Dispelling the Myths
Black Grace is in Aspen where founder and artistic Neil Ieremia is helping the American public come to grips with a dance company “from a place not especially known for dance.” Ieremia has…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Sydney Sees Red
Established in 1953, the Royal New Zealand Ballet had humble beginnings, performing nationwide with a company of three and a pianist. Now 32-strong, and with an international reputation to boot, the RNZB…
Contemporary Navigation
Dancer and choreographer Jeremy Nelson’s latest performance Sail, is inspired by his childhood in New Zealand; inspired by the sea, the Maori haka and rugby. Nelson performed Sail at New York’s Danspace Project,…
Familiar sights in Utah
25,000 International Rotary members were treated to a Polynesian luau at a Utah convention centre this month. The performance, which involved story, song and dance, was put on by Kaeo-born Dave Atkinson, chairman of…
Edge Moves
An American dance professor gained a fascinating insight into NZ culture during an exchange organised by the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Tarin Chaplin wrote about her time in Auckland and Wellington in a…
Chinese tour for RNZB
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is set for its first tour of China since 1985. The company has been invited to perform at the Shanghai International Arts Festival in November and will stage further…
Kahurangi in Kuala Lumpur
The Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre will celebrate Waitangi Day in Kuala Lumpur, performing at the Malaysia-New Zealand Cultural Extravaganza. Founded by Tama Huata in 1983, Kahurangi has showcased the songs and dances of the…
Dance film tackles domestic drama
Shona McCullagh’s short film Break was a highlight of the Dance on Camera Festival at New York’s Walter Reade Theatre, according to the New York Times. Set in rural NZ, ‘Break’ illustrates, with surprising subtlety, the breakdown…
Kudos for Kahurangi
The Kahurangi Maori Dancers made a big impression on natives of Penticton, British Columbia, this month. The dance group, which comprises graduates of NZ’s Takitimu Performing Arts School, regularly tours North America, as well…
Good Things Come in Threes
The Royal NZ Ballet’s recent tour earned high praise in the Australian national media. The RNZB performed a trio of works by Christopher Hampson, Javier de Frutos and Michael Parmenter, collectively entitled Trinity. The…
Douglas Wright’s “poem of love, cruelty and death”
During his dance career Douglas Wright was said to resemble Nijinsky in his face, his flair and his soaring leap. He now has the taut, high cheekbones, full lips and furrowed brow of…
On the Mark
The Guardian hails the rise and rise of Mark Baldwin, Fijian-born NZ-raised artistic director of London’s renowned Rambert Dance Company. After just three years in the job, Baldwin has significantly increased the Company’s…
Princes of Darkness
Black Grace was invited to perform again at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival after being the surprise hit of the event last year. “Never before has this reviewer seen a group of male dancers who…
Heavenly Creatures
The Royal NZ Ballet impresses critics with its first foray into Sydney. The Herald reviewer is particularly taken with the show’s titular piece, A Million Kisses to My Skin. “I suspect that the…
Memorable Moves
The Royal NZ Ballet’s performance of Javier Frutos’ Milagros made the Observer‘s top ten dance moments of 2004. The piece toured the UK in May as part of an RNZB triple bill.
Black Grace “a revelation”
The US debut of Black Grace was one of the New York Times’ dance highlights of 2004. Says reviewer Jennifer Dunning; “The audience was filled with Berkshires vacationers of all ages and degrees of…
Dance Floor Casanova
“Strapping Kiwi dancer,” Brendan Cole, has found UK tabloid immortality as the fiery star of hit BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing. Cole won the first series with TV presenter partner Natasha Kaplinsky – with…
Good gut feeling
The Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre enthralled Boston audiences, according to the Village Voice. “From rapid finger flutters to haka warrior poses, thrusts, and vocal outbursts so strong you feel them in your gut, Tama…
Edge awardees
NZ performers Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Ross McCormack were commended at the annual Helpmann Awards in Sydney, August 10. Rhodes was named Best Male Performer in an Opera for his lead role in…
Graceful Entry
Black Grace made its highly anticipated US debut at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Boston, earning ecstatic reviews from the national press. New York Times: “This modern-dance company from NZ exceeded expectations in…
Strictly First
NZ ballroom dancer Brendan Cole won the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing contest with celebrity partner Natasha Kaplinsky. Hosted by Bruce Forsyth, the series was one of the surprise hits of…
Pushing the boundaries
Dunedin born dancer/choreographer Carol Brown has won two major European awards; the NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts) Dream Time Award in the UK, and the Ludwig Forum International Art…
RNZB Romances Britain
The Royal NZ Ballet production of Romeo and Juliet – helmed by star British choreographer Christopher Hampson – has received glowing reviews in the UK press. Guardian: “The NZ dancers are terrifically…
Jolly good fellow
New York-based dancer/choreographer Jeremy Nelson was named a Guggenheim Fellow for 2004 in April. The prestigious award is granted annually to scientists, scholars, and artists at the peak of their achievements. Nelson was born…
Cultural export
Boston Globe writer catches a performance from acclaimed NZ dance troupe, Black Grace, at their first European festival outing in the Netherlands. “Australia and NZ are among those enlightened nations that want the rest…
Dancing from the ceiling
“Start off by swinging from the chandeliers.” Mark Baldwin has been appointed artistic director of the prestigious Rambert Dance Company. The Fijian-born Baldwin, who danced with Limbs Dance Company and New Zealand ballet before…
Hula hello
American Frances Price does Maori, Hawaiian and Tahitian dance. “The Polynesian dancers were a real hit at our wedding,” said Diane Szymanski Dorcey who created a Hawaiian style wedding in Brighton last month. “We…
Bloodlust ballet brings in the crowds in Australia
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Dracula is slaying audiences across the Tasman. Described as “grand gothic entertainment layering gloom, psychological gutsiness and new eroticism over a hackneyed old plot” it has opened in Melbourne…
Te Whaea opens Options
Options, a tertiary dance festival for Australian and New Zealand students held in Sydney, was joined on its gala day by the New Zealand School of Dance. The Kiwi dancers shone in a generally…
Glamorous ballet dancer wooed to the edges of the world by inspirational Kiwi
Ballet dancer Polly Benge went from a life of hip restaurants and competitive yoga to a hazardous cycling trip around India with Kiwi chef Tim Molena, 5 years her junior. She has no regrets…
Cultural edge sees Kiwi flying high in De La Guarda
Tanemahuta Gray, a dancer and Kapa Haka teacher, is flying through the air in the hot London aerial dance spectacular De La Guarda, a show that crosses the fringes of theatre, dance and circus. …
