Dance Aotearoa New Zealand announces new board

Monday, 23 April 2012, 4:01 pm
Press Release: DANZ

Media release

For immediate release

23 April 2012

DANZ (Dance Aotearoa New Zealand) announces the appointment of a new Board.

With its inclusion in Creative New Zealand’s Toi Tōtara Haemata leadership programme earlier this year, DANZ is entering a new phase in serving the New Zealand dance community. Following a strategic review the DANZ constitution was updated to create a smaller, more streamlined Board with a focus on governance for a service organisation.

The new DANZ Board was elected at the AGM held on Saturday 21 April and comprises seven highly respected professionals who bring with them a diverse range of experience and interest in the dance industry, together with a broad range of skills in governance and management in the arts sector.

Retiring Chairman, Graham Atkinson says ‘These are exciting times ahead and while DANZ has been extremely well served by the Board members over the past 20 years it is a time to welcome new blood and fresh ideas to support a strong and vibrant dance service organisation.’

The new Board who will serve a three year term is as follows:

Beverley Edlin brings to the DANZ Board a wide interest in the arts and extensive governance experience. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, having written her thesis on ‘Corporate Governance’. She has been with Valeo International Limited and Boardroom 360 since 2006 and conducts the Company’s Leadership and Governance consultancy and training courses with Massey University, IoD, NZICA and the Chamber of Commerce.

Karen Fraser Payne is a Board member and secretary of Touch Compass Dance Trust. She has been a former chair and is currently General Manager for Touch Compass and is also on the Board of Hohepa Auckland. Karen brings extensive skills and experience in leadership, management, communications and governance having worked for significant periods in corporate, government and charity sectors, specialising in communications and tourism.

Clare Needham has a keen interest in the arts with a particular passion for literature and dance. She is a lawyer with six years post qualification experience specialising in employment and intellectual property law, and currently works in law reform for the NZ Law Society. Her career includes work as a producer, publicist, and arts consultant. She is a managing editor of the literary magazine JAAM and a trustee of the Sleep/Wake Research Centre.

Moana Nepia is a Visual and Performing Arts practitioner, educator and researcher with governance experience on the Atamira and Orotokare Trust Boards, and brings to the DANZ Board a broad network of national and international arts-related experience and connections. He has taught at Unitec and AUT’s Dance programmes – ballet and contemporary dance technique, choreography, dance history and contextual studies.

Gaylene Sciascia brings knowledge, experience and skills in dance and dance development in Aotearoa of over 50 years as a performer, choreographer, director, producer, educator and manager. She was the founder of Whitireia Performing Arts as part of Whitireia Community Polytechnic, and was instrumental in developing and embedding in the programme Performing Arts Management papers. Gaylene sees the arts as an essential part of the spiritual, physical and social wellbeing of our community.

Bronwyn Tweddle is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre at Victoria University of Wellington and Part 1 co-ordinator of the Master of Theatre Arts in Directing, which is co-taught with Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. She has served on numerous panels, committees and festival juries for arts institutions and academic organisations and has been an Executive Board Member for Playmarket since 2002. Bronwyn has extensive practical arts experience in an adjacent field (theatre) as a practitioner, administrator and teacher, and brings an international perspective and connections to a diverse range of artists, curators, cultural institutions and organisations to the DANZ Board.

Perry Walker has an extensive and wide-ranging interest in the arts, having been involved in fostering artistic endeavour both at amateur and professional levels. He is a Communications Consultant, Director for Bats Theatre and Advisory Trustee for Asian Events Trust, and was Trustee/Chairman for Arts Wellington from 2002-2008. Perry brings to the DANZ Board a desire to promote creativity and cultural wellbeing to the communities he lives in, together with a wide range of experience and skills at executive and governance levels.

DANZ is delighted to welcome our new Board and looks forward to continued growth and service to dance.

Ends

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