"New voice" in dance features in Arts Grants

"New voice" in contemporary dance features in Arts Board grants

An Auckland collective of young Mäori dancers has been awarded the 2003 Tup Lang Scholarship, aimed at encouraging choreography in New Zealand contemporary dance. Announced this week as part of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand's latest project funding, the $10,000 Tup Lang Scholarship to Atamira Dance Collective was boosted by a $15,000 grant to research and develop two new works.

Arts Board Chair Murray Shaw described Atamira Dance Collective as an "innovative and articulate new voice" in New Zealand contemporary dance. "This is valuable recognition and support for these talented young dancers at an important stage of their careers," he said.

Mr Shaw said that the Tup Lang Scholarship and Arts Board grant supported one of the four objectives in Creative New Zealand's strategy for professional contemporary dance, Moving to the Future: Ngä whakanekeneke atu ki te Ao o Apöpö. The objective is "to strengthen and make more visible the contribution of Mäori contemporary dance to the sector".

In this funding round, two writing bursaries were also offered to writers towards completing their second novels. Far North writer Kelly Ana Morey was offered the $20,000 Todd New Writers' Bursary while Lynn Davidson of Pukerua Bay was offered the $18,000 Louis Johnson New Writers' Bursary. Kelly Ana Morey's first novel, Bloom, was published by Penguin Books this year and Lynn Davidson's first novel, Ghost Net, was published by Otago University Press, also this year.

The Arts Board received 498 applications for project funding in this round, seeking more than $8.5 million. In the end, approximately $2.73 million was distributed to 197 projects. Mr Shaw acknowledged the "outstanding work" of the peer assessment committees in making recommendations for funding to the Arts Board.

"The Arts Board makes the final decisions on grants but we value the specialist knowledge and insights that the assessment committees bring to the table," he said.

The Arts Board offers grants under three funding programmes: Creative and Professional Development; New Work; and Presentation, Promotion and Audience Development.

Among the grants offered under the Creative and Professional Development funding programme are:

* $50,000 to the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc): towards its annual programme of activities for 2004, including its mentoring and assessment programmes supporting the professional development of writers

* $11,900 to Lisa Densem, a New Zealand member of the Berlin-based dance company Sasha Waltz: towards costs of a three-week development workshop with five dancers in Wellington in mid-2004

* $8500 to the Brass Bands Association of New Zealand Inc: towards professional musicians' fees at the National Youth Band of New Zealand summer course in January 2004

* $15,000 to the Victoria University School of Music of Wellington: towards a one-year composer's residency in 2004

* $5000 to Marcus Williams of Auckland: towards undertaking the Mooste Access Media Lab residency in Estonia

* $9915 to the Northland Craft Trust of Whangarei: towards the "The Quarry Summer Do", an intensive multi-media art/craft school in January 2004

* $6500 to the Nelson Composers Workshop: towards a workshop for young and emerging composers.

Among the grants offered under the New Work funding programme are:

* $22,762 to the Southern Ballet Theatre Trust of Christchurch: towards creating and presenting two original contemporary ballets. The company will premiere the works in collaboration with the Jubilate Singers (and a number of musicians) in April 2004

* $9000 to Cliff Fell of Nelson: toward writing a book of poems as a follow-up to the publication of his first collection, The Adulterers' Bible (Victoria University Press) in July this year. In 2002, Cliff Fell was the first poet to be awarded The Adam Prize for the best folio produced on Bill Manhire's MA in Creative Writing at Victoria University

* $12,000 to the Whangarei Art Museum: towards Maureen Lander creating a multi-disciplinary installation in collaboration with poets Briar Wood and Robert Sullivan

* $20,000 to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery: towards its 2004 visiting artists' programme

* $12,000 to Jackie Davis of Gisborne: towards completing a third novel. Her two previous novels, Breathe (2002) and Swim (2003), have been published by Penguin Books

* $10,185 to Arclife Records of Dunedin: to record a body of new work for CD release, promoting the Dunedin music industry and featuring local bands Kahu, Hiss Explosion and Heka.

* $10,000 to Chris Weaver of Hokitika, the West Coast: towards creating a new body of ceramic work for exhibition in New Zealand and overseas

* $25,995 to Scrambled Legs Dance Theatre Company of Christchurch: towards the creation and presentation of a new work exploring through dance and film the relationships of six people.

* $18,175 to Guy Ryan of Hamilton: towards creating and presenting a new dance work, The Fall Guy, in Auckland and Wellington

* $12,000 to William McAloon of Wellington: towards completing a Colin McCahon anthology, bringing together McCahon's own writings along with selected critical commentaries on his work.

* $36,000 to Fiona Kidman of Wellington: towards writing a historical novel. A senior writer, Kidman has written more than 20 books. Her latest novel, Songs from the Violet Café, was published in October 2003.

Among the grants offered under the Presentation, Promotion and Audience Development funding programme are:

* $40,000 to the Auckland Art Gallery: towards its 2nd Auckland Triennial: Public/Private Tumatanui/Tumataiti, from March to May 2004. An exhibition of leading and emerging contemporary New Zealand and international artists, it will include a catalogue, public programme and symposium

* $25,000 to the Auckland Secondary Schools Principals Association: towards presenting the ASB Bank Cultural Festival 2004, an annual festival celebrating the cultural diversity of the Auckland region through dance. More than 10,000 students will perform before audiences of more than 60,000 over three days in March next year

* $75,000 to the Asia Society and Museum of New York: towards the Paradise Now?, the first major presentation of contemporary art from both New Zealand and the Pacific Islands in an American museum, to be held at New York's Asia Society Museum in February 2004

* $52,000 to Tauranga Arts Festival Trust: towards performances and the literary programme at the 2003 Tauranga Arts Festival

* $40,000 to The Clinic of Christchurch: towards a five-centre tour of The Peculiar Case of Clara Parsons, which premiered to sell-out houses at the 2003 Christchurch Arts Festival

* $24,000 to Calico Theatre of the Hawke's Bay: towards remounting Captain Hacker and the Glitch Bugs and touring to primary schools throughout New Zealand in 2004

* $20,000 to the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass of Wanganui: for a publication to accompany a major survey exhibition of New Zealand glass in Denmark in September 2004, including the work of artists such as Ann Robinson, Emma Camden and David Murray. The Sarjeant Gallery in Wanganui will preview a selection of the work from December 2003 until March 2004 before the full show departs for Denmark.

* $50,000 to the Otago Festival of the Arts of Dunedin: towards costs of presenting New Zealand work at the Otago Festival 2004

* $50,000 to Te Awa Trust of Hamilton: towards artists' fees for the Fuel Festival 2004. First held in Hamilton in 1998, the biennial Fuel Festival showcases New Zealand theatre and is the largest cultural event in the Waikato region

* $10,000 to the West Coast Society of Arts Inc of Greymouth: towards its biennial jade/pounamu exhibition from December 2003 to February 2004. Established by the Left Bank Gallery in Greymouth ten years ago, the exhibition brings together pounamu carvers from throughout New Zealand to exhibit their recent work.

* $60,000 to the Biennale of Sydney: towards the representation of New Zealand artists in the 2004 Biennale, On Reason and Emotion. To be held from June to August 2004, the Biennale of Sydney presents contemporary art and artists from around the world. The three New Zealand artists invited to attend are Michael Harrison, Daniel Malone and Daniel von Sturmer.

Creative New Zealand will be distributing press releases about the Te Waka Toi, Pacific Arts Committee and Screen Innovation Production Fund grants over the next week. Applications to the next project funding round of Creative New Zealand close on Friday, 27 February 2004. Copies of the Funding Guide: Ngä Pütea 2003-2004 are available from Creative New Zealand offices or can be downloaded from the publications page of its website (www.creativenz.govt.nz).

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