MJ'S MESSAGE
Welcome to the 2011 Tempo Dance Festival.
This year our festival is in the centre of Auckland City, proudly displaying New Zealand dance to the world right in the middle of the REAL New Zealand Festival and Rugby World Cup 2011. This seems entirely appropriate as I consider the World Cup to be a celebration of one form of dance on a grand scale – yes Rugby is a dance!
The All Blacks start with the Haka – then the game itself comprises strategically choreographed sequences and structured improvisation for 80 mins, making the All Blacks the highest paid dance company in the country!
Actually I’m not too worried whether the All Blacks win or lose – for me it’s all about the dance!
This year we had a bounty of good dance to choose from to create the Tempo festival 2011. We wanted to keep it lean, mean and memorable as it’s our first festival at Q!
Tempo’s 9 days at Q is also the first time we:
• Have all shows in one venue under the Tempo flagship,
• Are based in the CBD
• Are on before the school holidays, so families and students can enjoy the festival too.
The two performance spaces at the beautiful, brand new Q are a delight. The mainstage - Rangatira – is where the established choreographers and companies are performing at 8pm. The studio space – Loft – is housing the experimental, the youth and the burlesque at complementary times. (6pm or 10pm)
The scheduling allows you to go from a performance in one space to a performance in the other via the very attractive and comfortable Q bar/cafe for refreshment. A total dance night out.
All shows are about one hour in duration –– offering a huge variety of stories, concepts, and approaches to dance, with lots of provocative new works, humour, satire and extraordinary entertainment.
Of course – as it’s dance – we’ll hear awesome music, see great bodies performing different styles, techniques and forms……..from ballet to hiphop, tap to jazz…. And a wealth of fabulous New Zealand contemporary choreography. I am delighted at the diversity of the dance on offer in the Tempo festival this year and the high standard of the dance we’ll be enjoying.
Being midtown in one venue is a game changer for Tempo dance festival. We’re also about to take another leap forward in terms of raising the profile, appreciation and understanding of dance and increasing audience attendance and awareness. I’m deeply honoured to have been Artistic Director for the last 7 years and very excited to host Tempo into its first festival at Q.
Dance in NZ is in good health these days……at Tempo we are proud of the role we have played in nurturing and developing young choreographic and theatrical talent over the years. I am seeing a broader maturing of skill, talent and professionalism - so much so that six of the fourteen festival shows are evening length works by very talented choreographers, such as Ann Dewey, Malia Johnston, Kate McKintosh, Alexa Wilson and Jennifer Nikolai. The remainder are shared programmes and triple bills which will showcase some great short works – excellent platforms for dancers and a great way for audiences to get an overview of dance in New Zealand.
Dance in NZ is also in good health because the tertiary programmes are very supportive of Tempo. The graduates are highly skilled, driven and risk taking and this year we’re delighted to host the New Zealand School of Dance from Wellington whose dancers are performing in three of the Tempo shared programme platforms -Y Chromozone, Prime Cuts and Tertiary Colours. We are incredibly grateful to the University of Auckland for hosting the Programme Launch at the Gus Fisher Gallery and are looking forward to seeing their students perform in Tertiary Colours. Unitec and AUT are also high on our appreciation list. Many thanks to you all.
Finally and very importantly, I would like to thank the sponsors who have given actual cash to us over the years, the funders who have funded us, the supporters who give ‘in kind’ support, our dedicated Board of Trustees, my wonderful team and very importantly - the dancers, teachers and choreographers who are willing to contribute their dance, their commitment to New Zealand dance makes this festival actually possible!!
Thanks again and see you at Tempo at Q from Friday 30th September to Saturday the 8th of October…… Tempo 2011 will be ‘One Out of The Box’!!
Welcome to the 2011 Tempo Dance Festival.
This year our festival is in the centre of Auckland City, proudly displaying New Zealand dance to the world right in the middle of the REAL New Zealand Festival and Rugby World Cup 2011. This seems entirely appropriate as I consider the World Cup to be a celebration of one form of dance on a grand scale – yes Rugby is a dance!
The All Blacks start with the Haka – then the game itself comprises strategically choreographed sequences and structured improvisation for 80 mins, making the All Blacks the highest paid dance company in the country!
Actually I’m not too worried whether the All Blacks win or lose – for me it’s all about the dance!
This year we had a bounty of good dance to choose from to create the Tempo festival 2011. We wanted to keep it lean, mean and memorable as it’s our first festival at Q!
Tempo’s 9 days at Q is also the first time we:
• Have all shows in one venue under the Tempo flagship,
• Are based in the CBD
• Are on before the school holidays, so families and students can enjoy the festival too.
The two performance spaces at the beautiful, brand new Q are a delight. The mainstage - Rangatira – is where the established choreographers and companies are performing at 8pm. The studio space – Loft – is housing the experimental, the youth and the burlesque at complementary times. (6pm or 10pm)
The scheduling allows you to go from a performance in one space to a performance in the other via the very attractive and comfortable Q bar/cafe for refreshment. A total dance night out.
All shows are about one hour in duration –– offering a huge variety of stories, concepts, and approaches to dance, with lots of provocative new works, humour, satire and extraordinary entertainment.
Of course – as it’s dance – we’ll hear awesome music, see great bodies performing different styles, techniques and forms……..from ballet to hiphop, tap to jazz…. And a wealth of fabulous New Zealand contemporary choreography. I am delighted at the diversity of the dance on offer in the Tempo festival this year and the high standard of the dance we’ll be enjoying.
Being midtown in one venue is a game changer for Tempo dance festival. We’re also about to take another leap forward in terms of raising the profile, appreciation and understanding of dance and increasing audience attendance and awareness. I’m deeply honoured to have been Artistic Director for the last 7 years and very excited to host Tempo into its first festival at Q.
Dance in NZ is in good health these days……at Tempo we are proud of the role we have played in nurturing and developing young choreographic and theatrical talent over the years. I am seeing a broader maturing of skill, talent and professionalism - so much so that six of the fourteen festival shows are evening length works by very talented choreographers, such as Ann Dewey, Malia Johnston, Kate McKintosh, Alexa Wilson and Jennifer Nikolai. The remainder are shared programmes and triple bills which will showcase some great short works – excellent platforms for dancers and a great way for audiences to get an overview of dance in New Zealand.
Dance in NZ is also in good health because the tertiary programmes are very supportive of Tempo. The graduates are highly skilled, driven and risk taking and this year we’re delighted to host the New Zealand School of Dance from Wellington whose dancers are performing in three of the Tempo shared programme platforms -Y Chromozone, Prime Cuts and Tertiary Colours. We are incredibly grateful to the University of Auckland for hosting the Programme Launch at the Gus Fisher Gallery and are looking forward to seeing their students perform in Tertiary Colours. Unitec and AUT are also high on our appreciation list. Many thanks to you all.
Finally and very importantly, I would like to thank the sponsors who have given actual cash to us over the years, the funders who have funded us, the supporters who give ‘in kind’ support, our dedicated Board of Trustees, my wonderful team and very importantly - the dancers, teachers and choreographers who are willing to contribute their dance, their commitment to New Zealand dance makes this festival actually possible!!
Thanks again and see you at Tempo at Q from Friday 30th September to Saturday the 8th of October…… Tempo 2011 will be ‘One Out of The Box’!!
