New performance competition for high school students aiming high
The opportunity for high school students to create pieces of performance art has an all-new stage, withART IN MOTION (A.I.M.) treading the boards this June. A grassroots event designed by passionate youth for passionate youth, A.I.M. is the brainchild of 19-year-old friends Jayden Rudolph and Teale Vint, who saw a need to provide a platform for students to express their creativity on the stage.
The ambitious Whangarei teens have developed a competition for secondary schools to create a performance piece and
submit it for judging at a live show in front of an audience. The semi-finals will be held in their own backyard of
Northland (June 20), and in Auckland (hosting three competition days,June 25-30).
The pair both found a love of performance through competing in similar competitions through their high school years, so
joining forces to collaborate on an event for younger students felt like a rite of passage. Jayden and Teale are both
performers in their own right, currently working as dance instructors and choreographers. They believe in the value of
collaborating with a team of like-minded people and wanted to facilitate that opportunity for the current crop of
students. With bold goals for the future of the programme, co-founder Jayden Rudolph has set his targets high:
“A.I.M. will not be just a competition or event, it will be a platform to highlight those who want to succeed. I see it
evolving into a game changing event, a monumental exhibition of young performance art.”
Filling the gap for students wanting to propel their ideas into motion, students involved in A.I.M. will use the
performing arts to highlight a societal or cultural issue that is present either in the community, nationally, or on a
global scale. Each school has free rein to choose a topic with the imperative to create more than simply a piece of
dance and drama, but rather a performance piece that pushes the limits of their imagination and ingenuity. The only
proviso put in place by A.I.M. is to incorporate the attribute ‘resilience’ and a physical ‘box’ as part of their
overall performance.
Eight schools have already confirmed their entries for A.I.M. this winter, inspired by the fundamental ideas that
previous competition formats offered to students interested in the arts. A.I.M. expands this beyond creating a one-off
narrative performance to develop the skills of students in all aspects of putting on a show. Encouraging the schools to
bring together a crew of up to 100 people, the submissions must be directed, choreographed, and led by students, and
incorporate their own sound, lighting, props, and costume design.
A.I.M. is actively seeking to provide performing arts, community, leadership, and academic scholarships to allow
students to continue their passion outside of this competition. Entries are now open for schools to participate, as well
as welcoming applications from mentors, speakers, and sponsors to provide their resources to support the event and the
students participating.
ART IN MOTION
Competition programme
Northland Region Semi Finals:
Wednesday 20th June
Featuring performances from a maximum of 10 schools.
Auckland Region Semi Finals:
Wednesday 27th & Thursday 28th June
Featuring performances from a maximum of 12 schools per day.
Regional Grand Final Night - Northland and Auckland
Saturday 30th June
7 schools competing from each region’s semi-final qualifiers. Regional finalists from Bay of Plenty and Waikato have
been invited to the Grand Final.
All competition performances are open to the public. Auckland shows start at 7pm sharp, doors open at6pm; Northland
show start at 6pm sharp, doors open at 5pm.