On Wednesday, March 4 our KKC Dance students were privileged to participate in a Contemporary Dance Workshop from professional dancers of The New Zealand Dance Company.

Chrissy Kokiri and Carl Tolentino eagerly led 26 dancers through a demanding 1.5 hour non-stop dance workshop including, fast-paced physical warm-ups from running to rolling, press-ups and sit-ups. Once the body was pumped it was time to settle into learning a duet that the company had performed both internationally and here in Aotearoa. Ironically, this duet was about the controlling and conflicting relationship between robot and human and how this dynamic constantly switches.

" The dance was awesome. Terrific. Brilliant. Good quality. You get it. That contemporary dance they did was fun to do, and I’m glad they shared it with us. I like the robotic and humanoid thing they based the dance on. It was a great idea and very clever. The warm-ups we did were amazing too, especially the dragon tail, where we followed the person in front of us. My favourite part of the dragon tail was when we ran across the room because I love running. And not only were they good dancers, but they were also very friendly. My favourite part of the contemporary dance was the part where we held hands (sarcastic haha) and put one hand over the other's shoulder (another sarcastic haha) in an expert move others didn’t quite get, and I felt good about myself. I give them 6/5 stars." (David, Year 10)

Throughout the workshop, students showed amazing focus and skill. Their commitment and open-mindedness in learning new choreography and ways of moving within a short time frame was outstanding. Chrissy and Carl were super impressed. This NZDC workshop brought much joy and genuine connection amongst our students, fostering a new understanding of dance and its wellbeing benefits for keeping us connected to our human essence. Looking back now, the time and space to move together in a shared space was precious.