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Dancing up a storm: The radical contemporary-ballet crossover of Home, Land and Sea
Dancing up a storm: The radical contemporary-ballet crossover of Home, Land and Sea

NZ Herald

time2 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • NZ Herald

Dancing up a storm: The radical contemporary-ballet crossover of Home, Land and Sea

A collaboration between the Royal NZ Ballet, contemporary dancers and a rock icon examines themes of navigation, identity and belonging. Photo / Stephen A'Court. As he approaches his 50th birthday, choreographer Moss Te Ururangi Patterson (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Rāhiri) is still pushing boundaries. In his latest creation, Home, Land and Sea, the artistic director of the New Zealand Dance Company is doing something that hasn't been done before in local dance: six contemporary dancers from his company join six ballet dancers from the Royal New Zealand Ballet to perform his piece. As he puts it, the choreography will be a challenge for each group, but he's excited about the potential magic. 'The New Zealand style of contemporary dance is very athletic, it's very grounded, it's very circular, and it's very bold. Ballet has quite a different aesthetic; it's elevated, it's off the ground, it's very symmetrical and has an inherent beauty to it. We are bringing two distinct styles together to realise something else. 'The unknown future is this: What if there is a middle space we've never explored, which could symbolise the next stage of dance in this country?' While dance companies can and do collaborate, it is unprecedented to bring the two nationally focused companies together, especially when they are typically rivals for ticket sales. But Patterson is friends with the RNZB artistic director, Ty King-Wall, and he hopes their collaboration is symbolic of what he'd like to see happening more in New Zealand – socially, politically, and in the arts. Says Patterson: 'It's important that we step up, we're the very best at what we can do, that we show our skill as contemporary dancers to national audiences across the country, alongside the best ballet dancers in the country.' Shayne Carter: His music for Home, Land and Sea is political. Photo / Stephen A'Court. Collaboration goes further than just the dancers. Rock musician Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer) has created a score he hopes will jolt the ballet audience. Carter describes Home, Land and Sea as a political piece. 'I'm pretty angry about where things are, about the rise of the right and the displacement of people. The political tides are eroding the land, and our sense of identity. That's a big brief to put into three musical notes.' Musically, he wants to evoke an atmosphere, to bring moments of beauty and corrosive elements to Patterson's creation. 'Everything I do creatively has to have an intent to it,' Carter says. 'In this commission, I want to have moments of beauty and the grandeur of nature, but also to reflect on the reality of where we are now. That's my inspiration, like it or lump it.' Carter has been working on various arts projects for the past decade, ever since he and Patterson collaborated on the Atamira Dance Company's Pango/Black, which told the Māori creation story. Then, Carter performed live on stage with the company as it took the work to Taiwan and China. This time he's recording the score and the themes are broader: navigation, identity, belonging and validation, all told through music and dance. The new work shares the title of the 2004 TrinityRoots album. 'They're my bros. I've known them all for years,' Patterson says. He went to school with drummer Riki Gooch and is related to bassist Rio Hemopo. Stories about navigation, from Europe and the Pacific, fascinate him, as does how these can be expressed through dance. Divided into three parts, Home will be an unyielding opening, with overtones of Māori dance, and bold movements reflecting New Zealanders today. 'We're built on a nation of hard workers, of teams of people, communities of people doing things together.' Dancers rehearse for Home, Land and Sea. Photos / Stephen A'Court Land will be more sculptural, beautiful and ethereal, as dancers move to Carter's almost ghostly, soulful guitar soundtrack. 'When I listen to the score it makes me think of a Colin McCahon or Robyn Kahukiwa painting,' says Patterson. Sea looks into the future. Movements will be intense, reflecting our rocky, turbulent world. 'It's talking about the discomfort of not knowing where we're going but trying to let little rays of light into the score to give us hope. We'll have some very beautiful, kinetic, moving tableaux. In the last section, we'll have a very physical, cyclical, circular and aerial style, some lifting, throwing, lots of movement that takes us off-centre. That will probably unsettle people. They'll be thinking: 'What's Moss trying to say there?' Patterson says it ends with a note of uncertainty but also hope. 'The future is uncertain. But in that uncertainty, there has to always be hope. We need to feel hopeful … We've got to make serious work now. Shayne doesn't do anything by halves, and neither do I. 'The social impact of this piece is a very important part of my arts practice. As a proud indigenous Ngāti Tūwharetoa grandson, it's important that I stand up and speak from that place proudly and speak on behalf of dance proudly. I hope that we can create something beautiful and hopeful, that speaks about the importance of knowing who we are.' Choreographers Moss Te ­Ururangi Patterson and Shaun James Kelly. Photos / Stephen A'Court A second work, Chrysalis, is also having its world premiere in the programme. Created by the RNZB choreographer-in-residence, Shaun James Kelly, it's his first commissioned production for the main stage. It's an important, symbolic piece, coming just months after the Scottish-born dancer, who has spent 12 years with the RNZB, was given New Zealand residency. There's a deeper story in Chrysalis about his metamorphosis as a dancer in Scotland, to his journey as a soloist and choreographer with the RNZB. 'It's that journey of everything I've learned and my collaboration with the dancers I perform with too,' he says. Chrysalis begins with the dancers emerging in trench coats with costumes beneath. During the next 40 minutes, they will slowly discard their garments, until each dancer simply wears a unique, hand-painted unitard by fashion designer Rory William Docherty. 'I came across this concept where you wear clothing to hide yourself or to express yourself,' James Kelly says. 'Some people allow you to let down your guard, to reveal your true self. I thought, what is the best way to show that to an audience?' Royal New Zealand Ballet & New Zealand Dance Company: Home, Land and Sea, choreographed by Moss Patterson, music by Shayne Carter: Wellington, July 24-26; Auckland, July 31-Aug 2; August 8-9.

NZ Fashion Week 2025: 25 Things You Need To Know About The Event's New Era
NZ Fashion Week 2025: 25 Things You Need To Know About The Event's New Era

NZ Herald

time26-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • NZ Herald

NZ Fashion Week 2025: 25 Things You Need To Know About The Event's New Era

Launched tonight, New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria is set to make a jubilant return in August. If you're interested in attending, there are a few things worth taking note of throughout the week's programming. 1) Aotearoa's premier fashion event returns in its new format from August 25-30. 2) The new-look fashion platform has a new home to match, taking up residence at Shed 10 on Auckland's Queens Wharf. Shows and events will take place in the waterfront venue, satellite spaces, and various locations around the city, allowing attendees to experience the vibrancy, uniqueness, and creativity of Aotearoa's fashion, arts, and culture. 3) Revered Kiwi designer Karen Walker presents on the schedule for the first time in more than 15 years. At an industry gathering in March, Karen credited the refreshed format as luring her back, saying: 'This vision has creativity at its heart. This vision is not 35 looks trotting up a runway.' 4) Aotearoa's leading designers and biggest names will present collections, with Juliette Hogan presenting the first solo show of the week. 5) Having recently announced a design partnership with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Rory William Docherty makes a welcome return to the schedule. Following his standout solo debut in 2023, he'll present a creative installation in neighbouring Britomart precinct. 2023 Fashion Week opener Kiri Nathan will create a striking pou installation at Shed 10. 6) Speaker series Beyond the Runway will spotlight industry leaders sharing a career's worth of knowledge, discussing issues such as navigating the global fashion landscape and what it takes to build a thriving business and career. 7) A favourite on NZFW runway, Kathryn Wilson will return with her effervescent footwear display. Sustainable fashion trailblazers Untouched World are an anticipated appearance on the 2025 schedule while Auckland-based avant-garde outfitters Taylor is promising an eclectic event. 8) For the first time in more than five years, NZFW have released an official campaign shoot, directed by board member and creative adviser Dan Ahwa, Viva's former fashion editor and creative director. 9) Dan describes the campaign as being in step with the times. 'Nothing overly-pretentious or intimidating. It's simply about celebrating the feeling of fashion, whether it's one of joy or empowerment.' 10) Photographed by Mara Sommer, the campaign is fronted by eight unique models who represent the shape of Aotearoa fashion 'now and in the future'. 11) After debuting on the cover of Viva in 2021 photographed by Samiira Wali, student and model Yasmine Mohamud is one of the faces of the week, with Dan highlighting how she combines her love of beauty and fashion into her everyday look of modest dressing, using the colours and textures of the hijab as a starting point for outfits. 12) Designer participation fees have been waived for 2025, ensuring barriers to entry are removed. NZ Fashion Week owner Feroz Ali says: 'NZFW is a celebration of creativity and talent focused on creating meaningful opportunities for designers. We understand the challenges the industry has been facing and that's driven our decision to waive designer entry fees in 2025 to ensure the event is as inclusive as possible.' 13) A trio of shows will see the next generation of the industry define its future. The Future of Fashion showcase is tailored for brands with more than three years in business, and that demonstrate strong potential for commercial success and a readiness to scale. It joins University show The Graduate Collections, and Raise Up's Walk the Line, geared towards secondary school students. 14) Milestone achievements are being marked. 2018 fashion week openers Knuefermann return to the schedule in 2025 with a 20th year celebration. 15) First-time showers include Rebe and Claudia Li, two exciting designers bringing an international aesthetic to the local scene. 16) Into The Archives, a NZFW-owned show, will open the week, looking retrospectively at more than two decades of contemporary iconic New Zealand fashion. 17) Crowd-favourite group shows are back, reflecting the event's evolution from a trade and industry event to a multifaceted fashion, arts and culture showcase. The Pacific Fusion show will spotlight collections from 15 designers that reflect the vibrant heritage of Pacific culture and artistry. 18) These collaborative shows present fashion's opportunity to make a tangible impact, with 2025's schedule seeing the introduction of the Breast Cancer Cure Designer Showcase. 19) In March, New Zealand Fashion Week and the Fashion Design Council of India signed a five-year memorandum of understanding which will see the two countries work together to connect designers, promote sustainability and foster industry growth for fashion talent in India and Aotearoa. 20) Joining Giltrap Group in supporting NZFW 2025 are Viva and NZME, Hotel Indigo, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Lion, DHL, Ooh!media, Eventbrite, L'Oréal, Blue Star Group, Heart of The City and ZEIL, reflecting a strong commercial backing for the event's next chapter. 21) The invigorated direction of the event comes after a board refresh, which promised a renewed vision that embraces inclusivity, diversity, and a stronger consumer focus while maintaining its legacy. 22) Newly-appointed director of the board, Liam Taylor, is looking forward to designing an event that caters for a wider range of fashion, beauty and design partners than in previous years. 'Together we have amassed decades of fashion, business, marketing, events and media experience into the leadership group, and I'm confident we will deliver an event that can set a new standard for New Zealand Fashion Week.' Joining Dan Ahwa, Feroz Ali and Liam Taylor on the board are Natalie Xenita, the ex-vice president and managing director of IMG Fashion Events and Properties Asia Pacific, and PR specialist Murray Bevan, director and founder of Showroom 22. 23) The week ends with a Greatest Hits show, featuring the best looks of NZFW 2025. 24) There is plenty more to be announced, with organisers teasing a dynamic schedule of runway events, talks, seminars and activations all with a focus on inclusivity for fashion-lovers. 25) Tickets for select shows are now available, with additional shows to be added soon. Guests are encouraged to secure seats early. For ticketing details and purchases, visit the official NZFW website. More local fashion From emerging talents to statements through style. William Fitzgerald's Circular Design Is 'Shoddy'. The Mindful Fashion Award-Winner On Why That's A Good Thing. William Keane Jung-Ying Fitzgerald, the winner of the Editorial Prize at the Mindful Fashion Circular Design Awards, has sewn a slick suit spun from recycled materials. From Warkworth To London, Fashion Designer Kat Tua Is Challenging Māori Stereotypes. Menswear designer Kat Tua talks to Dan Ahwa about a deeply personal bespoke creation designed to underpin the values of her brand Manaaki for an international audience. . A royal scarf, slogan T-shirts and statements of self-determination play a pivotal role in enhancing the message during Hīkoi mō te Tiriti.

Ballets demonstrate powerful storytelling
Ballets demonstrate powerful storytelling

Otago Daily Times

time14-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Otago Daily Times

Ballets demonstrate powerful storytelling

Royal New Zealand Ballet dancer Ana Gallardo Lobaina performs in The Firebird, which will be staged at Dunedin's Regent Theatre on May 24 and 25. PHOTO: STEPHEN A'COURT The Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) returns to Dunedin this month with two major ballets — the powerful The Firebird and the evocative My Brilliant Career, presented in association with Avis. Created by choreographer Loughlan Prior in 2021, The Firebird is a reimagining of the Russian fairytale, in a dystopian desert world where water is more valuable than gold. The production is making its debut in the South Island, and will be staged at Dunedin's Regent Theatre on Saturday, May 24, at 7.30pm and Sunday, May 25, at 1.30pm. In The Firebird, Prior's expressive choreography, set against Tracy Grant Lord's striking costume and set designs and enhanced by immersive projections from POW Studios, brings to life a world both magical and perilously real. The Dunedin performances will be accompanied by a recorded version of Igor Stravinsky's sweeping score. Complementing it is the New Zealand premiere of My Brilliant Career, choreographed by Cathy Marston now performed by the RNZB for the first time. Based on Miles Franklin's novel, this one-act ballet explores the fierce independence and passion of a young woman determined to carve her own path in life. RNZB artistic director Ty King-Wall said in a statement the company was delighted to be presenting ''a pair of contrasting, but equally thought-provoking and emotionally charged narrative works'' which demonstrated the immense storytelling capacity of ballet. Together, the performances make for an unforgettable dance experience.

Choreographer has a way with ‘words'
Choreographer has a way with ‘words'

Otago Daily Times

time14-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Otago Daily Times

Choreographer has a way with ‘words'

Storytelling ballets may not have been fashionable when Cathy Marston first began choreographing them, but they are becoming so now. She talks to Rebecca Fox about one of those pieces, one-act ballet My Brilliant Career , being performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Cathy Marston's love of a good story has never waned whether diving into a good book or putting on a ballet. So when the British ballet dancer began choreography she was determined "not to be put in a box" and discovered she really loved telling stories. "Maybe I never grew up from being a 3-year-old that asks why to everything." While not fashionable at the time, it is becoming more popular as people recognise that it is actually a human quality to love telling stories, she says. "Things make sense when we put them into a narrative." However, it is not a easy thing to do in a ballet where there are no words. "It's a challenge. But I've been practising and I love it. So most of my pieces are narrative." While Marston, speaking from Zurich, Switzerland, where she is director of Ballet Zurich, says she appreciates abstract art in other forms, when it comes to ballet she needs to know what the purpose and focus of it is. "In dance, it's not abstract because we're working with human beings. So you put two people in a room and it already starts to tell a story. So I'm interested in the specificity of it. Some choreographers enjoy leaving their works a little bit more open. And letting the audience make their own story through what they're seeing. But I really enjoy not just making a pas de deux about love, but love between two. What are the personality traits that we can articulate in our bodies? And what does that do when you add them together?" As a result, she mixes ballet with more contemporary movement and by bringing more contemporary movement and partnering techniques in, the woman has more agency. "So I'm really interested in, yes, a man can lift a woman overhead and that can be great. Both beautiful and it can tell something. But it's also interesting when the woman can take the man's weight or when they counterbalance. And it tells the audience different things about those people." Her one-act ballet My Brilliant Career is a good example of this. The ballet is based on the novel by Miles Franklin — familiar to many through the 1979 film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill — which Marston discovered in a vineyard bookstore while visiting her Australian husband's family. "I was working through this bookstore. I mean, not reading every book, but I love browsing in real life rather than on the internet, if I can. And I came across My Brilliant Career . And really, what drew me in straight away was the character of Sybilla. She's just so much fun. And strong and mad a little bit. And silly and romantic, but ambitious. All of the different things that I guess I can identify with, too." In the same visit she met the director of the Queensland Ballet who was keen to get her to create a work for the company that had an Australia base. My Brilliant Career lent itself to ballet as there was nothing that could not be conveyed through dance, she says. "It was sort of about ambition and love and dilemma and being sort of an inner dialogue." The ballet was created in 2023 with the Queensland company including Cuban-Australian dancer Victor Estevez who performed Harry Beecham and has come out to New Zealand as a guest dancer to reprise the role in the Royal New Zealand Ballet's production of the ballet which is part of a double bill with Firebird . Estevez says it was one of the most fulfilling and different experiences he has had. "The way Cathy works and tells a story is very different to the way I'm used to. It was a very interesting and creative process. The role has grown on me, he's a real gentleman. It's wonderful to be here and having an input with the company and dancers," Estevez says. It was a production Marston loved creating and a big part of that was due to the character of Sybilla. "I think it was just the different relationships made us laugh a lot in rehearsals. And that's always good because you make your best things when you're having fun. I think it's a story that people can identify with," she says. Marston could put herself in Sybilla's shoes. "Yet, honestly, if it were me in that position, I would make the choice that she made as well. I'm not sure I would have slapped him over the face. But that was another one of those moments where he proposes to her, and she wants it, and then suddenly there's something that erupts in her, and she just whacks him. And it's just such a brilliant moment." To help convey the inner dialogue of the story she created two Sybillas — one called Syb and other called Bylla. "Here's this one side of her that we call Syb, who wants to be elegant and loved and admired and have fancy cakes with her tea and have a beautiful life. And that Syb could imagine staying, marrying Harry, having money, not worrying about life so much. And then the other side of her, who we nicknamed Bylla, is more of the ambitious tomboy type that doesn't want anyone to tell her what to do, let alone a man. And so they argue with each other quite a lot of the time. And so I decided to really visualise this by making it two dancers." This means there are a lot of scenes where one Sybilla is more active and the other one is like a voice in her head and sometimes they swap places rapidly. "So there's games that you can play choreographically once you've got the two of them. And I love trios. Choreographers love pas de deux, duets, and I love that too. But there's something about a trio that pushes it a little bit further. So you have three bodies to play with. It's hard to do. It takes longer to choreograph. But there's more tension in a triangle somehow. And so that's a theme that really goes throughout the piece, is this trio of Syb and Bylla and whoever they're dancing with." Marston's work is all about detail and intention so she has assistance in developing with dramaturg Edward Kemp (former director of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) and stager Jenny Tattersall. As she is not able to be in New Zealand for the RNZB production the pair are here. "So I try to avoid traditional ballet mime. And one of the things that I often do, for example, is if someone is going to shake someone's hand, I'll try to say, well, instead of just shaking someone's hand, could we try connecting in the leg? So if the leg can somehow say what the hand would normally say, it looks more choreographic. But if it's done with the same intention, you understand the storytelling aspects of it. So intention of every movement really counts in my ballet. And so it's great that he [Kemp] can be over there in New Zealand working with the dancers on that." That is especially important having two Sybillas. "Everybody needs to be really clear on who are they talking to and who is just a figment of their imagination. So that's one of his tasks right now." Other fiction-inspired works Marston has created are Snowblind (inspired by Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome ), Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre , DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men . She won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for best dance production for Victoria (Northern Ballet), the UK National Dance Award for The Cellist (The Royal Ballet), The Suit (Ballet Black) and has been short-listed for both the Olivier awards and national dance awards for several other works including Jane Eyre and Victoria . In 2020 the International Institute for Dance and Theatre awarded her their prize for excellence in international dance. Marston is used to juggling multiple commitments. Along with My Brilliant Career being produced in New Zealand, Ballet Zurich has just premiered a triple bill, including her own piece based on the film and book The Graduate , called Mrs Robinson , and two commissioned pieces including a world premiere. She is also about to start development of a new work for the Royal Ballet, musically inspired by the Benjamin Britten violin concerto, that will premiere in November and is also preparing Romeo and Juliet for Zurich Ballet. "So there's always different creative projects, like different plates spinning. And then there's the managerial thing of being a ballet director, which is actually a job in itself. So I am very busy. And I have two kids and a husband, so life is never boring." Marston is able to do it thanks to a hands-on husband who is incredibly supportive of her career. Her children are now 9 and 12 so becoming more independent. "So somehow we manage. And I think it's very difficult because you can't be more than one person. You can't be in two places at the same time. But you just have to follow your instinct and heart. And the kids are very understanding. That's what they know about me. This is who I am. And I hope it means that they'll also find their passions and know that they can follow that, too." Following her passions is something Marston has always done. After watching a television show featuring a female police inspector she wanted to be her, but then her mother told her that was an actress, so then she wanted to be an actress. Unable to find a drama class, she started tap dancing which soon moved into ballet. There are even some tap moves in My Brilliant Career although not explicit. "I like using some tap steps because it just breaks up the ballet vocabulary sometimes and adds something a little bit more rhythmical and slightly folkloric." She went to the Royal Ballet School aged 16 and her first job was with the Zurich Ballet. "And that's the strange thing now and wonderful thing is that I've done the full circle and I'm now back in Zurich as the director of the company, which is kind of crazy. I never would have imagined that happening." Marston went on to dance with various companies before going back to the United Kingdom where she became an associate artist at the Royal Opera House. "I started choreographing fairly early and loved it. So it was really for my early 20s a priority. And I danced until I was about 31 and then I got offered the job to direct the Bern Ballet in Switzerland." The small team was a great chance for her to develop her work and then after six years she went freelance, working for some of the best ballet companies in the world. "So my ballet started becoming bigger and I just started getting really into story pieces. Honestly, I think storytelling is the thing that drew me in." She remembers her parents, both English teachers, taking her sister and her to the theatre, especially Shakespeare productions, where she could not understand the words but loved the drama and intensity of it. "Almost the words were like music. So I feel like that makes sense to me still, that music and dance together can tell the story. And I've always just been drawn to the physical aspect of storytelling rather than the words, although the words are what almost always provide the seeds for me in terms of the books that inspire me. So it's a funny mix." Her busy schedule means she does not get much time to read, although she always has a book in her bag just in case. "Its reassuring to have it there." However, she is about to get a five-week summer holiday, so she is working on her reading list for that. "It's one of those very special things in life, isn't it? Just to be able to disappear into a book." TO SEE: The Firebird and My Brilliant Career , Royal New Zealand Ballet, Civic Theatre, Invercargill May 21 and The Regent, Dunedin May 24-25. • To read about The Firebird, which did not make it to stage in Dunedin due to Covid-19, visit

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