Tempo brings tertiary students to the stage as dance’s future – mostly in their own short choreographed works with few props if any. The eleven pieces ranged from abstract contemporary dance, to themed pieces that were easily readable, to dance theatre, with one ballet piece.

See Knot from AUT University Dance Company, (Sarah Yu, choreographer), blindfolded its dancers to explore dancing sightless – with the help of three ropes crossing the floor. It did make a difference – movements tended to be staccato, and did not flow even when two dancers removed ties to lead another. And yet they were confident movers – maybe this flavour came from the strong beat in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins. 

A second short work from AUT students, To Endeavour Perfection, (Carla Talbot, choreographer), was all smooth, flowing, though not particularly sophisticated movement. Perhaps seeking perfection means that you don’t break boundaries. 

The next piece from AUT, Acceptance, (Natalie Dowd, choreographer), was about the final stage of grief when someone is dying, and so was black and successfully forlorn. The sound went into a poem and, for me, as the words were apt, listening became as important as watching. 

Two students from East Auckland Performing Arts School spiritedly performed Hide and Seek, (Gina Janus-Spedding, choreographer), which was fun as they played together. Well danced, with good use of their bodies and good inter reaction between them.

EAPAS brought a second piece, a neo classical ballet solo B/longing, (Geordan Wilcox, choreographer). Wearing a red sparkly flared frock, Lauren Mackenzie, en pointe, flowed elegantly and romantically, like a leaf in a breeze.

Zeitgeber (natural cues that help set up daily rhythms), from the University of Auckland, (Ai Fujii Nelson, choreographer), had the dancers flocking together, crawling or climbing over each other as they moved back and forth diagonally across the stage like white, iridescent bugs. Lovely to look at. 

The Auckland University students also showed What is it that YOU want?, (Pei-Jung Lee, choreographer), with eight dancers dressed casually. One girl, in white, gets from above a brief case, black coat, and then a black hat – all of which she puts on to strut about. The others are busy running or rolling about. When she takes off these items, they anxiously put on her discards, while she goes off in a flowery frock. A clear message about the grass being greener on the other side. Well danced and entertaining.

Unitec’s Join a Book Club (Jessie McCall, choreographer) involved social comment. Entry onto the stage was through a (small) house built from brown cardboard banana cases (houses built of ticky-tacky?) with the dancers wearing patterned hand knitted pullovers over flowered underpants (a sign of revolt?). A theme about communication and lack of real relationships was marked by a refrain “Sorry, just got a text” followed by “That’s fine”, and texting closing a romance or sexual relationship. The dancers finished in light plastic raincoats, generally looking pathetic or depressed – perhaps a sign of a “depressive disorder not otherwise specified”. A longer and very engaging piece.

Also from Unitec came Banlieue, (Phoebe Heyhoe, choreographer), more abstract and introspective, that used light to identify spaces. Four dancers, dressed casually in black, grey and white, reacted, played with balance. A change of music at the end didn’t gel. 

Two students from the New Zealand School of Dance performed Go Home Stay Home, (Craig Bary, choreographer), an excerpt from a piece premiering in November which should be well worth seeing. A lovely touch was when the girl jumped up, without visible preparation, into the guy’s arms. A modern love story as they kept leaving and returning to each other. Beautifully crafted and beautifully danced.

A solo, Manipulated Living, was danced and choreographed by one of the NZSD second year students, Tom Bradley. He started with a stretchy grey long sleeved top, that he played with, both he and the garment being almost as supple and flexible as each other. Short but impressive. 

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