Jambalaya Festival of Rhythm and Dance returns to Auckland this Easter
Continuing to add colour and vibrancy to the community, the legendary Jambalaya Festival returns to Corban Estate Arts Centre this Easter 6th-8th April, 2012.

Festival goers can expect three nights and two days of open-level dance and music workshops, live performances, international food & crafts, DJ’s, bands, parties and more.

Jambalaya provides a festive community where people can experience many different music and dance styles in one fun, easy weekend. Whether it’s by taking part in a workshop or simply watching one of the many dance performances or bands.

Workshops for 2012 include: Dance: Tango, Swing, Hip Hop, Belly Dance, Burlesque, Salsa, Contemporary, Zouk, Kapa Haka, Nia, African, Capoeira, Cuban, Popping, Reggaeton and more. Music: Beat Boxing, Ukulele, A Capella Singing, Samba Drumming, African drumming, Gamelan, Taiko drumming and Pacific Island drumming and more. Jambalaya will be flying in a selection of international teachers who have been hand-picked by Creative Director Heidi Hughes; not only for being at the top of their games but also for being “fun, inspiring and dynamic teachers that will leave everyone buzzing.”

Australian Tango champions and “Dancing With The Stars” performers Fabio Robles & Ana Andre return after seducing everyone with their charm in 2011. Due to the increasing popularity in Samba, Jambalaya have added another Samba master to assist in the ever-growing Samba wokshops. Budi is the front man for 12 piece Samba Punk Funk band Wicked Aura.

He joins Mestre Fred from The London School Of Samba.

As well as the workshops, there is an entire 'festivalscape' to discover - including an art trail by established and emerging artists, market zone, wellness zone, Moroccan tents, fun interactive kids zone, and live bands and DJs playing deep into the night.

Music and dance communities are travelling from all over New Zealand to come to Jambalaya Festival 2012 - with large groups attending from Nelson, Wellington, Christchurch and Tauranga. Carol Green from AKSamba says “Jambalaya is our chance to catch up with other similar groups each year. This provides plenty of networking and collaboration opportunities as well many friendships formed”
Live bands playing over the weekend include: AHoriBuzz - the brainchild of Aaron Tokona (Cairo Knife Fight / Weta) who steers the outfit on vocals, along with Riki Gooch (TrinityRoots / Eru Dangerspiel) on drums, soul sister LA Mitchell (Fly My Pretties, Dukes, Sola Rosa) on vocals and keys and Aaron's cousin Hori on bass. Afrobeat sensations Zoh Zoh, LatinAotearoa, AKSamba, Soul Samba Circus, Beat-boxing extraordinaire Mal Webb, Cuban Accent, The Spiritz and many more.

Late-nighters will love the Cellar Bar with DJ sets from Nick D, Bobby Brazuka, Jason Eli and MayaVanya spinning tunes till 2am.

There is at least 4 different music zones to explore at any one time over the festival weekend. All fully weather proofed to ensure festival goers a dry, fun and memorable Easter weekend. Only 15 minutes drive from downtown Auckland with plenty of parking available. Corban Estate Arts Centre is also close to public transport and has limited onsite camping available.

Friday Highlights:
Catch some local talent at the Jambalaya Dance Competition which sees 15 NZ dance groups competing for the winning prize
Sip chai in a Moroccan tent and absorb the gypsy party surroundings
AKSamba play at 10pm - expect the entire festival to be bouncing!
Tango Milonga in a tiny old onsite church - pure romance
Party till the wee hours in the cellar bar with hot DJ sister duo Maya & Vanya Saturday Highlights:
Start the day with a morning yoga class at 9am with Wellpark College
Try out over 20 music and dance workshops with styles varying from Gamelan to Reggaeton, Kapa Haka to A Capella
Don’t miss the international dance showcase with amazing performances by the professionals. Showing twice on Saturday so you can’t miss it!
Bring along an instrument and jam, meet and collaborate with other musicians in our open jam space.
A fantastic line-up of bands with AHoriBuzz headlining the Saturday night Sunday Highlights:
Partied too hard last night? Head to the Wellpark wellness zone for a free massage
Try out over 20 music and dance workshops with styles varying from Swing to Hip Hop, Samba to Ukulele
Grab some International cuisine from the market and head to the Verandah Stage to check out a full day of local performers
Watch the Immersion Course Show & Tell to see what the immersion course participants have been working on for the last three days.
Explore the illuminated art trail in the lush grounds of Corban Estate Arts Centre

Full festival passes are only $125 for pre-sales and $145 on the gate. There are also day and night passes, senior and youth discounts and children 12 and under are free. If you are a west Auckland resident you can download a free pass for Friday evening. For tickets, more info and full schedule visit www.jambalaya.co.nz

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Jambalaya Festival of Rhythm and Dance 6-8 April, 2012, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson. 3 nights and 2 days of music and dance workshops, live performances, art installations, international food, crafts, DJ's, bands, parties and more. Jambalaya Festival Director Shian Perawiti and Jambalaya Founder and Creative Director Heidi Hughes are both available for interviews. International teachers and performers will all be in Auckland by Thursday afternoon 5th April. For further information and to arrange interviews, contact: Shian Perawiti, 022 6047928, shian@jambalaya.co.nz

ENDS

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