases covered!

Here is a success story (which we love!) and a gorgeous picture to prove it!

Name: Pru Sweeten

Age: 35

Occupation: Fertility Nurse and Fertility Research Nurse 

Lives: Woollahra, NSW

Husband's name: Andrew

Age: 38

Occupation: Medical Technology Sales 

How old were you when you first started trying to a baby?

I was 32 when we first started trying for a baby.

How did you find out about conceiveplease?

In my line of work, I knew I had to track my cycle and was aware of techniques to detect ovulation and to be able to detect the right time to conceive. I became aware of the kit through work circles and was lucky enough to be one of the first people to get my hands on it.  

How long were you trying for a baby before you turned to conceiveplease?

I decided to use the kit from the moment we decided to start trying for a baby as I knew it would improve my chances of a successful pregnancy. 

Did you find the kit easy to use?

I did. It is a bit of a no-brainer. A lot of women of reproductive age who have been trying to fall pregnant and have used a home-kit before will find this a lot easier than most to use. It’s only four steps and each one is clearly explained in the instruction booklet, so it’s hard to mess up really. 

Did you feel as though using the kit gave your husband a better sense of inclusion and involvement in the pregnancy? In what ways?

Definitely. It takes two to tango so it’s important that the men’s part of the process is included and conceiveplease allows for this. It increases the awareness of sperm health – a lot of the focus in other fertility products is on the female in terms of her reproductive health, but it is just as important for men to watch what they eat and exercise and include all the other factors to help improve sperm quality, such as taking the multi-vitamins.

Also, because it is in a pack and everything is included together in one box, it is so easy for couples to use together. In my experience, men are only told to get sperm-health vitamins if there is an issue, but every guy, in my opinion, should be taking them to improve their fertility fitness. It’s a very inclusive kit and it also means that your husband feels very included with your fertility tracking, taking your temperature and of the pregnancy in its very early stages. It makes it more of a team effort heightens the sense of excitement. 

You mentioned you turned to IVF after 12 months. Why was that?

I used the kit for 12 months when we were trying naturally for a year, but we sadly had two miscarriages. So, the kit did actually work for us twice, unfortunately those pregnancies just were not viable. We went down the IVF path as we knew that medical intervention could implant the most viable embryo for us. It is so important to remember though that IVF treatment varies so much for every couple. However, with our medical backgrounds, we knew for us as an individual couple, it was the best choice for us at that time. 

You actually continued to use the kit in conjunction to IVF treatment … how do you feel the kit complements the IVF process?

The vitamins are of use because you need them with both a natural and IVF conception (male and female). The meditation CD included in the kit really helps to de-stress you. You still rely on the pregnancy test when you undergo IVF, so that is essential in my view as well. All the education included in the booklet within the kit is relevant to everyone – no matter what fertility treatment they undergo.

The beauty of being able to purchase the elements of the kit separately, meant that when we decided to undergo IVF and no longer needed to track my hormones and temperature (as the clinic was doing all that for me), we could still buy the other essential items separately like the vitamins, the pregnancy testing sticks and the meditation CD, which really helped calm me down when I was nervous. 

Would you suggest anyone going down the IVF path use conceiveplease kit?

They wouldn’t need the entire kit, but they can buy the individual elements of it as mentioned above – the vitamins, the health and lifestyle booklet and the meditation CD. 

What do you think is so great about conceiveplease and the various elements of the kit? Can you talk a bit about how the various elements helped you in your journey?

I think in particular the LH tester was amazing because ovulation can occur at different times of your cycle – it can be early or later each month. The ovulation (LH) testing sticks are a real educational tool as they detect exactly when you’re ovulating, so you know exactly when to have timed intercourse. It is a really great way to feel confident about your conception journey. You know if you’re having intercourse at that time, that you’re giving yourself the best chance of conception in that month. 

How long did it take you to fall pregnant after using the kit and IVF (i.e.: how many rounds of IVF did you need?)

We conceived on the first attempt. 

When was your baby born?

My beautiful little boy Michael was born in August 2017

Erin Molan Pregnant

Channel Nine sports presenter Erin Molan has announced she is expecting her first child, with fiancé Sean Ogilvy.

Erin made the announcement on Friday evening's '9 News', telling viewers: "Sean and I are very blessed and very excited to announce, I guess, that we are having a child, which is slightly terrifying but beautiful news."

We wish you both a lifetime of happiness, Erin and Sean!

Here is the announcement:

A big congratulations to @Erin_Molan on the amazing news that she's having a child! 😊 #9NRLFootyShow pic.twitter.com/d6scuYUZZi

— The NRL Footy Show (@NRLFootyShow) December 1, 2017

Josie's Juice was fortunate to spend the day with Erin and Sean recently at the Gooree Park Melbourne Cup event, through our sister comply RoJo Consulting.

Huge congratulations to the beautiful @erin_molan and her lovely fiancé Sean on the announcement of your pregnancy. Welcome to #pending #parenthood! ❤️❤️❤️love from @rojoconsulting #photo: at @gooreepark #melbournecup @mudgeeregion

A post shared by Robert Dessanti Josie Gagliano (@rojoconsulting) on Dec 1, 2017 at 2:44pm PST

Here is the pic fellow newsreader and now 'Today' show co anchor Georgie Gardner shared after Erin announced her happy news during their shared news broadcast:

Hugest of congratulations to the fabulous @erin_molan who's having a baby!! Woohoo!! #happydays

A post shared by Georgie Gardner (@georgiegardner9) on Nov 30, 2017 at 11:58pm PST

This is  a beautiful, fun couple and we know they will be fantastic parents.

HUGE congratulations, Erin and Sean!