After this year’s outstanding College Dance Showcase, two of the pieces choreographed by our students were selected to be performed at New Zealand’s foremost dance festival, Tempo, as part of their recent ‘Ignite’ programme. 

Choreographers, Megan de Kock (Year 12), Amelia Elliot (Year 12), Isabelle Fox (Year 11), and Hayley Adams (Year 10) were given the opportunity to showcase their pieces, ‘Influence’ and ‘A Million Dreams’ at the two shows held at Q Theatre in the heart of downtown Auckland. Other girls joining them on the stage to perform their works were Charlotte Symons, Arwyn Stevens, Emily Donaldson and Scarlett Jacques. 

The eleven-day Tempo Festival of Dance attracted world renowned international dance artists as well as some of New Zealand's best known and critically acclaimed artists. This was a fantastic opportunity for local secondary schools, studios and dance schools to showcase their own work in a professional setting alongside other inspiring dancers.  

As an added incentive this year, Tempo invited a panel of guest judges to give feedback, with awards available for choreography, performance and innovation.  We were delighted that both Isabelle and Hayley were given an award for their technical ability, with Isabelle also awarded a scholarship for Pform.nz. 

This proved to be a very rewarding experience for our students and they are grateful to Head of Dance, Mr Geordan Wilcox for organising this amazing opportunity to perform in public!

DANCE AT SAINT KENTIGERN COLLEGE

Saint Kentigern aims to provide outstanding physical environments to maximise learning both inside and outside the classroom. This is evident in the new dance studios opened earlier this year as part of the extensive renovation of the Sports Centre. 

The increasing popularity of dance as an examinable subject has meant that the original dance studios were no longer sufficient to meet demand. A state-of-the-art dance studio is now in operation with the capacity to host performances as well as be divided into two acoustically separate teaching spaces. This is achieved by having an electrically operated, sound proof, dividing wall which retracts into the ceiling space to give greater flexibility of available space. The existing dance studio has been revitalised and another multi-purpose dance/activity room has been created downstairs. These studios have suitably cushioned floors, fit for purpose, to reduce the impact on students’ bodies. 

Saint Kentigern Staff are expected to have the highest expectations for each student in all aspects of their education. 

Head of Dance, Mr Geordan Wilcox and fellow dance teacher, Mr Ichiro Harada, draw on their international experience with renowned dance companies, and extensive networks, to offer dancers, from all genres, an environment in which they will develop as performers, take risks, and succeed in their individual goals.  

In addition to dance classes as an examinable subject, an Academy/Extension Programme was set up during the course of 2016, catering for different levels and styles of dance, including classical ballet, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop. Students audition for a place, attending extra Period 0 (before school) and Period 7 (after school) classes, as well as Saturday classes. These extra classes include coaching, pilates, yoga and conditioning as well as learning dance works for performance, both at College and beyond. The classes are taught by Mr Wilcox and Mr Harada, as well as a range of itinerant dance specialists who expose the students to new ideas and a wide range of teaching and performance styles.

Tags

• Performing Arts,
• Dance

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