February 19, 2019

In association with Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) and NZ Dance Week, SGCNZ is offering all and any aspiring choreographers the opportunity to choreograph a dance item inspired by a Shakespeare play or characters. The piece may be up to 3 minutes long, for between 2 and 25 dancers of any age. The works will all be performed – in an evening show at the Hannah Playhouse in Wellington on International Dance Day (Monday 29 April) at 7:30pm, with potential for an afternoon session if there is demand. Audience admission is by koha.

“The items can be of any dance form – jazz, contemporary, ballet, hip hop, kapa haka, ethnic dance, etcetera, as long as there is an evidence of the Shakespearean influence,” Sanders says. “It could even be “Hamlet meets Iago” with the programme description being “one dark and stormy night”!

This is a true fusion of art forms, with minimal staging, music, a literary source and maybe some spoken words incorporated. The music would be preferably live and original – but could be extant, as long as it does not have any royalties or copyright attached. 

DANZ Executive Director, Sheryl Lowe, says: “We are thrilled to be supporting this event and including it in our NZ Dance Week programming. Dance and theatre go hand in hand, and Dance Nimble Soles is an excellent platform to encourage participation and cross-discipline performance.”

Although Dance Nimble Soles is not a competition, three items will be selected to be performed in SGCNZ’s National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival Showcase on 2 June at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington.

Additional Information:

Initial registrations close on 28 February. Criteria and Registration form are available on SGCNZ website sgcnz.org.nz

Entry $10 per person.

Enquiries – contact Dawn P: 04 384 1300 E: dawn@sgcnz.org.nz