By Rain Francis.

In 2012, a new dance company was born over in Kiwi-land. Led by Artistic Director Shona McCullagh, The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) hit the road rolling with its launch season Language of Living. Met with positive responses from both Auckland audiences and critics, the production is now being rebooted for a North Island tour.

Language of Living comprises a diverse programme performed by some of New Zealand’s top dancers, including Ursula Robb, Craig Bary, Justin Haiu, Hannah Tasker-Poland, Tupua Tigafua and Lucy Lynch. The works come from both extraordinary emerging voices, such as Sarah Foster-Sproull, and New Zealand’s choreographic royalty, such as Arts Laureate Michael Parmenter.

Parmenter’s work Tenerezza, a duet for Craig Bary and Justin Haiu, explores the idea that no movement occurs without initiation by the other. “The piece began very much with the two dancers, both of whom I have worked with on a number of occasions,” says Parmenter. “I had a sense of the particular quality of relationship that I wanted to explore and so that led me to the particular piece of music [by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach], with which too I had had a previous choreographic relationship.”

Tenerezza was developed via two partner-improvisation forms – Piloting and T.A.C.T.I.C.S. – that Parmenter has been developing over recent years, and with which both the dancers had a certain degree of familiarity. “Initially the idea was to have a certain component of improvisation remain in the finished piece, but as it turned out the only remnant of this is in the choreographic relationship to the music, which since both the dance and the music are performed live, is not fixed but varies from performance to performance,” explains Parmenter.

Michael Parmenter. Photo courtesy of New Zealand Dance Co.

Craig Bary is a dancer who is much loved in both New Zealand and here in Australia, having performed with companies such as Australian Dance Theatre, Tasdance, KAGE and Chunky Move. He speaks fondly of Parmenter’s duet. “It’s challenging and exciting to perform every time,” he says. “Because it was created through improvisation techniques created by Michael, it’s really about us, the dancers, and that feels really special.”

NZDC audiences in Auckland and Wellington will be treated to performances of Faune by international choreographers Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Mark Lorimer. Set to Claude Debussy’s famous score L’après-midi d’un faune (The Afternoon of a Faun), the solo will be performed by Ursula Robb, who has worked with De Keersmaeker’s Rosas company in Belgium and the Paris Opera. On the Warkworth, Orewa and Whangarei legs of the tour, a new work has been added to the programme. Without Eve is a humorous take on the art of male conversation by UNITEC choreographer Ashleigh Coward.

Language of Living is an eclectic programme, and audiences can expect to see “world class dancers and choreographies,” as Bary says.

New Zealand Dance Company in ‘Language of Living’. Photo by John McDermott.

Parmenter agrees, even despite having yet to see the production in its entirety. The busy choreographer notes, “What strikes me about the glimpses I have seen of the pieces is a devotion to the ‘art’ of dance itself. This may seem somewhat quaint in light of the current theory-impregnated dance aesthetic, but I can’t help but see it as an act of respect for and maintenance of a rich tradition of aesthetic understanding.”

Aside from its professional performance seasons, NZDC has also been building a Youth Engagement Programme (YEP!). As part of the Language of Living tour, the company will be performing shows just for schools in a variety of centres. They will also be selecting talented local dancers to perform alongside the professional – a wonderful opportunity for dance students.

“The New Zealand Dance Company has a leadership youth engagement role, creating access and mentoring for young people to get hooked into dance,” says Artistic Director Shona McCullagh. “The art form and society are fortified by inspiring the values of courage, enthusiasm, independence and contribution.”

Like Australia – and let’s face it, most places on Earth – New Zealand has no shortage of dance and choreographic talent. With internationally respected training institutions such as UNITEC and New Zealand School of Dance turning out world-class graduates year after year (including a large proportion of Australians), the need for jobs is greater than ever.

“There has been a call for this kind of inclusive and mainstream company for quite some time,” says Bary. “Any company that allows for the development and practice of art forms is a great thing for the cultural diversity and language of its nation. Allowing a voice to our incredible artists and collaborators to share with an interested and excited growing audience is a great way to explore our identity nationally and internationally.”

Language of Living North Island Tour runs from May 25 to June 12. For full venue and ticketing information, visit www.nzdc.org.nz.

Photo (top): Craig Bary and Justin Haiu in Michael Parmenter’s Tenerezza. Photo by John McDermott.

By Rain Francis.

Douglas Wright returned recently from The Netherlands. His company performed the acclaimed work Rapt at Lucent Danstheatre in Holland’s dancing capital, Den Hague. The all-star cast included Kilda Northcott, Sarah-Jayne Howard, Craig Bary, Kelly Nash, Alex Leonhartsberger, Nancy Wijohn, Dan Cooper, Will Barling and Sarah Foster. Foster said of the two-show tour: “The response was amazing; we had fantastic feedback and standing ovations. It was great to be a part of this tour and for Douglas’ work to be seen by an international audience.” Rapt was originally co-produced by Creative New Zealand and The Auckland Festival in 2011.

An audition for World of Wearable Arts is being held on May 26 at the Wellington Opera House for male and female dancers between the ages of 18 and 35 years old with significant professional experience. The contract for WOW runs from September 1 to October 6, 2013 in Wellington. You can register your interest by emailing your details to cast@worldofwearableart.com.

Dancers Lauren Carr & Isabelle Nelson of Java Dance Company. Photo by Tom Hoyle.

The Alana Haines Australasian Awards took place over Easter at the St. James Theatre in Wellington. The event commemorates a promising 11-year-old Wellington dancer who was tragically killed on Christmas Eve 1989. It has grown to be the most prestigious in Australasia and is highly respected throughout the world.

Scholarships allocated to finalists for this year’s event included elite international companies and schools in Hong Kong, France, London and the USA. The Junior Winner was 13-year-old Harrison Lee from McDonald College in Sydney. The Supreme Winner of Group A was Bethany Cockburn, a 15-year-old student of Prudence Bowen in Queensland. The Supreme Winner of Group B was 18-year-old New Zealand School of Dance student Tynan Wood from New South Wales.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet has recently returned home from a successful tour of China where they performed their new production of Giselle. New Zealand audiences will be able to share some of the RNZB’s China experiences, onstage and behind the scenes, later this year. The production team from TV3’s The Secret Lives of Dancers were travelling with the company.

Students of New Zealand School of Dance. Photo by Stephen A’Court

The New Zealand School of Dance Choreographic Season titled And Then it Moved introduces 10 new choreographers who are bringing contemporary dance premieres to the stage. Created by contemporary dance students in their third year of full-time study at the NZSD, And Then it Moved is the result of four intensive months of preparation. In addition to workshopping new dance pieces, the group of young choreographers have collaborated with professional musicians and technical students from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School to make the show. And Then it Moved takes place in Wellington from May 20-25. For bookings, visit www.nzschoolofdance.ac.nz.

Java Dance Company recently performed a two-week season of Down Beneath Below for the Capital E National Arts Festival. Nearly 4,000 4 to 14-year-olds responded vigorously to the show, which stars two penguins, a sea lion and an albatross. Down Beneath Below was performed by a cast of half Australian (Lauren Carr and Sam Wang) and half Kiwi (Isabelle Nelson and Michael Gudgeon) dancers.

Photo (top): Douglas Wright’s Rapt. Photo by John Savage.

iOU Dance Solo Series
Sydney Opera House, as part of Spring Dance
August 24 2012

By Nicole Saleh.

The Sydney Opera House warmly welcomed Sydney’s best independent solo dance artists to take centre stage for Spring Dance 2012.

The iOU Dance Solo Series featured six home-grown solos by talented choreographers, each performing their own unique work showcasing their versatility as an artist. This solo series was originally created as a tribute to the Io Myers Studio at the University of NSW, where many independent artists research and develop their works. From the rehearsal room to the Opera House, Spring Dance curator, Rafael Bonachela, has given these vibrant artists an iconic platform to share their creativity and artistic spirit to a much wider audience.

The evening started with a fascinating performance of Anton’s SuperModern 2.1, an adaptation of his full length work, SuperModern – Dance of Distraction. Dressed in a plain t-shirt and sweat pants with his feet firmly planted on the ground, Anton’s structured improvisation of his upper body with hectic and repetitive. Shaking and twitching movements from his head to his fingertips seemed to demonstrate the unrest we can feel by the constant bombardment of technology in our lives. Strong and powerful lighting direction enhanced this work, with light streaming onto the stage to form a square box. This conveyed a sense of being trapped, and that Anton was energetically trying to break free. Anton’s choreography and execution was highly engaging, and I’m eager to see how it translates into his full length work.

Martin del Amo. Photo by Jess Bialek

Another highlight of the evening was the simplicity of Craig Bary’s modern choreography, and his ingenious use of a chair in his work titled Awaken Absence for Josh. Craig explored the notion of how you can still feel a presence when a space is empty, as if it should be occupied. A specially commissioned music piece by Eden Mulholland, provided the momentum for Craig’s swift movements. His interaction with the chair was as if this object was a person, and he used all parts of his body from his hands, legs and even his head and neck to glide the chair effortlessly around the stage. His strong yet fluid movement saw him playfully jump, turn, tumble and envelop himself around the chair. Craig’s strong sense of emotion in his performance allowed him to easily connect with the audience.

Martin Del Amo presented two short works. Part 1, Disorientation and Part 2, What Good Is Sitting Alone In Your Room, a tribute to the style of Bob Fosse. In his second work Martin unexpectedly appeared in a short black dress and stuck a series of poses and static movements that mimicked the characteristic silhouettes of Fosse’s choreography. This highly unique work by Martin paid homage to one of the greatest choreographers of our time that has influenced both cabaret and jazz dance.

Bringing a spiritual flavour to the evening was Narelle Benjamin’s piece titled Nobody, inspired by Hindu Goddess Kali. With the jingling sound of bells and use of a sword, Benjamin’s amazing flexibility and core strength allowed her to twist and shape her body into yoga inspired poses and headstands that marvelled the audience.

It was wonderful to see incredible women showcased in this solo series including Kristina Chan. In her work Lost and Found, Kristina sought to find her place in the world. With a strong sense of curiosity, her movement at times was reminiscent of an animal in the way she twisted her arms behind her, along with alert and sharp head movements. Although this work did not showcase fully Kristina’s amazing ability as a dancer, it did strongly deliver the message of being on a journey to discovery.

Kristina Chan presents 'Lost and Found'. Photo by Jess Bialek

The last solo of the evening by Timothy Ohl, was a departure from dance in its purest form, to physical theatre. In this highly entertaining work, Timothy took on the persona of a reality TV star named Jack. Not taking himself too seriously he made fun of pop culture and the need for people to find fame. Essentially he is a ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. Competing to win a reality dance contest, Timothy showed his breadth of dance styles from tap to break dancing and even included a flash back to the era of 80s jazz dancing, complete with a sparkling blue unitard! He engaged the audience through his use of humour and cleverly incorporated technology into his work where he sang a duet on stage with himself on a TV screen. Even though this work pushed the boundaries of dance and entered the arena of physical theatre, the audience appreciated its relevance and gave it the greatest response.

With a varied and eclectic program, the iOU Dance Solo Series has successfully put independent dance theatre on the map for all to see, showcasing the diversity of talent within this dance community. Even in a world renowned venue like the Sydney Opera House, the artists couldn’t resist bringing a sense of local community to the theatre, inviting the audience after the show to join them in the Opera House foyer for a chat and a snag from the Aussie BBQ.

Top photo: Timothy Ohl performs at iOU Dance Solo Series. Photo by Jess Bialek

By Rain Francis.

Across the Tasman, a dedicated team of artists has been working tirelessly to create a new dance company, The New Zealand Dance Company, to be exact.

Heading the charge is Shona McCullagh, who has been an integral part of the New Zealand dance scene for many years. A graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and a former member of Limbs Dance Company, she became a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate in 2002, and received a Senior Choreographic Fellowship from Creative New Zealand in 2007. Besides her many creations for various distinguished dance companies, she has made work for theatre, television and film, as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Now Executive/Artistic Director of the New Zealand Dance Company, McCullagh, along with General Manager Frances Turner, has relished the seemingly mountainous self-imposed challenge. And with the official media launch of the new Company taking place recently, the summit is in sight.

Founding Artistic Director Shona McCullagh. Photo by John McDermott

McCullagh notes that although the dance landscape in New Zealand “has always been rich, [it has been] operating in a predominantly project-to-project based paradigm for a long time.” This means of course, that most of the highly skilled and creative talent being produced in New Zealand every year is being forced to fly the coop.

The truth is that since the demise of Limbs in 1989, there have been no full-time contracts available to contemporary dancers in New Zealand. Remedying that is the Company’s ultimate aim – an aim McCullagh says it will take about three years to reach. She envisions for the Company “a beautiful home in Auckland [with] a core of eight full-time dancers and a dynamic infrastructure.”

Despite the “relentless nature” of the huge task they have undertaken, McCullagh and Turner have met with massive support from many arts and business individuals, companies and communities. Creative New Zealand is the core funder of the new venture, and Westpac has come on board for an initial three year contract. Leading performing arts venue The Edge has been one of the Company’s “most significant supporters”. McCullagh also credits Designworks for the crucial task of brand development, Auckland City for additional funding, and Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) for mentoring support.

The New Zealand Dance Company will officially leap into the spotlight in August, with its inaugural season at the ASB Theatre at The Edge in Auckland. Titled Language of Living, the programme will comprise five works commissioned specifically for this debut appearance. The choreographers on the bill include New Zealand icon Michael Parmenter alongside Justin Haiu, Sarah Foster-Sproull and McCullagh herself.

With the season encompassing the idea that dance is “the most beautifully truthful language of living,” McCullagh describes the programme as a mix of “earthy, funny, brave and beautiful.”

NZ Dance Company Dancer Sarah Foster-Sproull

“One of the works is a solo created for one of our global super-stars Ursula Robb, who has returned to NZ from a stellar career in Europe,” the Artistic Director explains. “Justin Haiu, of So You Think You Can Dance fame, has created a great solo with live music by South Auckland group The Electric Boutique, and the other works on the programme are group pieces with fantastic music, a stunning set, new technology and contemporary costume. Deliciously compelling!”

Following auditions last year, McCullagh has assembled a company of artists she calls “absolute individuals; funny, feisty, mysterious and astonishing.” These founding members of the New Zealand Dance Company are Robb, Haiu and Foster-Sproull, along with Craig Bary, Alex Leonhartsberger, Tupua Tigafua, Hannah Tasker-Poland and apprentice dancer, Lucy Lynch.

She adds proudly that all dancers and choreographers are born-and-bred Kiwis (with the exception of Leonhartsberger – who has lived in New Zealand for several years).

“We produce magnificent dancers here and have exciting choreographic talent,” McCullagh explains. “We need to be offering choreographers the opportunity to develop their craft in a more stable environment and beautiful dancers the chance to have a full-time profession.”

Another exciting initiative of the New Zealand Dance Company is the Youth Engagement Programme (YEP), which provides workshop and performance opportunities to young dance enthusiasts. This programme is part of the Company’s overall aim, which involves removing the “barriers and complexity” surrounding contemporary dance, to change the way New Zealanders see and experience the artform.

“The New Zealand Dance Company is a safe place for artists and audiences to be brave,” says McCullagh, “in essence creating a new connection to what dance is and can be.”

Language of Living opens on August 10 at the ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland.
For more information, go to www.the-edge.co.nz/Event-Pages/L/Language-of-Living.aspx

Top photo: New Zealand Dance Company dancer Hannah Tasker-Poland

Parramatta Riverside Theatre
August 2011

By Lynne Lancaster

This excellent work is tantalising and enthralling. Unfortunately at the show I attended we only saw a segmented, abridged version as one of the dancers was injured. However, based on what we saw it is a sensational, fluid, sculptural work that takes as its base the idea of being connected within relationships, of the search for soul mates and intuition. The dancers explore the concept of Yin/Yang, male/female separate yet entwined, linked and reflecting each other.

The professional dance partnership between Griffiths and Bary positively glows. You can almost touch it as a third performer, crackling with intimacy. Both dancers have worked with Chunky Move, Leigh Warren and Dancers and Tasdance, among other companies, as well as with the late lamented Tanja Liedtke. Early on in their performing careers their close physical and mental partnership was observed by various choreographers, and this was the springboard for their creative work. As mentioned in the program notes, they have challenged themselves to develop their ”intricate duet and unison work” by dancing virtually as one, building on ideas such as ”soul mates” and ”sharing different heartbeats in one life”. This is their first work as co- choreographers and performers. Side To One has been in development since 2006 with the backing of skilled mentors behind it, and this shows. 

There is a wonderful extended opening duet where the dancers are caught in an extra-large oversized stretchy polo neck jumper. It is sometimes enfolding and comforting, and at other times used as a basis for precarious balance.

The Orbazanek/Chunky Move style of integrating wonderful computer images, technology and music with dance is heavily evident. Adam Synott’s powerful pulsating score hums and sizzles, echoing and melding with the choreography. I enjoyed the way dots and stars of the opening sequence merged into shapes like that of entwined dancers.

Most of the time there is a heavy, weighted feel to the choreography and a possible Graham influence. Sometimes it is more playful in mood, or electric and intense. When the two dancers move in unison there is a creamy, sculptural and intimate feel that is contrasted with smooth yet angular and twisted ‘chewy’ (as Griffith describes it) choreography.

The stage is mostly bare apart from the huge light box shaped like an L that the dancers clamber around, stand on, hang off, and in one section dance inside creating some marvellous, soft focus, blurry dreamlike visuals. Towards the end Griffiths luxuriously floats in strong eerie shadows while Bary manipulates her, and is manipulated by her, in a dreamlike sequence full of repetitive mirroring choreographic phrases.

What a small golden gem of a show. I anxiously await a return season.

Photo: by Chris Herzfeld

By Grace Edwards

Adelaide-born contemporary dance artist Lisa Griffiths and New Zealand-born contemporary performing artist and guest teacher Craig Bary collaborate with multi-media designer Adam Synott in their long-awaited work, Side To One. This new work features as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s inSPACE program, to be held in late July. Dance Informa’s Grace Edwards discusses dance, friendship and the existence of soul mates with the choreographers.

Tell us about your work, Side To One

Lisa
The work is about two people destined to connect. Some people call this love or chemistry, and would call them soul mates. Side To One explores the vital human need for connection and is a true story inspired by our friendship and dancing together.

Do you believe in the concept of soul mates?

Craig
I do believe in connections that go deeper; I also believe you can have this connection with more than one person, but in different ways. With Lisa, I feel we have always been destined to come together in this creative way. We feel very much like family now too. We have an unspoken understanding of each other.

Lisa
I certainly believe in soul mates but they can come and go. In our case, Craig and I have had a long journey together.

How do you work together in the studio?

Lisa
We are peers who share a great deal of skill and experience, so when we choreograph, we sometimes create phrases separately in the studio before coming together to learn each other’s sections. Then together, we extend the material further. When making duet work we simply experiment and see where a movement idea may move us – sometimes into a dance lift, or one supporting the other suspended. We find these places by trusting and listening to each other, always keeping our connection and an awareness of each other’s bodies. If we fall, we fall together, again finding a new choreographic outcome.

Craig
We have also spent many a night with our heads near computer screens writing and rewriting concepts, ideas and grant applications, and refining what we discover in the studio. It has been a long and sporadic process of development spanning a few years. Each time we come back together we see what still inspires us and we develop those ideas, or throw them out and find new ones.

Many dance artists see choreography as a form of movement-based research.  How do you view choreographic practice?

Lisa
Choreography has no rules in regards to process, but it is always about using movement as a medium. I have learnt that it is important to question why you use a movement. You need to question your motivation and be honest about what you want to say. Then let go and trust your instinct.  

Craig
I think we take what we are and what we experience and put it into an art form that resonates with ourselves. For Lisa and me, that art form is dance, and also music and imagery.

How has the process of creating this work differed to that of other works?

Craig
I have made a few works now, but when we started this process this was my first work in development. As dancers both performing and creating our own work, the process is very exhausting but also extremely true and instinctive. It is not the same as looking into a work and seeing the whole picture and being able to manipulate it externally. You need to trust how it is feeling and how that will read to an audience.

Lisa
I have really been able to take risks in our partner work, as Craig and I have much experience and trust. Since the movements come from our own bodies, the process is not delayed by transferring the movement onto other dancers’ bodies. 

How difficult has it been juggling your time between choreography and performance as  independent artists?

Lisa
It has been tricky for both Craig and me to juggle work. As we are both still performers for other companies we have had to find time here and there to work. We have also had to keep in mind the availability of our collaborators and studio space. Side to One has only been made possible through our friendship, respect and patience for each other’s life and busy careers. I do, however, hope to create a new work next year with Craig dancing in it to experience the perspective of creating from outside the work.

Craig
It has been difficult to juggle our dance careers as well as make this work. I think that is why it has been a longer process than normal, but the experiences that we have outside of our work further serve to inform the work we make together. Side to One has gone through many transformations as we have grown as artists. It’s very rare to see a work take the time to develop like this and really grow alongside the artists. It will be interesting to see if an audience can feel this.

What inspires you to create and perform?

Craig
Both Lisa and I are inspired by artists and collaborators around us, and the simplicities and complexities of life. The ability to share with an audience that which I see and which affects me as a person and artist is what constantly drives me to dance and make work.

Lisa
I love the challenge of combining other mediums such as projection and set design to support the story and complement the dance. I think this comes from the fact that the people around me are gifted with particular skills and I feel compelled to utilise these.

Performing and creating is about sharing an experience. The older I become the more I want to understand people and why we behave the way we do. My art form keeps me physically active and hearing your heart beat whilst dancing makes you feel alive. My performances make me strive for perfection; it does not exist, of course, but in the process I feel I do become mentally stronger. Creating work keeps me questioning life; it keeps me switched on to what some people may find mundane but what I see as daily miracles and achievements.

Side to One will run from July 27th-30th at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre.

Photos: Chris Herzfeld