'Students on their toes' - Central Leader

Students on their toes 

MARNIE HALLAHAN 30.09.2011

BEN CAMPBELL

CHANCE TO DANCE: Hay Park student 

Jazmine Newman gets into character practising for 

her part in  Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project.

After only three weeks of dance lessons, the students from Hay Park School are set to perform alongside the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. 

And they are already dancing like professionals. 

The class of year 5 and 6 students are among 150 children from around Auckland who are taking part in Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project which will see them dance at the Aotea Centre to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring performed live by the orchestra.

Many of the Hay Park School pupils have never danced before but under the skilful guidance of choreographer Royston Maldoom from Berlin they are coming along in leaps and bounds. 

"The concentration the kids have in rehearsals is amazing," teacher Connie Igasan says. 

"We've had some massive gains at practice time and that has spilled over into the classroom." 

Mr Maldoom lives according to the belief that dance has the power to transform people's lives and even asked the children to help choreograph some moves that reflect their culture to put into the dance. 

Ten-year-old Nicholas Kumar, who has been to a few ballet classes before this opportunity, has learned a lot from their "astonishing" teacher. 

"We learn how you use our bodies and the energy that is in the dancing," Nicholas says. 

He put forward a few Maori-inspired moves which have now been added to the dramatic chase scene in the dance. 

For Mrs Igasan the opportunity for her students to feel like an important part of the project has been wonderful to watch.

"The kids are so proud, they have really owned it," she says. 

Last week's energetic rehearsal ended with an encouraging message from Mr Maldoom to his budding ballerinas. 

"You can take what you learn with the dancing and apply it to your life. If you can learn this dance in such a short time then you can do anything." 

For the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Sacre is a chance to celebrate youth and showcase the diversity of cultures in Auckland. 

The one-off performance will take place on October 14 at 7.30pm. 

– Marnie Hallahan is a Wintec journalism student

 

Weekly Sacre Update # 7

Welcome to your weekly update for

Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project

Proudly part of the REAL New Zealand Festival

For more information about the project, visit the APO website.

What’s Been Happening

Rehearsals have once again been the dominant activity over the past week. The response from the choreographic team remains positive and full of praise.

• Maori mythology continues to influence the choreography, enhancing the New Zealand flavour displayed in Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project.

The Maori creation legend has been used as the underpinning storyline for changes made to Sacre, introducing roles such as Papatuanuku, a whale rider, Maori god of the wind and two hunters. Two young boys from Hay Park Primary have been cast as hunters and will be portrayed as wild pigs.

• The choreographers constantly tell us how impressed they are with the young dancers, but how are the pupils themselves feeling about the experience? Emma Pearce, a year 10 student from Mt Albert Grammar School, summed it up nicely: “This is the experience of a lifetime wrapped in laughter, tension and hard work. I have learned heaps in the last two weeks. I’m having the time of my life with masters of dance.”

Sacre in the spotlight

• With a little over two weeks to go before Sacre hits the Aotea Centre, excitement is building. Banners and posters can be spotted around town, most noticeably lighting up the Town Hall (right), and articles will be appearing in newspapers over the coming week. And keep an ear out for a radio documentary.

Royston in the spotlight

• Two young students from Hay Park Primary took it upon themselves to put Royston in the hot seat at the start of the week by interviewing him on camera. We look forward to seeing the end result and sharing it with you.

Final t-shirt colours

• Slight changes have been made to the t-shirt colours. The new range consists of navy for the boys and a mix of burgundy, bottle green, khaki and chocolate brown for the girls.

Sacre Blog
• Be sure to check out the Sacre blog regularly for the latest news and media coverage. If you have any images or news you’d like to share, send them to HelenS@apo.co.nz with ‘Sacre blog’ in the subject line.

Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project  Friday 14 October, 7:30pm. ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

Purchase tickets from THE EDGE

Prices: Adults/Senior: $45 $35, $25
Child/Student/Community Service Card holders: $30, $20, $10

Royston and Volker spotted at the APO's season launch

Volker Eisenach (left), Royston Maldoom and Sally Markham

Volker tries his hand as a musician for the night  

        

It was great to see Royston Maldoom and Volker Eisenach at the 2012 season launch for the APO. The choreographers made those surrounding them smile as they caught up with Sally Markham. And here we were thinking it was the dancers causing the laughter during rehearsals....

Weekly Sacre Update #6

Welcome to your weekly update for

Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project

Proudly part of the REAL New Zealand Festival

For more information about the project, visit the APO website.

What’s Been Happening

The past week has been busy with back-to-back rehearsals leaving students simultaneously inspired, elated and exhausted. Those within the Sacre camp have been full of praise for the effort, energy and talent shown by the dancers.

• Music and dance workshops held earlier in the year have really paid off. Royston Maldoom has been so impressed by how prepared the students were when he arrived, and their progress over the past seven days, that he has cancelled a number of this week’s rehearsals.

Sally Markham, Sacre’s coordinator, was also impressed with the dancers during rehearsals last week, saying that “the work is thrilling; it’s absolutely lovely”. The concentration and focus of the students has not gone unnoticed: “A young boy’s tooth fell out during the primary school rehearsal today and he just kept on going! That’s dedication,” Sally exclaimed.

• Ann Dewey and Moss Patterson continue to play key roles in rehearsals by drawing on Maori mythology to infuse the choreography with a uniquely New Zealand flavour. Although the pair are attending rehearsals at different schools, their individual styles are complementary – this may have something to do with the fact that, in his youth, Moss trained under Ann’s watchful eye.

Blue with rage, I mean enthusiasm

• Enthusiasm has been oozing out of the dancers during the past week of rehearsals. So much so that the 64 metres of blue fabric has been ripped. The culprit shall remain nameless (you know who you are!). All is well, though, as the fabric can be repaired by one of our talented seamstresses.

Wild boar tusks anyone?

• We are on the hunt (ahem) for wild boar/pig tusks. If you know where to locate a pair, please leave a comment on the Sacre blog. Details of their use will be revealed shortly.

Volunteers

• We are looking for volunteers to help supervise and assist with logistics during Sacre’s production week. If you or anyone you know would like more information, have a look at Volunteer Net or The Big Idea. Alternatively, contact volunteer supervisor Natasha Pearce directly: tash.pearce@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Sacre Blog
• With rehearsals taking place six days a week from now until 14 October, be sure to check out the Sacre blog regularly for updates and sneak peeks. If you have any great images or news, send it to HelenS@apo.co.nz with ‘Sacre blog’ in the subject line.

Purchase tickets from THE EDGE

Prices: Adults/Senior: $45 $35, $25
Child/Student/Community Service Card holders: $30, $20, $10

Wild boar tusks

We are on the hunt for wild boar tusks/teeth for
Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project.

 Do you know where we may be able to find some? If so, please leave a comment.

Weekly Sacre Update #5

Welcome to your weekly update for

Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project

Proudly part of the REAL New Zealand Festival

For more information about the project, visit the APO website.

What’s Been Happening

What hasn’t been happening over the past week?

Royston Maldoom and Volker Eisenach arrived in Auckland last Thursday straight from Berlin, throwing the dancers and all those involved in Sacre into full rehearsal and production mode with only a month to go until the curtain rises at the Aotea Centre.

• Auckland dished out its finest spring weather on Friday 9 September for the Sacre powhiri, creating a picturesque welcome for choreographer and artistic director Royston Maldoom.

Guests received a spine-tingling welcome with an extra special karanga as they advanced onto Orakei Marae. The tangata whenua were joined by approximately 200 warriors producing an indescribable sound. Luckily for you we captured part of it on video – take a look. The warriors were at Orakei Marae preparing for their trip to Queen’s Wharf for the Rugby World Cup opening.

Once formalities were completed, students from Hay Park School, New Lynn Primary and Pakuranga Intermediate chatted together with nervous excitement as they finally got to meet Royston and Volker.  It was great to see choreographers Royston, Volker, Ann Dewey and Moss Patterson together at last. Tai Royal, the missing piece of the dance team, was unable to make it but we know he was there in spirit.

The powhiri was captured on camera by the APO’s photographer of choice, Adrian Malloch, who is still working on a top secret assignment for the project. Other guests in attendance included The British Council (one of the project’s main funders) and Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales.

Royston takes control  

• Rehearsals commenced this week with a sense of excitement among students as they prepare to work with dancers from other schools under the watchful eye of Royston and Volker.

Hay Park School and New Lynn Primary were first off the mark with rehearsals on Monday.

Kristin School, Tangaroa College and first year dance students from the University of Auckland followed suit with rehearsals lasting into Monday evening (picture right). The dancers were a little timid to begin with but seemed to relax and laughter filled the studio for the remainder of the night. Royston and Volker, joined by Moss Patterson, were impressed with the speed with which the dancers picked up and retained choreography.

Sacre Blog• With rehearsals taking place six days a week from now until 14 October, be sure to check out the Sacre blog regularly for updates and sneak peeks. If you have any great images or news, send it to HelenS@apo.co.nz with ‘Sacre blog’ in the subject line.

Upcoming Rehearsals• 14 September, Hay Park School and New Lynn Primary followed by Pakuranga Intermediate

• 15 September, Hay Park School and New Lynn Primary followed by Mt Albert Grammar School

• 16 September, Pakuranga Intermediate followed by Mt Albert Grammar School

• 17 September, Tangaroa College and Kristin School

Purchase tickets from THE EDGE

Prices: Adults/Senior: $45 $35, $25
Child/Student/Community Service Card holders: $30, $20, $10

MAGS hits the ground running

 

Little time was wasted at Mt Albert Grammar School yesterday as students were swiftly split into two groups. The first group was lead by Moss while perfecting their floor work. Group two were lead by Royston and Volker as they attempted new lifts... with success! We can't wait to see what the dancers get up to during their second rehearsal on Thursday. 

Spring is in full swing as day one of rehearsals with Royston get underway.

 Royston Maldoom meets with students from Tangaroa College, Kristin School and
The University of Auckland for the first time.

This week proves to be yet another exciting week for all those involved in Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project as students get ready to meet Royston and Volker for the first time.

Hay Park School and New Lynn School were first off the mark with rehearsals this afternoon.

Tangaroa College,  Kristin School and first year students from The University of Auckland  had their first rehearsal together this evening. Energy amongst the students was great and the room seemed to be filled with continuous laughter - always a good sign!

Spine-tingling welcome

'Magical' is the only word to describe our welcome onto Orakei Marae.  Check it out for yourself! 

Thanks so much to Ngati Whatua o Orakei

Royston Maldoom (left)  and Volker Eisenach with students from Pakuranga Intermediate

Choreographers Volker and Ann get acquainted 

Thanks so much to Ngati Whatua o Orakei for their wonderful hospitality. We had a fantastic time this morning and feel very lucky to have previewed what the rest of the world is going to see this afternoon!

Sacre's Kick-Off

Students from Hay Park School, New Lynn Primary and Pakuranga Intermediate wait
in anticipation to be welcomed onto Orakei Marae

What a day to welcome Royston and Volker,  couldn't have planned it any better if we had tried! Keep an eye out for live updates for Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project's powhiri at Orakei Marae.

Sacre's touch down

Royston Maldoom (left) and Volker Eisenach, atop One Tree Hill, having just arrived from Berlin

D-day has almost arrived. The final pieces of the personnel puzzle were slotted into place today with the arrival of Sacre choreographer and Artistic Director Royston Maldoom, and choreographer Volker Eisenach.

Having just ended a 40-hour trip, they were inevitably tired, but they’ll be up at the crack of, um, 7.30-ish tomorrow morning to prepare for the powhiri officially welcoming them to Auckland.

Nice to finally meet you, guys!

 

 

Auckland Airport, waiting for, well, Royston and Volker. Sign ably modelled by the wonderful Debbie Nicholson

Read all about Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project here, including an interview with project coordinator Sally Markham MNZM

Weekly Sacre Update #4

 

Welcome to your weekly update for

Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project

Proudly part of the REAL New Zealand Festival

For more information about the project, visit the APO website.

What’s Been Happening

The past week has been full of design delights as the creative team involved with Sacre refines some finer details.

• Marama Lloydd continues to deliver stunning pieces of work for Sacre. The dress featured to the right is an image of the proposed design for the ‘spring’ dancer.

Material matching the t-shirts has been found for the pants in both bottle green and navy blue. Fern green, however, proved tricky. As a result, material is being dyed specifically for the project.

• Becky Ehlers has been confirmed as the mask maker for the three death masks featured in Sacre. Initial design concepts have been sent through to Sally Markham for comment – they can be viewed in full on our blog.

Sacre’s Kick-Off

• All eyes will be on Auckland this Friday for the official launch of Sacre, starting with a powhiri at Orakei Marae to welcome Royston Maldoom. The powhiri will be attended by invited guests including The British Council (one of the project’s main funders) and Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales.

Students from Hay Park School and New Lynn Primary will also be attending the powhiri and have been busy practising a waiata for the occasion.

We’ve heard something else may be happening on Friday; can’t quite think what that might be.

Sacre Blog
• For a taste of what goes on at Sacre music workshops, take a look at a short clip we compiled from the latest workshop at Hay Park School.

To add news or images, send content to HelenS@apo.co.nz with ‘Sacre blog’ in the subject line.

‘Give it a hearty hit’

• Joanna Davies of The Aucklander delivered a superbly written article after visiting Hay Park School for a music workshop. The article spans three pages and features lots of great images by photographer Kellie Blizard. View the article in full on our Sacre blog or have a read on The Aucklander’s website.

Radio’s Riot of Spring

• Radio NZ has expressed interest in doing a 10- to 15-minute documentary on Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project. More details will be announced closer to the time.

Upcoming Events

• Music workshop at Kristin School 7 September

• Royston Maldoom arrives in New Zealand

• 9 September: powhiri at Orakei Marae to welcome Royston Maldoom

• Dance rehearsals with Royston Maldoom start next week!

Purchase tickets from THE EDGE

Prices: Adults/Senior: $45 $35, $25
Child/Student/Community Service Card holders: $30, $20, $10

 

For more information please contact Richard Betts, Publicist, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, p: (09) 638 6266 x210; m: 021 520 546, e: richardb@apo.co.nz

"Give it a hearty hit" - The Aucklander.

Have a read as Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project and Hay Park School shine in an engaging article by Joanna Davies