Footnote New Zealand Dance marks a milestone this month – its 30th anniversary! In celebration, the Wellington-based contemporary dance company is hosting a special week of performances and activities. The climax will be the presentation of 30Forward at the Wellington Opera House on August 28 and 29.
Direct from Cuba, Ballet Revolución returns to Australia and New Zealand this month to present a brand new production. Ballet Revolución is recharged, rebooted and ready for its Aussie and Kiwi fans once again. Its tour starts in Auckland on June 17 and goes to Wollongong, Canberra and Sydney before the start of July, when it will visit Melbourne, Frankston, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
In its newest production Salute, The Royal New Zealand Ballet collaborates with the New Zealand Army Band and various distinguished Kiwi composers and choreographers, like Dwayne Bloomfield, Gareth Farr, Neil Ieremia and Andrew Simmons, to mark the centenary of World War One. The mixed bill will premiere in Wellington on May 22 before touring to Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Takapuna, Auckland and Napier.
On March 31 and April 1 at 6 p.m., the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) will present Insight Studio Performances at Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre in Wellington. These intimate performances of classical and contemporary dance by NZSD students will deliver a first-hand experience of the School.
In less than two weeks, the Royal New Zealand Ballet will open its 17-show season of Don Quixote. With choreography by Adrian Burnett after Marius Petipa, this stunning production will tour to Wellington (March 4-7), Christchurch (March 11-14), Invercargill (March 18), Dunedin (March 21), Auckland (March 26-29) and Palmerston North (April 1).
New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) will tour its vivid work Rotunda from March to May this year. Created by Arts Laureates Shona McCullagh and Don McGlashan in collaboration with eight dancers, Rotunda commemorates the centenary of New Zealand and Australia’s involvement in the First World War.
Kiwi dance fans will want to save the dates for the 2015 Auckland Arts Festival scheduled for March 4-22. The festival, founded in 1948, will present another diverse and exciting season with a stellar dance lineup as part of its event calendar. The 2015 festival will present: New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet; I AM by Lemi Ponifasio and MAU, and iTMOi (in the mind of igor) by U.K.-based Akram Khan Company; and three site-specific performances in Close Encounters.
Presented at the end of each year, the New Zealand School of Dance Graduation Season is currently being presented in Wellington through November 29. Students from the School’s full-time programme perform the work of iconic choreographers from the worlds of classical ballet and contemporary dance. This year, George Balanchine’s masterpiece Concerto Barocco is set beside work by NZ dance theatre artist Douglas Wright. Plus, students present works by acclaimed choreographer Nils Christe and Dutch dancemaker Wessel Oostrum.
Sydney Dance Company makes its long-awaited return to Auckland, New Zealand, this week with its award-winning and internationally-acclaimed production 2 One Another. The company presents four shows only on November 13–15 at ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Live.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet has announced the appointment of 36-year-old Italian Francesco Ventriglia as the company’s new Artistic Director. Francesco Ventriglia was appointed after an extensive international recruitment process and he will begin his appointment as the company's 11th Artistic Director in November, joining the company during The Vodafone Season of A Christmas Carol.
