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Dr Ian Lochhead is an art historian who taught at the University of Canterbury from 1981 to 2014. His interest in dance dates from seeing the Royal Ballet perform Giselle in Christchurch in 1959. Since then he has attended dance performances from London to New York and from Paris to St Petersburg. He has a particular interest in the connections between dance and the visual arts, the Ballets Russes and the history of dance in New Zealand. His article, ‘‘Poetry in Motion, Sound and Colour’: Anna Pavlova in New Zealand’, appeared in the Turnbull Library Record in 2009 and his reviews of ballet and dance performances have appeared in The Press, DANZ and Theatreview.

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Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.

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The Soldier's Tale

Christchurch

11/03/2021 - 11/03/2021

"Timely production for multiple reasons..

The Ryman Healthcare season of The Sleeping Beauty

Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Invercargill, Napier

29/10/2020 - 06/12/2020

"An evening at the ballet..

"A ballet with lockdown at its centre..

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UNDERCURRENT

Raumati, Tauranga, Auckland, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington

24/10/2020 - 12/11/2020

"Blistering new dance works..

"Wariness, disconnection, and partying with careless abandon..

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UNBRIDLED

Lyttelton

31/10/2020 - 08/11/2020

"Dancing in celebration..

Kristian Fredrikson: Designer

Global

04/10/2020 - 30/09/2021

"A major theatre designer of his generation..

MANTRA

Christchurch

13/11/2019 - 13/11/2019

"Doesn’t so much transcend emotions as unsettle them..

"Slow moving tableaux..

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OWLS DO CRY

Oamaru, Auckland

05/10/2019 - 02/11/2019

"Dancing to the Frame of the beat..

"Singing from the Dead Room..

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ONEPU

Wellington, Christchurch

19/07/2019 - 03/08/2019

"Deep local connections..

"Rippling wind at the rim of the world..

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MEREMERE

Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Gisborne

14/10/2016 - 13/10/2019

"Weaves text, movement, light and sound in startling and compelling ways..

"Life-enhancing encounters..

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THE CLEARING

Nelson, Wellington, Palmerston North, Auckland, New Plymouth, Christchurch

31/07/2019 - 02/11/2019

"A perplexing shadow world..

"Perplexing, intriguing, ambiguous, unknowable..

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Insitu Project 2019

Christchurch

03/04/2019 - 04/04/2019

"New dimensions and a common purpose..

TUTUS ON TOUR 2019

Christchurch

18/03/2019 - 18/03/2019

"Make believe and inconsequence?..

HEMISPHERES

Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington

15/02/2019 - 03/03/2019

"Footnote Dance's collaboration with Chinese company transcends boundaries..

"Connectivity and positive insight..

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ORBIT (2018)

Christchurch

30/11/2018 - 01/12/2018

"Contemporary practice informed by traditions..

The Nutcracker (2018)

Dunedin, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Napier, Auckland

31/10/2018 - 09/12/2018

"Conscious magic..

"A coming of age story..

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BALANCING POINT

Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington

16/08/2018 - 29/08/2018

"Contrasting works danced superbly..

"Rewarding double bill..

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Haybales and Chandeliers

Lyttelton

23/06/2018 - 01/07/2018

"Menace and hilarity prove engaging..

LUMINA

Auckland, Napier, Wellington, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Christchurch, Nelson

19/08/2015 - 23/05/2018

"Precision, passion and athleticism..

"Stunning!..

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IN SITU PROJECT 2018

Christchurch

28/03/2018 - 30/03/2018

"Sharing a sense of discovery..

THE PIANO The Ballet

Dunedin, Auckland, Napier, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Wellington

23/02/2018 - 28/03/2018

"Divine duets and perfect partnering..

"Ballet unfolds with almost cinematic fluidity..

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VEINS - Hagley Dance Company

Christchurch

08/12/2017 - 09/12/2017

"Boundless energy, determined focus, and promise of more to come..

CONTRAST

Greytown, Tauranga, Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Havelock North

22/10/2017 - 11/11/2017

"Spellbinding the audience..

"Energy, conviction and intriguing contrasts..

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AS NIGHT FALLS

New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin

22/06/2017 - 30/06/2017

"A desperately beautiful piece of dance..

"Exhilarating and life-affirming..

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