Founded in 2014, the mixed abilities dance group is led by teachers, dancers and choreographers Hahna Briggs, Jenny Newstead, and Saira Lal, and has a loyal following of local dancers.
Gasp! Dance Collective is the brainchild of Briggs, who started the group after completing her master’s degree with an inclusive dance focus and working with mixed abilities dancers during her tenure as Caroline Plummer Dance fellow at the University of Otago in 2013.
"Some of the dancers who started working with me back then are still coming along to our senior dance classes, and continue to love dancing," Briggs said.
"For a lot of our dancers, coming along to dance classes is an integral part of their week.
"And the social connection is important, we are all very good friends."
Working with such a diverse group of dancers, some with disabilities and some without, was a joyful experience.
"New dancers may start off feeling quite shy, and not wanting to perform in in their first year, so it’s fantastic to watch them grow in confidence until they just love performing.
"As with any new skill, it’s about building up to that - and also about fun and fitness."
The collective had two streams of classes - senior classes for adults and junior classes for young people aged from about 11 to 16 years old.
"Having the junior group gives the younger dancers the opportunity to come along together with their peers and support each other."
As with many organisations, the Covid-19 pandemic had made coming together for classes difficult last year, so the tutors recorded dances and put them online.
Once the country returned to Alert Level 2, Gasp! was able to hold a showcase for family and friends, and dancers were involved in creating a short dance film based at St Clair Beach.
The Gasp! Dance Trust was incorporated at the end of 2020, and a more formal structure of trustees was put in place
"Being incorporated will help open up funding opportunities for us, and helps to put the group on a firm footing for the future," Briggs said.
Gasp! Dance Collective will start Term 1 dance classes next week, with the first senior classes running on Monday evening, February 15, and the first junior class on Tuesday afternoon, February 16, at the New Athenaeum Theatre.
For more information, email gaspdance@gmail.com, or find Gasp! Dance Collective on facebook.
