Extraordinary Local And International Talent Confirmed For Tempo Dance Festival - Te Rerenga o Tere 2024

From hip-hop to ballet to contemporary to Indigenous, Tāmaki Makaurau will dance like everyone’s watching as the biennial Tempo Dance Festival - Te Rerenga o Tere returns with a full programme of immersive, innovative and exciting dance, running from 10 – 20 October at Q Theatre.

The 2024 programme is teeming with established and emerging dance creators with more than 200 performers slated to take to the stage for 20 shows across 10 days.

Heavy lifters including The New Zealand Dance Company, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Identity Dance Company, Atamira Dance Company, Footnote New Zealand Dance and internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Anne Plamondon, show off pieces from some of their most revered works. Offering a full complement of dance experiences people can also sample experimental and community-minded works across the festival season.

After a brilliant career of more than 20 years that has taken her across international stages dancing with some of the world’s greatest companies, renowned Canadian dance creative Anne Plamondon makes her first visit to Aotearoa, opening the festival with Myokine. In this two-act presentation, Plamondon is joined by Tūrongo Collective who will present Wai Taketake for a powerful evening of contemporary dance that bridges ancient wisdom with modern exploration.

For the first time, the Royal New Zealand Ballet teams up with Ballet Collective Aotearoa to explore the human condition through five distinctive acts from choreographers Alice Topp, Shaun James Kelly, Liam Scarlett, Sarah Knox and Loughlan Prior. Straight off the back of the Japanese premiere, Pōneke based Footnote New Zealand Dance presents Thin Paper, Autonomous Synapses, Nomads, Tokyo(ing), a collaboration with Japanese choreographer Kota Yamazaki.

The New Zealand Dance Company presents RUA, an exceptional double bill featuring powerful works created for the company by two of New Zealand’s choreographic Arts Laureates, Louise Pōtiki Bryant and Ross McCormack. RUA is a true testament to the extraordinary talent within New Zealand's dance community. Pōtiki Bryant also presents a new solo work during Tempo, PŪHEKE, emerging from a personal journey of healing inspired by the movement and whakapapa of water.

The Identity Projekt unites two acclaimed street dance companies, Identity Dance Company (IDCO) and Projekt Team, to showcase their individual and collective creativity. Both companies are pillars of Aotearoa’s street dance scene, and they are known for their dedication to authenticity and innovation. Projekt Team excels in freestyle and battle dance connecting Aotearoa with the global stage, while IDCO, with countless national and international titles, continues to captivate audiences with their skilful, complex performances, amassing millions of views online. This is going to be massive!

Brought to life by Atamira Dance Company’s creatives and collaborators including director Kelly Nash and producers Threading Frames, Tātai Whetū is a captivating collection of three film works and a series of dance sketches, immersing viewers in the world of Te Ao Māori. Marrugeku, Australia's leading Indigenous and intercultural dance company bring Burrbgaja Yalalirra 2 to Aotearoa. A powerful triple bill, Burrbgaja Yalalirra 2 traces histories of relocation, cultural adaptions and survival, and explores the presence of ancestors in contemporary life.

The Northern Dance Network presents the fifth edition of the popular ASPiRE, a vibrant and uplifting showcase celebrating the joy of dance and the beauty of aging. Created by and for seniors, and featuring groups such as Forever Young, SeniorsDANCE Company, Time to Dance, and Zimmers Dance Company, ASPiRE is not just a performance; it is a powerful demonstration of creative ageing, an active engagement in the arts that keeps the mind sharp, the body strong, and the spirit joyful.

One of Aotearoa’s leading experimental dance artists Alexa Wilson brings her new solo work IN/TENSE to Tempo. Collaborating with AI as “experts" and DotDot Social virtually in New York, Alexa uses movement, sound, performance art, text, music and video to look at disparity, homelessness and displacement, and how the contemporary Western world helps others to avoid vulnerability. Australia-based New Zealand dancer and choreographer Rebecca Jensen presents Slip, a duet with sound artist Aviva Endea. Together they untether sound, image and time in a layered dance work. Multidisciplinary artist, Rewa Fowles, collaborates with director and choreographer Renee Wiki to present REALM of TEARS, an ethereal space carved out by a takatāpui Māori, where the marginalised are invited to unapologetically feel, express, and thrive.

Three free community day workshops will be held from 14 – 16 October, offering dancers and dance lovers alike access to renowned dance experts to foster creativity, community and cultural exchange. Workshops will be led by Atamira Dance Company at Corbans Estate, Pacific Dance New Zealand Director Sefa Enari in Onehunga, and a final community day hosted by the University of Auckland Dance Studies Programme.

As well as live events and workshops, audiences will also have the opportunity to experience 18 carefully curated dance films, offering a wide array of styles and stories from innovative contemporary pieces to traditional performances. These films will be available to watch exclusively on the Tempo Digital World, built in partnership with New York-based DotDot Studio.

Programmed by guest curator Moss Te Ururangi Patterson (The New Zealand Dance Company CEO & Artistic Director), this year’s kaupapa “Whenua Wāhi: Stories of Land & Place” explores the connection between tangata and their whenua, through the universal language of movement. The 2024 festival presents a programme that weaves together the unique and special multicultural stories of Aotearoa, and the world.

Tempo Dance Festival Executive Lead, Aaron Huata wants to open the festival to all lovers and supporters of dance, creativity and storytelling. He says: “Tempo is a multi-genre dance event committed to showcasing all dance forms, from all cultures, communities, and backgrounds.”

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