The New Zealand Dance Company - LiftOff

Liftoff! A special youth engagement programme matinee.

In addition to the Language of Living season, The NZ Dance Company is also offering a dedicated youth engagement programme entitled Liftoff!

A partnership with Kowhai Intermediate School sees 20 children take to the stage, along with the NZDC Youth Company, our own dancers and special guests from Auckland secondary schools performing a dynamic programme of short works that include excerpts from the Language of Living launch performance as well as live music by The Electric Boutique and the NZTrio.

NZDC Artistic Director Shona McCullagh and company member Tupua Tigafua have worked over several months with the students at Kowhai helping them to create their own choreographic language, celebrating identity through their own personal connection with community, whanau, culture and passion. Best We Can Be set to music by Trinity Roots, is a unique work inspiring our youth, to be courageous in their individuality through the transformative power of dance.

This new work will be featured alongside works from the NZDC’s Language of Living season, including Justin Haiu’s quirky and comical solo work Release Your Robot and Sarah Foster Sproull’s intriguing group work Human Human God.

Our Youth Engagement Programme is an important part of our crusade to communicate the power of dance and its ability to transform young lives. The New Zealand Dance Company is proud to share the stage with some of New Zealand’s most talented and inspiring young dancers in a diverse, high energy performance.