Organisation Colleagues
A graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance, Caroline has worked in New Zealand and abroad for a number of choreographers including Douglas Wright, Michael Parmenter, Shona McCullagh, Ann Dewey, Paul Jenden, Lyne Pringle, Lisa Densem, Claire O’Neil and Mary-Jane O’Reilly.
Awarded a CNZ study grant, Caroline travelled to America to study Klein technique and performed with Avila/Weeks Dance (USA) and Barak Marshall (Israel/USA); following onto Europe dancing for X-group (under Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Belgium), Els Soutaart (Belgium), Company Paulo Ribeiro (Portugal) and a DanceWeb scholarship at the Impulstanz (Vienna).
Caroline returned to NZ, gaining a degree in broadcasting and working in the film industry for five years whilst explore dance on camera.
Caroline has been with NZDC since its inception taking roles of rehearsal director, videographer/photographer, designer and is now the interim Chief Executive. She continues to explore her passion for multi-media collaborations with other artists.
Organisation/Company
Name: The New Zealand Dance Company
The New Zealand Dance Company is a sustainable, full-time arts organisation that creates and presents innovative and inspiring contemporary dance, for our audiences in Aotearoa and around the world.
Our audiences are moved by transformative and unforgettable contemporary dance, reflecting our whenua (land) and rich dance culture. Our culture is invigorated by the courageous risks we take, inspiring dancers, artists, creators and collaborators to deliver boundary expanding work.
We exist with the desire to collectively transform the way audiences experience contemporary dance—to break boundaries and share its humility, its creativity and its openness. Art is a powerful catalyst for social impact. We believe movement is key to this transformation.
Night Light
Artform: Dance
Development Status: Tour Ready
Pitch Video
Media Uploads
Trailer
Full Length
Synopsis
The New Zealand Dance Company’s 'Night Light' combines the vibrant aesthetic of New Zealand’s Victoria Colombus in 'The Fibonacci' in contrast to rising star Māori choreographer, Eddie Elliott (Ngāti Maniapoto) and 'Uku - Behind the Canvas', his first work for the Company.
Victoria Colombus’ 'The Fibonacci', co-commissioned by the Festival of Colour and NZDC, is a reflection on the hidden pattern that weaves us together and reflects the harmony of our world.
Colombus, alongside sound and spatial designer Rowan Pierce, uses the mathematical Fibonacci sequence and its mysterious golden spirals as a point of departure, examining and creating a physical language that at its heart explores energy pathways through movement, as the connecting force between us all.
Eddie Elliott’s 'Uku - Behind the Canvas' is a work that presents a world that is both mythological and contemporary, considering what is between reality and fiction, incorporating the use of both sign language and haka as the rooted languages for his choreography. One of the components Eddie uses in this brave new work is clay. This feature plays a vital role as an evolving character and set, a stunning and unique painted canvas created at every performance.
“… a programme that will resonate with audiences across Aotearoa and needs to tour…powerful and emotional…a tour de force” - Francesca Horsley, Theatre View
Creative Team and Crew
'The Fibonacci' (premiered 2019)
Choreographer: Victoria Colombus
Composer/Designer: Rowan Pierce
Lighting Designer: Jo Kilgour
Costume Designer: Elizabeth Whiting
'Uku - Behind the Canvas' (premiered 2022)
Choreographer: Eddie Elliott
Composers: Eddie Elliott, Jason Wright
Costume & Set Designer: Rona Ngahuia Osborne
Lighting Designer: Jo Kilgour
Number of People in the Touring Party
12
Previous Seasons
Auckland Premiere season 2022, ASB Waterfront Theatre
Reviews and Quotes
“A tour de force…powerful and emotional…triumphant with exhilarating kapa haka, hip hop and electric ensemble sequences.”
“Given the NZDC’s level of professionalism and articulation to realise so completely each choreographic vision, one thing is certain – this is a programme that will resonate with audiences across Aotearoa and needs to tour.”
“an optimistic, endorphin producing work that affirmed the importance of community and human touch…a post-lockdown celebration of community”
Francesca Horsley, Theatre View
Technical Rider & International Touring Info (if applicable)
- View/download document #1 here
Stage of Being
Artform: Dance
Development Status: In Development
Pitch Video
Media Uploads
Synopsis
A celebration of Asia-Pacific perspectives and featuring a multicultural cast, 'Stage of Being' will showcase choreographic voices from the Aotearoa Sāmoan and Chinese diasporas.
'Stage of Being' explores the layers we embody within our human nature. It plays with what we choose to reveal or hide to the world around us and how our surroundings and social structures inform what we can or cannot share on this liminal spectrum.
In 'Abalone', Pasifika choreographer Tupua Tigafua will explore the stripping away of things and behaviours we gather as we become adults, capturing the spirit of play and celebrating the comedy and tragedy of human condition through the lens of the ordinary working class archetype
'Made in Them' by Chinese choreographers Xin Ji and Xiao Chao Wen will be a response to how society influences our ability to discover and express our authentic selves. It explores whether or not we get to decide who we are or if we are shaped through the people, objects or circumstances that surround us.
The choreographers are interested in exposing the humanity of the performers through telling stories of identity, culture, place and the tragicomic nature of the human experience. This program will reflect the beauty of our beingness and offer the audience a personal look beyond the outward performer and into the humanity beneath the expectations of societal behaviours.
The artists will offer an innovative dance experience for our audience through embodied storytelling and will provide unique perspectives through their cultural diversity.
Creative Team and Crew
'LittleBits and AddOns'
Choreographer: Tupua Tigafua
Composer: David Long
'Made In Them'
Choreographers: Xin Ji & Xiao Chao Wen
Composer: Benny Jennings
Costume Designer: Andreas Mikellis
Lighting Designer: Elikis Teirney
Number of People in the Touring Party
n/a
Previous Seasons
n/a
Reviews and Quotes
n/a
The Performing Arts Network of New Zealand (PANNZ) Arts Market is New Zealand's premiere event for artists, producers, presenters and industry leaders from across the performing arts sector.
The Performing Arts Network of New Zealand (PANNZ) Arts Market is New Zealand's premiere event for artists, producers, presenters and industry leaders from across the performing arts sector.