Piano installed at Karekare beach to celebrate documentary

To celebrate the general release of the feature documentary The Heart Dances, a piano-on-the-beach event is taking place this Saturday 30 March at Karekare beach.

A baby grand piano will be installed on Karekare beach from 10am-2pm. The piano will be delivered to the beach at 8.30am and from there the surf club at Karekare will hitch the piano to a surf club vehicle and tow it on to the beach, including going through a stream. The piano will be set on up on the beach just above the high tide mark and just south of where the stream comes on to the beach.

Pianist Kate Sheldon will be onsite in the morning from 10am playing a repertoire of music. Afterwards, members of the public will be welcome to play the piano themselves to experience what it’s like to play a piano on the wild west coast beach (where the original film The Piano was filmed). Members of the public will be encouraged to photograph and film themselves to post on social media.

Filmmaker Rebecca Tansley, director/producer of The Heart Dances, will be on site and available to be interviewed.

The Heart Dances tracks the creation of The Piano: the ballet, commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Following its NZIFF 2018 screenings, The Heart Dances will have a general release commencing April 4, 2019. Last year was the 25th anniversary year of the release of the film from which the ballet draws its inspiration.

Director Rebecca Tansley comments “It’s no exaggeration to say The Piano was a life-changing film for me and I knew the process of creating a ballet inspired by Jane Campion's incredible story would be a challenging one. Our film enables audiences to experience the pleasure and the pain that went into that process – it’s a real ride that is way more than just a ballet film."

Rialto Distribution sales manager Kevin Gordon comments “we’re very proud to help bring this beautiful film to New Zealand cinemas. The Heart Dances has captured an important moment in New Zealand’s rich performance landscape and will be enjoyed by audiences around the country.”
When celebrated Czech choreographer Jiří Bubeníček and his production designer brother Otto arrive in New Zealand to prepare their work The Piano: the ballet for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the stage is set for a voyage into uncharted territory for everyone involved.

For Moss Patterson, engaged by the RNZB as Māori advisor, the work epitomises cultural appropriation. He challenges the concept of freedom of expression so important to the Bubeníčeks while raising important questions about representation with the ballet company.

The dancers face challenges of a different kind as they come to terms with the famous characters of Ada, Stewart and Baines and the love triangle they are caught up in.

As the whole company works to bring this memorable story to the stage, aspects of the film that inspired the ballet continue to be played out – old world versus new, new relationships, new challenges – while Jiří and Otto discover the responsibilities of storytelling in dance are more complex than they ever imagined.

The film is produced by Robin Laing and Rebecca Tansley and funded by the New Zealand Film Commission and a private investor.

The Heart Dances - the journey of The Piano: the ballet releases in NZ cinemas April 4, 2019.

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