Dunedin’s dance community will come together to celebrate International Dance Day this Saturday, April 29, with a busy programme of events co-ordinated by Dance Ōteotpi.
Running from noon until 5.30pm, the International Dance Day events will include performances, talks, film viewings, pop-up events and flash mobs.
The fun will begin at noon with a pop-up performance in the Octagon by the StarJam crew, a not-for-profit where young people with disabilities explore the magic of music, dance and performance.
Central-city theatre space Te Whare o Rukutia, in Princes St, will host a talk by this year’s Caroline Plummer Fellow in Community Dance, Daisy Saunders, and 2013 fellow Hahna Briggs, from 12.30pm. This will be followed by a screening of Gasp! Dance Collective’s dance film Promenade.
From 1.30pm, the venue will host a festival of dance films by local artists, including Ali East, Dan and Donnie Belton, Jac Wilson, Min Kyoung, Lee and James Risby, and Neza Jamnikar.
Events will also be held at Dunedin Community Gallery during the afternoon, starting with a talk at 2pm by Ageing Gracefully co-ordinators Kathryn Olcott and Suzanne Renner. This will be followed by performances from Irish Beat School of Dance, Bennett School of Ballet and Jazz, Otago Dance Association Performance Troupe, and Natyaloka School of Dance.
A taster class for Conscious Dance, led by Miriam Marler, will be held at 4.30pm.
Waltzing across the centuries and continents will be the theme of a showcase by Michael Parmenter and Kate Grace, with participation, from 2pm at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
Dancers will be on the streets during the day, with a crew from Swing Riot at the Esplanade, at 1pm, and a performance of Swaroopa Prameela Unni’s piece We Are Here at 4pm.
High energy hip-hop will be showcased in the lower Octagon as the day draws to a close, with performances from the Otago Dancers, at 3.30pm, followed by 80 young dancers from Rasa School of Dance.
