The Hagley Dance department is buzzing after two busy months on the dance calendar.

As part of the Christchurch Arts Festival, Hagley was lucky to host specialist dance workshops with Footnote New Zealand Dance Company (Wellington) members Joshua Faleatua and Georgia Beechy-Gradwell on Tuesday 30th July 2019.

Atamira Dance Company (Auckland) followed with a workshop on Thursday 1st August 2019, lead by Artistic Director Jack Gray and dancers Presley Ziogas and Imogen Tapara. We were also spoilt with shows the following evenings at the beautifully newly renovated James Hay Theatre at the Christchurch Town Hall. Footnote were the first Contemporary dance show to ever perform choreographer, Ross McCormack's full length Sci-Fi dance thriller, ‘The Clearing’ in the new space. It was a ‘coming home’ success for Ross, who started his dance career many years ago at Hagley.

Atamira Dance Company is one of Aotearoa’s leading dance companies with a long legacy in the creation and presentation of high-quality Māori contemporary dance theatre, bringing stories to the stage, nationally and internationally, that reflect the unique whakapapa and land of Aotearoa. Onepū was a powerful expression of mana wahine, (the intrinsic power of women), conveyed through Māori contemporary dance. Inspired by a Kāi Tahu tradition and tales of the Canterbury Māori, as told by rangatira Teone Taare Tikao, Onepū has been created by celebrated choreographer and dancer Louise Potiki Bryant, who is also the show’s video artist.

It was an atmospheric performance of dance, music and video projection, six atua wahine (female deities) controlled and released the winds of the world. With a rich, layered soundtrack, composed by vocalist and taonga pūoro artist Ariana Tikao and Paddy Free of Pitch Black fame, Onepū was a meditation on the different qualities brought to us on the winds of each of these mighty atua wahine.

Both workshops and shows inspired Hagley Dance students in preparation for their upcoming performances on Tuesday 22nd, Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th October 2019 for Hagley’s annual NCEA Dance Showcase ‘In Motion’ and Hagley Dance Company's graduation shows on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd December 2019.

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Hagley Dance Company Inspires Canterbury High School Students Yet Again!

Recently, Hagley Dance Company toured to nine high schools around the Canterbury region enthusing students with their energising and stimulating dance workshops. This was a fantastic learning experience for HDC as the tour gave them the opportunity to teach to a broad range of levels in a variety of environments. The company choreographed their own phrases (sequences of movements) in preparation for the tour (in which they taught), developed their own warm-ups, performed a physically demanding choreography by guest Choreographer and Company tutor, Aleasha Seaward, ran the workshops, finishing off with stretches, questions and insight into what it means to be a Hagley Dance Company member. The schools this year included some regulars; Hagley, Ao Tawhiti Unlimited, Mairehau, Kaiapoi, Avonside, Rolleston, Marian, and Lincoln. We were pleased to establish new connections with Middleton Grange and re-connect with Riccarton. The tour has been a success, and we are looking forward to inspiring a number of the students again at ‘Hagley For A Day’ on Thursday 29th August.

Upcoming Hagley Dance Company performances: An Evening Of Dance – Saturday 31st August, 2pm & 6pm Middleton Grange. Bookings: www.dashtickets.co.nz