A Stageblazing National Tour by The NZ Dance Company

A STAGEBLAZING NATIONAL TOUR BY THE NEW ZEALAND DANCE COMPANY

The Absurdity of Humanity

MEDIA RELEASE – Thursday, July 13 2017: The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) announces its most provocative and poetic national tour yet, The Absurdity of Humanity to be presented this September in New Plymouth at the Taranaki Arts Festival, Marlborough, the Christchurch Arts Festival and in Wellington for strictly limited performances.

Artistic Director Shona McCullagh couples the striking works of choreographers Ross McCormack (Matter) and Lina Limosani (Whispers from Pandora’s Box) to form a powerful trans-Tasman double bill, presented to critical acclaim in Auckland in 2016.

Matter by Ross McCormack (Creative New Zealand’s 2015 Choreographic Fellow) is “…a total triumph of collaboration, light, sound, and ultimately…vision” Paul Young (DANZ). With set and choreography by McCormack, one of New Zealand’s finest and internationally acclaimed dance artists, the work features a surreal world of poles, appearing as spear-like plinths forcing the space apart. Created with an absurdist eye for detail, McCormack says “I am fascinated with how humans can bestow this importance and have almost cathartic experiences with seemingly benign objects”. In this highly anticipated theatrical work with a score by Jason Wright, questions of purpose, indecision, and environment are contemplated in a startling and powerful dystopian world.

Whispers from Pandora’s Box by Australia’s Lina Limosani (2015 Dame Peggy van Pragh Choreographic Award recipient) is a theatrical exposition on the dichotomy of good and evil within human nature. With a score created from mashed up film soundtracks and absurdist scores, this black comedy contains Elizabethan-period inspired costumes, David Lynch style elements, and shockingly timed fight sequences. It promises to present both the macabre and humorous. Kill Bill meets Elizabeth I in this romp of surreal and action-packed pandemonium.

The Absurdity of Humanity showcases the talented NZDC dancers; Lucy Lynch, Carl Tolentino, Chrissy Kokiri, Emily Adams, Katie Rudd, Xin Ji and Breanna Timms.

The Absurdity of Humanity – National Tour dates:

TARANAKI ARTS FESTIVAL TSB SHOWPLACE SUNDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 6:00PM

MARLBOROUGH ASB THEATRE SATURDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 7:30PM

CHRISTCHURCH ARTS FESTIVAL AURORA CENTRE FRIDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 7:30PM

WELLINGTON THE OPERA HOUSE WEDNESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 7:30PM

Tickets to all performances available through www.Ticketek.co.nz

About The New Zealand Dance Company: Founded in 2012, NZDC is Aotearoa’s freshest dance company. The company was formed to build a hot bed of dance talent and creativity that is sustainable and to challenge and grow New Zealand dance culture. The vision for NZDC is to create new connections to dance by staging contemporary dance in highly engaging ways and different contexts. nzdc.org.nz.

ENDS

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