Black Grace tunes up North American audience
11 Apr 2008
Black Grace, New Zealand’s famed contemporary dance company is currently in North America on a month long, 11 city tour. The performance are wowing audiences with what has become an enlightening cultural awareness campaign……both on and off the stage.
The dynamic troupe is led by artistic director and New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate, Neil Ieremia, who is known for fusing Pacific and contemporary dance forms and traditions with works that are original and highly physical.
Black Grace is travelling throughout the United States and to two Canadian locations as part of the Coast-to-Coast Tour which runs from April 3 - May 4.
Not only has the dance troupe received a standing ovation at each show in every location so far, but there’s also been an overwhelming response to a series of associated lectures, talks and workshops.
''We’ve had an amazing response and in places like Seattle the shows were all sold out with the entire house on their feet at the end of each show. But we’ve also had a great response off the stage with a lot of interest in our work and the cultural influence behind it,'' says Neil Ieremia.
''One university lecture and panel I was involved in looked at how our culture is changing and evolving to be more relevant to today and that was a great debate.'' Ieremia says the dance troupe is also having a great response to master classes with senior students keen to experience the work first hand.
SPREADING THE WORD
The American public generally has limited knowledge of New Zealand and its culture, according to Ieremia. ''People talk about weird things like the bridge to Australia and know about the All Blacks, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson and our beautiful scenery, but not much else. One person even asked if we could bring a map with us next time,'' says Ieremia.
Black Grace was last on tour in the U.S. for the Jacobs Pillow Festival in New York in 2004/2005, where their work was reviewed by Jennifer Dunning Beckett of the New York Times, who commented: ''This modern-dance company from New Zealand exceeded expectations in dance that was startlingly fresh and full of invention, humour and infectious exuberance.''
Ieremia says Black Grace is fortunate to now be on the main circuit and part of North America’s strong theatre & dance programme and they’re enjoying the opportunity. ''We are much older and wiser now and it is all going very well. We are very proud of our culture and it is an honour for us to be here,'' he says.
NEW LOOK TROUPE
In a departure from their last tour which featured an all-male dancer troupe, the 2008 program showcases six male dancers of Pacific Island, New Zealand and Australian descent; accompanied by four female guest dancers, of New Zealand Maori and European heritage. Highlights of this tour include: Minoi, a signature work based on the fusion of Samoan and western contemporary dance styles; Method, which was originally commissioned by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 1999 and set to the music of J. S. Bach; Human Language, a provocative work examining the physical language that exists between men and women; as well as excerpts from major full-length works, including Surface (2003) and Amata (2007).
The tour programme is :
Seattle, WA, April 3 - 5
Meany Hall, University of Washington
Nashville, TN, April 9
Ingram Theater, Vanderbilt University
Fort Wayne, IN, April 12
Arts United Center
Ottawa, Canada, April 15
National Arts Center
Boston, MA, April 17 - 18
Tsai Center
Norfolk, VA, April 22
Virginia Arts Festival
Washington, D.C., April 25 - 26
Kennedy Center for Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada, April 30 - May 4
Habourfront Centre
POST NORTH AMERICA
After the North American tour Black Grace will return home for a few days before going to Noumea then back to New Zealand for a South Island regional tour from June 5-20. Neil Ieremia will then take his troupe into the studio for six months to rehearse new work which will premiere at the Auckland festival next year.
Background
As the world's leading exponent of Pacific contemporary dance, Black Grace has toured extensively throughout New Zealand and internationally to critical acclaim. In 2005, the company celebrated its tenth anniversary and performed to sell-out seasons in Auckland, followed by an extensive tour at Mexico's renowned Cervantino Festival; and the prestigious Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, which debuted on New York's 42nd Street for a four-week season. Black Grace also performed at Tourism New Zealand's '100% Pure' event in Sydney, at the Aichi World Expo and for the New Zealand Embassy at the Tram Theatre in Tokyo.
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