When Anna Noonan left Britain to return to New Zealand, little did she know she would be arriving home to a struggling dance community. On the eve of International Dance Day she tells Rebecca Fox it is time to celebrate and raise the profile of dance in all its forms.
A dance community in survival mode, under-resourced and exhausted, is what greeted dancer Anna Noonan when she arrived home from the United Kingdom in 2020.
Like the rest of the arts sector, the dance community was reeling from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic but Noonan felt there were other issues at play.
"I was aware of the difference coming back into the community in that pandemic, the contrast between the dancing I’d experienced previously to what was happening in the community."
Noonan grew up mostly in Dunedin and studied at the McLeod School of Dance before moving to Melbourne to further her dance training at Victorian College of the Arts.
Arriving back in the country, she could perceive much potential in the struggles she saw in the dance community.
"There are a lot of talented amazing people doing amazing things."
Having worked in arts and dance organisations in the United Kingdom for a decade as well as doing her master’s in choreography at Roehampton University in London, Noonan, who returned to New Zealand for family reasons, wanted to see if she could use some of that knowledge to help her Dunedin colleagues.
"I drew from those models and wondered if some of that working could help things here.
"It was important to me to find a way for it to work for Ōtepoti, for Dunedin."
She applied for and received $20,000 in funding from Manatū Taonga’s Te Urungi Cultural Sector Innovation Fund to research ways of improving the resilience and sustainability of the dance sector in Dunedin, and look at commercial opportunity, access and participation.
"Tjhey were looking for creative solutions to improving all those things."
"There were issues of not having any energy, of being in survival mode."
And while they wanted to do more to grow as professionals, they were mentally exhausted, which left little room for the onerous task of applying for arts grants to help support their work.
"That impacts big time on creativity and we’re already an under-resources sector. It’s a vicious circle," Noonan said.
Then there was the wider issues of adequate, fit for purpose dance space as well as ongoing cost of living issues.
"It sounds really dreamy to want a top quality dance studio but these are all barriers."
Noonan’s first step was to set up Dance Ōtepoti, a platform for the dance community to speak from and initiate new projects.
It is also about providing support, professional development opportunities and funding independent performance opportunities.
One of its latest projects is a monthly newsletter aimed at bringing all the information about the community and events into one easily accessible place.
"I want it to be a helpful resource and so far the feedback has been great."
She hoped to widen its scope to include events and organisations from around the country and establish it as a resource for choreographers and companies visiting from out of town.
Few professional dance companies were scheduled to perform in the city this year, apart from the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
"It’s tricky. Many companies in the North Island just don’t have the money to come all the way down here. So I’m hopeful it’ll be a resource beyond our community."
Dance Ōtepoti had also recently set up an Instagram page for immediate communication with the community.
Design students from the Otago Polytechnic Te Pūkenga were also helping out with brand design and social media.
"It’s really helpful to have that quick, reactive voice," Noonan said.
Dance Ōtepoti had also set up City Moves, through which the city’s choreographers could apply for community dance projects.
"It’s all about bringing dance on to the streets for accidental audiences," Noonan said.
One grant was awarded to Swaroopa Unni for "We Are Here", a public dance piece speaking to cultural diversity, which saw dancers wind their way through the city from the Otago Farmers Market to the Octagon and then on to the South Dunedin Street Festival last month.
"It was a simple line of dancers, of movement, that weaved its way through."
Another grant went towards Otago Dancers’ flash mob in the Meridian Mall food court, which spilled up the lift and into George St.
"It was just amazing to see the crowd response. It was like instant — everyone surged into it and followed up the escalator and on to the street," Noonan said.
"People were loving the energy and joy dance and movement can bring."
It also brought together people from different dance communities from around the city, including Latin groups, a ballet school, hip-hop and members of the public.
"It was nice to connect within the dance sector and also out to the wider community. It was a special one."
Another initiative was the We Grow fund, which is aimed at professional development with the idea of testing what was wanted and needed.
Noonan, who also teaches Pilates and barre, has also created a database of who is in the local dance community and what they are doing, and one of all the dance classes for adults available in the city.
She said people had been surprised to find out there were more than 50, including inclusive classes, those for over 60s and those happening at schools.
"Even just sharing that resource within the dance community I have people saying ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was on’."
She sees the resource as being very useful for new arrivals to the city, including students, to help them integrate into the community.
"I’m a big fan of dance benefits. It crosses so many things, physical wellbeing, social wellbeing, mental wellbeing. There is so much dance can do for your overall health and wellbeing."
Last year Dance Ōtepoti, alongside the Festival of the Arts, also launched a Go and See fund for the dance community, which helped support the price of tickets to shows.
"It was based on the idea of something I’d encountered working in Edinburgh."
The idea was to help break down the financial barrier to seeing shows, to enable professional development and offer a morale boost to the dance community.
"I can’t underestimate that. People have been exhausted, down about life, it’s been hard. It’s all about supporting the people here doing amazing things and boosting it a little bit, giving it a bigger voice."
Part of that boost was organising a day of dance celebrations for International Dance Day this weekend. A range of events is planned, including pop-ups in the Octagon celebrating 20 years of Rasa Dance School, an ode to an ’80s flash mob, swing dancers performing at St Clair and Star Jam.
Other events are planned for Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Te Kaupapa Te Whare o Rukutia.
"It’s looking like there will be a day full of dance. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate what is happening and bring it out to the public and make it more visible."
Noonan has found everyone in the city’s arts community to be very supportive and keen to offer advice, mentoring and help when needed.
"Everyone seems really grateful that someone has the time and space to do some things that do make a difference.
"It’s lovely to be offering something that is wanted, needed, appreciated," she said.
"That’s what it’s all about - supporting people to do what they love and are trained in."
To see
International Dance Day, Saturday, various events.
