New Zealand Dance Week 2019 will see events around the nation

New Zealand Dance Week is set to return from 27th April to 5th May with an expanded programme of dance activity taking place around the country.

Established by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand in 2016 as a way to celebrate local dance talents and to get communities moving and engaged in the diverse world of dance, New Zealand Dance Week (NZDW) is an open-access platform aimed at raising awareness of the art-form, growing dance literacy and dance audiences, and highlighting the positive benefits dance has on community, physical health, mental well-being and the spirit.

This year DANZ is thrilled to be launching NZDW in Palmerston North on Saturday 27th April, marking a number of ‘firsts’.

This will be the first time the event has been launched outside the main centres and, for the first time, NZ Dance Week will overlap with NZ Music Month which commences 1st May.

The overlap will provide many opportunities for the special synergy between dance and music to be celebrated.

Hosted at Te Manawa and the Globe Theatre, the launch day will include a line-up of dance performances and ‘have-a-go’ workshops led by local dance groups, films, networking opportunities, and a keynote address by renowned dancer Rodney Bell (Movement of Human, Touch Compass, Axis Dance Company). Bell will also give a special performance alongside live musician Tom Scrase (Strike Percussion).

Looking forward to the week, DANZ Communications Manager, Linda Lim, explains “we are very excited to launch NZ Dance Week in Palmerston North as part of the Lets Dance Palmy event. We hope that this will be just one of many celebrations of diverse dance happening throughout Aotearoa New Zealand."

People from all backgrounds can be a part of NZDW and there is a multitude of ways to be involved. From hosting dance workshops, curating pop-up performances, dance flash mobs, studio open days, to attending a performance or workshop, to simply using #nzdw2019 in any social media activity. The smallest things are vital in helping to grow dance in New Zealand.

Other confirmed events throughout the country include a programme of free open dance tasters in Wellington (27th April), Whangarei (4th May) Christchurch (5th May) and Dunedin (5th May); a contemporary performance of Giselle at the Auckland Art Gallery choreographed by Mary-Jane O’Reilly (27th April); and, in a first-time partnership between DANZ and Shakespeare Globe NZ (SGCNZ), a Shakespeare inspired dance showcase at Wellington’s Hannah Playhouse (29th April).

This programme among the many other diverse events will add to the current explosion of dance in our society, further increasing visibility and wider community access to the art form of dance.

For more information about NZDW go to danz.org.nz/New+Zealand+Dance+Week

Images: New Zealand Dance Week.