We have had a busy time in the Dance Department recently.

Royal New Zealand Ballet visits

“The Royal New Zealand Ballet presents ‘Solace: dance to feed your soul’ with new and recent ballets by New Zealand choreographers Wayne McGregor (Intra), Sarah Foster-Sproull (To Hold), and Alice Topp (High Tide)”. 

On Wednesday 14th August, Jordana Arnold, RNZB Educator, visited KHS to run a contemporary ballet workshop with our Yr 10 & Senior Dance Class, as well as our keen Dance Ambassadors. It was a wonderful workshop learning contemporary ballet warm ups and professional repertoire from Sarah Foster-Sproull’s innovative and beautiful dance work, To Hold. 

On Friday 16th August, 15 of us attended the SOLACE Triple bill at the Isaac Theatre Royal. “Wow” is the first comment that sprang to our lips. With amazing and innovative costuming, breath-taking and unexpected movement, and enthralling music by Max Richter, Eden Mulholland, Ólafur Arnalds, we were hooked and captivated. Our highlights from each Dance were: the lead male dancer’s impressive physical feats (Intra), the amazing shapes made from lighting golden hands (To Hold), and the dancing in onstage rain and under a giant bubble (Infra).

DanceNZmade 2024!!!

A trio of outstanding KHS Dance students competed in DanceNZmade Interschool Regional Competition this year. They put in a lot of mahi to workshop and create original choreographies for the Solo, Duo & Trio competition on Friday 30th September at the Aurora Centre (Burnside High).

11 primary and 11 secondary schools represented in the Christchurch competition this year, with dancers from Year 3 to Year 13. Talula Green performed her self-choreographed hip hop Yr 12 Solo (Jurassic Outcast), Lucy Browne performed her self-choreographed contemporary Year 10 Solo (Chain Reaction), and Talula & Chloe Green performed their self-choreographed Open Duo (‘327’ [The Kaiapoi area code]).

I am so proud of our creative dancers for BRINGING IT to the Christchurch stage and representing Kaiapoi High School with pride, self-confidence, physical skill, and spectacular energy. Jolly good show Kaiapoi!!!

2024 KHS Dance Showcase – Groove Is In The Heart

In 2024, our Year 10 Dance class was combined with our Senior Dance class. We have also had international students joining us, jumping into our dance learning, showing awesome confidence, and sharing some wicked dance skills from home.

Our amazing Year 10s took the opportunity to learn from, and collaborate with, our seniors, improving their practical knowledge, focus, and technique. Year 10 dancers have learned warm-ups, Waiata ā-ringa, Swing, Jazz, and Contemporary sequences alongside the seniors. Year 10s have also created and performed group sequences, Whakapapa & Tuakiri solo dances, and ‘Just Dance’-style routines for intermediate students. Year 11s also created Kowhaiwhai and Kaitiaki (Piwakawaka) choreographies, showing the patterns and energy of these aspects of Maori and NZ culture.

Years 10 & 11 were also integral to the Year 12s’ creation of their choreographies, as dancers. Our Year 12 choreographies were inspired by contemporary Māori artworks from the Toi Tū Toi Ora exhibition, and demonstrate depth of concept, originality of movement, and exceptional unity Year 12 also impressed with their exhausting jazz repertoire, this year a challenging, fast-paced, and hard-hitting selection of routines to Red Alert, Higher Ground & Lady Marmalade. Our Year 13 dancer, Kaylee Moffat, knocked our socks off with three contrasting dance solos in the styles of jazz, lyrical, and contemporary ballet.

It is outstanding to see our Years 11 and 12 students help younger students improve, and to see their leadership as they teach their own original choreography to their peers. This culminated in our 2024 KHS Dance Showcase, ‘GROOVE IS IN THE HEART’ where dancers from all year levels shared our dances and choreographies from classes, workshops, and competitions throughout the year. 25 students performed onstage in a variety of dances from different styles, displaying their skill, determination, confidence, and creative efforts. Our Dance Showcase also featured two amazing drama students, Heather and Azaria, as our MCs, and the Senior Fashion designers and their models in our ‘half-time FASHION SHOW. This collaboration of The Arts also showcases our students’ and subjects’ inclusiveness and community.

I am so proud of the leadership (tuakana-teina) and community (whakawhanaugatanga) our combined class has shown in 2024. It has resulted in original, effective, and meaningful choreographies that are BREATH-TAKING. I am so proud of our dance students’ positive collaboration, and their amazing physical skills, and creativity!