DANCERS from around the world have gathered on Cuba Street for Choreolab 2011; an event devised by Deirdre Tarrant, director of Footnote Dance and Tarrant studios.
Carefully selected dancers have two weeks to experiment, network, and study alongside masterclass tutors and dancers from different schools and training backgrounds.
“It’s a chance for the 17 dancers to experiment with choreography without the pressure of a performance at the end. This is the only time of the year that happens for us,” says Tarrant.
Oliver Connew, 19, is the youngest dancer at Choreolab, and as a second year student of New Zealand School of Dance he’s the only attendee still studying.
“Everyone’s from different schools, career paths and backgrounds. It’s fantastic to share ideas with so many creative people, who all have their own ways of looking at things,” he says.
Connew, once “the only ballet dancer at Rongotai College”, majors in Classical Ballet.
“There’s not much choreography in the classical stream, so this is really useful for me.”
On a typical Choreolab day, Connew says class starts at 8.30am and finishes at 7.30pm. Most of that time is spent dancing.
“We’re so isolated in New Zealand, so I think it’s especially important to establish and support the dance community,” he says.
Former Wellingtonian Penelope Sharp, 28, sits at the opposite end of the spectrum to Connew. She has been dancing in London for a decade.
“It has been a lot of work, I’ve had to be really dedicated. If you’re not 100 percent there, it’s not gonna work,” she says.
Sharp calls herself a “freelance commercial dancer”.
“It’s full time, really. If I’m not at a job I’m at a class or on the Internet looking for a job.”
Sharp is currently working for INKO dancers, a company offering its services to festivals and rock bands, and in Three Phantoms with Ginger Boy Productions.
“Dancing in London has been an amazing journey. It’s a very competitive industry, you’ve got to train really hard and network a lot, but it’s very satisfying when you get the jobs you want to be doing,” she says.
A successful expatriate, Sharp still admires the dancers back home.
“New Zealand is very progressive, there’s lots of amazing work. The people in the industry are very passionate and committed here,” she says.