Tertiary Colours 2013 hosts an array of short dance works, choreographed and performed by students from some of Auckland city’s leading tertiary dance programmes. 

An extremely animated pack of Unitec dancers crawl onto the stage to kick off the show, with Ashleigh Coward’s All about Eve. Episode one begins with the rules of ‘the dating game’ as the dancers navigate the nuances of the hunt, mark their territory and eye up their prey. Episode two teaches us how to stare, as the dancers parade to and from the audience, pausing deliberately to catch the audience’s eye in a comical interpretation of the ‘constant stare’, or the ‘shy stare.’ Episode three explores the awkwardness of what to say on a date, where the dancers execute primal like movements with commitment. This is accompanied by a brilliant live sound scape of the dancers grunts and mumbles. All together an extremely light hearted and comical work, with live commentary by an articulate host, who brings this piece together perfectly.  

Manukau Institute of Technology delivers two duets this evening, both of equal performance calibre. The first is Goodbye, a work choreographed and performed by Tia Sagapolutele and Metu Toso. This is a dynamic work that explores the feelings experienced when a loved one leaves. The dancers have a strong focus throughout the piece, expressing feelings of agitation and disappointment through their isolated movements. The second is Milly Grant’s Purpose, a portrayal of the transformative stages of grief. This work certainly has purpose, as we are invited into an intimate reminiscence of a lost lover. The pair is equally captivating, and performs with great conviction.

East Auckland Performing Arts provides three works, all with elements of balletic poise. Fight these blues is a lyrical piece choreographed and performed by Renee Brown. There is a soft quality to Renee’s movement however the piece is rather flat and lacks punch. The soft blue lighting of Riverside by Geordan Wilcox complements the fluidity of both the dancers movement and their matching dresses. This is an enjoyable piece that explores the soft lines and patterns of the river. Bach variation also choreographed by Geordan Wilcoxis an equally graceful solo that is performed en pointe by Moeri Iwata with confidence and ease.

Three girls in 1960’s style apparel bop to the beat of ‘Don’t you forget it’ in Gurlz (XX) by Tori Manley from Unitec. The pink lighting, nonchalant chewing of bubble gum, and awkward joggles of the three girls reminds me of a friendship similar to that of the ‘pink ladies’ from Greece. Moments of awkwardness, isolation, and companionship make up this charismatic representation of girls friendship, and is delightfully clinched with a twist of the dancers’ hair and a satisfied flick of their heads.

The steal of the show however goes to Nita Latu from The University of Auckland with her choreography Broken ties. This work is a development of an earlier piece that explores the current issues facing young people today, and in particular teen suicide. The work traverses moments of extreme intensity to moments of compelling stillness, with each movement executed with precision and intent. Excessive drinking, fights, and depression are only a few factors young people face today, and are exemplified so tangibly within this piece. The dancers not only carry their energy out for the entirety of the dance, but perform each movement with an intense awareness of the weighted message behind it.  A rich sound score, inclusive of New Zealand’s current suicide statistics, really drives the issue home, and the piece concludes by inviting us to reflect on the issues at hand. Nita Latu should be commended for her choreography, as it is a piece of great substance.

In a contrasting mood, Deliverance by second year Unitec student Amelia Grey is a quirky and light-hearted work. This piece is a well-rehearsed, well-fashioned dance full of life and character. It contains peculiar moments of twitching, perhaps representative of a bird locked in its cage, and has excellently crafted formations in which the dancers navigate effortlessly. The audience loves this piece and is left wishing that it had been longer. 

On the whole the show is an enjoyable experience that exhibist works from some up and coming choreographers and performers with promising talent.  

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