The New Zealand Dance Company‘s Youth Engagement Programme announces
Live the Life of a Professional Dancer
2016 Auckland Autumn School
Auckland: The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) is opening its doors to welcome students aged 11 and over who are
passionate about contemporary dance through the Youth Engagement Programme’s (YEP!) Autumn School.
Classes will be held daily between 18 – 22 April, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, during the autumn school holidays at Wellesley
Studios in Auckland. As part of the Seasonal School Programme, the focus for Autumn School is “live a week in the life
of a company dancer”. Tutors will be NZDC’s dancers Tupua Tigafua (contemporary), Eddie Elliott (contemporary, hip hop)
and other members of NZDC including Artistic Director Shona McCullagh. Enrolments are open at
nzdc.org.nz/seasonal-schools until 8 April.
17 year old Charvel Matiu from New Plymouth said of her experience with NZDC: “The workshop was amazing! It was such a
privilege to work with the dance company again. I personally found the workshop beneficial, as I learnt many new things
and tools from the company dancers. From this experience, I have grown more as a person and as a dancer. This experience
has meant so much to me and I am just so happy to be able to follow my dream!” 16 year old Danisha Dadley from Auckland
said “I loved gaining creativity, technique and talking to the dancers and other students.”
The NZDC Autumn School will be a jam packed and engaging week of dance: classes in contemporary, fusion, ballet, muscle & bone, yoga, and swing. Students will be the first to learn exciting, fresh NZDC repertoire and will perform for family
and friends at the end of the week.
Recently featured on TVNZ's Breakfast show, NZDC's Youth Engagement Programme creates access to mentoring for young
people to get hooked in to dance. Artistic Director Shona McCullagh believes "the art form and society are fortified by
inspiring the values of courage, enthusiasm, independence and contribution that a passion for dance instils."
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