DANZ QUARTERLY - Issue No 17 October, November, December 2009

Editorial

In August I was privileged to be one of three New Zealanders, together with Creative NZ’s Helaina Keeley and choreographer/dancer Sarah Foster, to be invited to attend the Asian Pacific Regional Dance Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dance critics, choreographers and dance support organisers gathered to deliberate pathways of transforming tradition in the region. This wonderful event was held in the bougainvillea filled courtyards, foyer and auditorium of the gracious Jakarta Goethe Institut where we were treated to an array of dance performances and DVD recordings.

South East Asia’s dance traditions, represented at their broadest included classical Cambodian dance, carefully nurtured after the horrors of the Pol Pot regime; a stripped-back, but nevertheless virtuosic performance of Khon, Thai classical dance; a rare photographic exhibition of traditional Indonesian dance/opera theatre and a variety of highly contemporary works and collaborations offered a window into post-colonial discourses. Other contributions came from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Summit included intense intellectual discussion that probed the current concerns of dance criticism, traditional dance, the impact of colonisation, politics and contemporary expression. A highlight was the spirited and insightful contributions made from the wider Jakarta intelligentsia and artistic community. All revealed the preciousness and fragility of dance and the need for preservation; but also the obligation to breathe new life into traditional dance forms.

For New Zealanders, situated at the outer-edge of the Asia Pacific region, the voice of its dance neighbours places our own debates in a wider context. I felt a desire to learn more and a keenness to develop this exchange. One hopes that this will not be the last opportunity for Kiwis to contribute to such a forum.

Francesca Horsley
Editor

Cover image: ‘Vespers’ by Raewyn Hill, students Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Photo: G. Collins.

Issue No 17 October, November, December 2009

Contents

Eco Dance for Schools by Wilhemeena Monroe
Turning trash into fun dance moves at schools in the Cook Islands.

Raewyn Hill – Taking One Day at a Time by Francesca Horsley
Contemporary dance choreographer Raewyn Hill discusses her international career.

The Art of Producing (part 1) by Francesca Horsley
Producers – are they there to run your show or pick up your drycleaning? Matz Skoog, Susan Jordan and Felicity Letcher discuss the role of a producer.

Jennie Kjelgaard, A Lifetime of Dance by Lyne Pringle
The only New Zealander to currently hold the title Fellow of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has an iconic status in ballet both here and abroad.

Dance Domestic by Alison Robertson
Waikato University dance students have produced Beat a screen-dance that explores dance in a domestic space.

From Wellington to Lyon by Jenny Stevenson
Otto Ramstad and Olive Bieringa of The Body Cartography Project have gone from site-specific work in Wellington to choreographing
France’s Lyon Opera Ballet.

Te Kairohirohi: The Light Dances by Jack Gray
Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tamatera and Ngā Puhi) and Louise Potiki Bryant (Kai Tahu) have contemporised the Whare Tapere tradition.

DANZ Resource
The Use of Imagery for Posture and Alignment Control in Dance by Tania Huddart 

Obituaries
Tarin Chaplin and Michael Jackson.

Reviews
Christchurch Arts Festival reviewed by Anna Chapman
Made in New Zealand by Footnote Dance   reviewed by Sue Cheesman
Anand: Joy in Motion by Mudra Dance Company reviewed by Ann Hunt
New Zealand Amateur and Professional Dancesport Championships, reviewed by Brian Jones
Left and Right by Spinning Sun   reviewed by Jack Gray
100% Dance y - Spring-time dance festivals The Body, Māori Contemporary Dance Summit, Tempo, and Pacific Dance Fono 2009. reviewed by Francesca Horsley

Pina Bausch Remembered by Alexandra Kolb
A tribute to one of the leading figures in European contemporary dance, and Artistic Director of the Wuppertal Tanztheater, who died in June 2009.