Michael Parmenter Confirmed To Open And Close Dance Festival

Michael Parmenter & A Stunning Line Up Of Choreographers Confirmed To Open And Close Annual Dance Festival

TEMPO DANCE FESTIVAL 2016

A revival of one of Aotearoa’s most incredible dance works, Insolent River: A Tango by Michael Parmenter, heralds in the 13th Year of Tempo Dance Festival from 4th to 16thOctober at Q Theatre. Two weeks of dance will reach a grand finale with a curated line-up from our finest contemporary choreographers in Taumata: Four New Works closing this dynamic annual festival.

Michael Parmenter (M.N.Z.M and Arts Laureate) burst onto the New Zealand dance scene in the 80s with a collection of work that pushed the boundaries of the form and enthralled audiences NZ wide. A highly acclaimed dancer and choreographer, Parmenter stands with a fantastic body of work behind him spanning over 30 years.

The moving dance epic Insolent River: A Tango was originally created and performed by Parmenter in 1985, then reworked with Lyne Pringle for showing in 1988. Featuring one man and one woman emerging from a muddy riverbank and steeped in desire, this theatrical work made a notch in New Zealand’s dance history for its truly visceral and unique style. Never before performed in Auckland, the show will be presented in the traverse offering an up-close-and-personal experience for audiences. ‘Tempo have been talking to Michael about remounting this iconic work since 2014, and I’m so pleased that we are finally staging a premiere season in Auckland’ says Tempo Artistic Director Carrie Rae Cunningham.

Opening Tempo Dance Festival on 4 - 6 October at the sonorous Rangatira space in Q Theatre, the work will be performed by alternating casts of dancers: Kosta Bogodievski & Josie Archer (both Unitec graduates) and Emily Adams (NZSD) & Aloali'i Tapu (Unitec).

Those who were fortunate enough to get into the performance were stunned, amazed and excited by what they saw… a seminal point in avant-garde theatre which seemed to alter what had gone before and what was to follow. Agenda on Insolent River: A Tango, 1985.

To bookend the festival on 15 and 16 October Taumata – Four New Works brings together four stunning works by skilled NZ choreographers; Loughlan Prior with the Royal New Zealand Ballet; Okareka Dance Company’s co-artistic director Taane Mete; Bianca Hyslop and dancers from The New Zealand Dance Company and Sarah Foster-Sproull (Foster Group).

Winner of the Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award in 2015, Loughlan Prior’s EVEexamines the power of temptation and the struggle for redemption - inspired by the Bible’s story of the original sin. Solo work Manawa will draw on Taane Mete’s origins and life experience from his first breath. Mete is a creative powerhouse and pleasure to watch. Bianca Hyslop’s A Murmuration brings the beauty and patterns of the natural world to the floor. Four New Zealand Dance Company performers will delight audiences with this evocative and harmonious piece. Based on a dark poem entwined with mythology, Sisters of the Black Crow completes the line-up with a powerful and womanly collaboration lead by Sarah Foster-Sproull.

Tempo Dance Festival 2016 gets Auckland moving with a variety of dance shows, workshops and events from 4th to 16th October. The full programme will be announced in Mid-August.

Tempo Dance Festival 2016 4th to 16th October
Insolent River: A Tango Q Theatre 4 - 6 October
Taumata – Four New Works Q Theatre 15 and 16 October
Tickets from www.qtheatre.co.nz

ENDS

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