A new vision for
I
DANCE AT DIO
n mid-June the new Diocesan Arts Centre hosted its first ever full-scale dance production. The student performances were bursting with energy and passion, the audience inspired by the skill and creative expression of these young, talented dancers. This year our Year 13 curriculum dance students added to the trademark Night of Dance brand with the title In Motion. Year 13 student Imogen Bowkett designed the In Motion poster, and as a visual art student, she will use the poster design for an NCEA standard. The current and future Year 13 curriculum dance classes now have the opportunity to theme, guide and effect some ownership on their final showcase. Performances highlight ensemble pieces and student choreographed works, while all year groups will prepare to
perform works that are in line with the dedicated theme/idea. Without a doubt, our Teacher in Charge of Dance, Zoe Visvanathan, is a tour de force and the inspiration behind this new vision. An experienced dance practitioner, Mrs Visvanathan (Mrs V) studied at the New Zealand School of Dance, New Zealand’s leading tertiary training institution for dance. After graduating, she freelanced with New Zealand’s top choreographers. In 2009, she gained a permanent contract with Black Grace Dance Company where she spent her next decade touring and performing nationally and internationally. She then progressed from senior dancer to company teacher and rehearsal director, and has significant teaching experience in tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools, and
in private dance studios. Zoe has also led workshops and masterclasses in some of the top colleges in the USA. She is on the honours board of the New Zealand School of Dance, in recognition of ‘successfully forging a distinguished career in the dance profession for 10 years or more’.
“Dance is communication, and so the great challenge is to speak clearly, beautifully, and with inevitability.” Martha Graham
Year 13 dance group
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