Footnote's NOW 2015 A 'Lolly Mix'

By Leah Maclean

Celebrating its 30^th year, Footnote New Zealand Dance is proud to present its 2015 season of NOW.

A compilation of four brand new works all choreographed by Kiwi talent, NOW is set to be a vibrant, innovative production.

Choreographers, Anna Bate, Natalie Maria Clark, Jared Hemopo and Katharina Waldner, explore the physical language of hip-hop, the rigors of modern daily life, sensory perception and the ever-shifting lens of history.

Not only will Footnote be unveiling four new works they be will debuting two new dancers. Joining Kosta Bogoievski, Emma Dellabarca and Lana Phillips is recent New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) graduate, Jeremy Beck and former Black Grace dancer, Brydie Colquhoun.

Both dancers are thrilled to be at Footnote and involved in such diverse works -  something that Jeremy maintains is exactly what a dancer wants early on in their career. “It’s been such a big learning curve working with multiple choreographers rather than just one,” says Brydie.

NOW could be described as the perfect showcase of talent for both dancers and choreographers. The dancers worked closely with the choreographers generating 80-90% of the movement. Third year NZSD student, Jadyn Burt, who is on a short placement with Footnote says NOW “shows the versatility of the company. It’s accessible and it’s powerful.”

The four short works all vary in style, theme and physicality. Audiences will be exposed to a spectrum of darkness, high intensity and gentle movement. Moments of edginess and moments of purity complement each other beautifully.  

“NOW is like a 50₵ mixture,” Jeremy describes. “There may be some lollies you don’t like and there may be some you do, but there is something for everyone in it.” This is the basis of why people should head along to the performance. “The pieces oppose each other. You might not enjoy some of the darker works but then you’ve got the gentle pieces like Katharina’s to bounce off” explains Brydie.  

The three NZSD students on placement with Footnote, Jadyn, Tyler Carney and Demi-Jo Manalo, all agree that another reason to see NOW is because the team at Footnote “are awesome.”

NOW opens in Wellington on July 9 before touring to Auckland and Hamilton.

For tour dates and booking info see Footnote listing