The LIVE Series

LOVE ME is up next !!! 30th and 31st of August its our FINAL SHOW so be there hmyes . Galatos Galatos St, Newton, Akld The LIVE Series – an exciting new performance platform - presents three healthy doses of choreographic soup to warm your hands this winter. Live art snacks of visual canapés, a taster for your thoughts, surprise your synapses – The LIVE Series promises to be the performance series of the year! LOVE ME is the next performance season on the menu. Poster for Taste Me

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So LOVE ME is on soon ..

And here is our poster lady!

ALEXA WILSON has been an Auckland based experimental choreographer, dancer, video/performance artist, writer and teacher for 10 years in New Zealand.

Her recent solo Weg: A-Way won 4 Awards at the Auckland Fringe 2011 Awards, including Best Dance, Best Performer in Dance, Overall Fringe Award and The Auckland Festival Award which enables to pitch formally to the Auckland Arts Festival through their 'Watch this Space' commission.

She made a work called Toxic White Elephant Shock early 2009, which was a CNZ funded residency with Mau Dance Company and won the Tup Lang Scholarship for emerging choreographers in NZ in 2008. She received a Goethe Institute Scholarhship to study german in Berlin for 2 months in 2009 and collaborated with Anna Macrae during a Turbo residency at Impuls Tanz 09, Vienna. She performed a collaborations with other dancers/artists, a number of cyber performances and made experimental videos while living in Berlin for nearly 2 years.

She has made over 20 interdisciplinary performances and video works within NZ and Australia and won the title “Best New Work by an Emerging Contemporary Choreographer” in NZ Listener in 2004 for Magic Box among other awards. She co-initiated and produced the later annually funded emerging choreographic platform/collective Late Night Choreographers in Auckland in 2004 and since then has mentored, created commissioned choreographies for different company's and institutions in NZ including Touch Compass Mixed Ability Dance Co and written many reviews of dance. She has danced for NZ choreographers Douglas Wright, Lisa Densem, Vicky Kapo and Malia Johnston and danced in Florian Habicht's cult feature film Woodenhead.

She has taught Interdisciplinary choreography and guest choreographed at Unitec's School of Performing and Screen Arts in Auckland for 2 years, is teaching Moving Image with live performance now at Unitec and taught film theory at M.I.T in Auckland since 2001.

She is one of 50 contemporary NZ artists interviewed in Gareth Shute's recent book Insights: New Zealand Artists Talk About Creativity. She has a BA in Film/Media Studies and Women's Studies and a BPSA in Contemporary Dance. She has an MA in Screen Production from The University of Auckland, majoring in Screenwriting.

i.e. she's fab. LOVE ME (or her alternatively) 30th and 31st of August at Galatos!!!

BOOK HERE ON EVENTFINDER!!!

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Misa Tupou

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BECCA WOOD

Becca works in performance practices that slip between the intersections of the body, space and digital environments. Her interest in this interdisciplinary area comes from years of working between the disciplines of design and dance practices. Her research invites critical rethinking of the sensate body and its modes of interacting with digital interfaces to open a potential space for dialogue between the fields of somatics and creative technologies.

Becca is currently in her first year of Doctoral research at Auckland University where she also lectures in Dance Studies. Prior to this she taught movement for performance practice and interdiciplinary arts at Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts. She continues to work across the arts in performance, somatic research and education and digital-based art and design.

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KATE BARLETT is a graduate of UNITEC’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Contemporary Dance), and is currently studying a Post-graduate Diploma in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland.

Originally hailing from Christchurch, Kate was a student and member of the Hagley Dance Company, working under the exceptional direction of Sheryl Robinson.

As a freelance artist, Kate was the co-writer and director of Infatuated By Verses, the inaugural show by Yours Truly Productions, winner of Tempo 2008 Awards’:- ‘Most innovative choreography and best use of dance film/digital media’.

http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=1709

And in 2009, Yours Truly Productions and Kate Bartlett staged Prodigious Pilot, a tongue-in-check commentary on pop hype and the Art of dancing with yourself.

http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/10/prodigious-pilot.html

Kate endeavours to collaborate across disciplines, whilst engaging in new choreographic methods and practice.

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Introducing for the first time on our shores ...

Lydia Bittner-Baird, a native of Colorado, USA, received her BFA from The Juilliard School Dance Division. Most recently she curated, co-produced, and performed in METAMOTO, the first collaborative event to take place in the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center.

She coordinated and collaborated with choreographers Yara Travieso and Letty Bassart, composers Daniel Bernard Romain and Jerome Begin, the fellows of the New World Symphony, and film makers Laura Luna and Darren Hoffman.

In May, Lydia was invited in 2011 to dance in the epic music video, Girl Walk // All Day in NYC. 

Lydia performed with The Rosie Herrera Dance Theater in the 2010 American Dance Festival commission of “Pity Party” and “Various Stages of Drowning”, which premiered in July '10 to rave reviews. Lydia was also an invited artist as part of Rosie Herrera’s 2010 MANCC award (The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography) to develop Rosie's new work, "Dining Alone".

Lydia has also performed and collaborated with Letty Bassart, Liony Garcia, Luis Cuevas, Miami Contemporary Dance Company, and Brazz Dance Theater. While still a student, Lydia was awarded the Gluck Community Fellowship for performance from The Juilliard School, allowing her to bring music and original dance to non-traditional audiences throughout New York City. 

Currently residing in Auckland, New Zealand, Lydia is looking forward to her next adventures performing and curating for artists and friends from around the world.

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Choreographing for HEAR ME is

CHRISTINA HOUGHTON

Christina Houghton studied dance as part of the Dance Studies Program at Otago University and is currently studying a Masters in Creative and Performing Arts at Auckland University researching solo choreography and performance identity.

Christina was a founding member of Slightly Synthetic in Dunedin 2000 - 2004 while also choreographing and performing for Dance Lab and Rasa Dance Company.

During four years in London U.K she performed in Resolution Dance Festival 2005 directed her film House Sitting and choreographed for Cloud Dance for the Connect Festival 2007.

She also works in fashion and costume design designing costumes for Carol Brown Dances both in London and here in Auckland. Her latest piece follows most recent solo works B Legs and I See Through seen at Theatre 466.

As part of HEAR ME Christina introduces Millicent a fragmented persona exploring a reversed embodiment in I am Still Here. Where she considers notions of a fluid identity in todays society relating to constructed facades, personal history and sense of feeling out of place. Christina co-curated TASTE ME with Zahra Killeen-Chance as part of the Producing Project where they explored the intersection of site audience and choreography. 

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woahwoahwoah

THERE'S NOW A FACEBOOK PAGE?!!!

Intense

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"TASTER INVITES RETURN FOR MORE"

Reviewed by Felicity Molloy, 30 Jun 2011 on theatreview.org.nz

According to their project advertising, after the highly successful Works in Progress or WIP (DANZ interns of 2010), THE PRODUCING PROJECT brings together a group of multi-talented artists for a three part hybrid dance exploration titled, The LIVE Series. The aim is to support and encourage independent dance and performance artists in developing body-in-performance ideas. TASTE ME is an ensemble cast with presenting works by Anna Bate, Katie Burton, Celine Sumic, We Should Practice, Amy Mauven, Natalie Clark, Georgia Giesen, SMS Collective and Ciarin Smith. I missed the ensuing “difficult discussions” on the opening night and am therefore aware that some of the following notes may contradict resultant verbally articulated insights from there.  

What I saw was a veritable feast of hybrid art – a buffet? No - we followed the menu from start to finish with a selective build towards a slowly unwinding ending. A degustation then and one which (as much as I am about to overuse menu metaphors!), inevitably, I draw from subsequent comparisons with other recent tastes of hybrid contemporary dance works.

 TO READ THE REST CLICK HERE TO GO TO THEATREVIEW.ORG.NZ

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Carrie-Rae Cunningham's review of TASTE ME

The LIVE Series: Taste Me

“Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of choreography,” says the front of the programme for the first installment of The LIVE Series. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I am purposefully breaking my tradition of not reading programme notes before the show starts in this case because I have a feeling that I’ll be a little bit lost without some guidance. TASTE ME is a shared programme of nine different works, all with different themes, choreographic approaches, utilisations of space and concepts of making dance.

The proramme also acts as a kind of treasure map, which is pretty exciting. The pieces in TASTE ME have almost been conceived as a collective site specific work. There are no chairs set up in the main space, which also tells me we are going to be on the move. Another clue that this is no ordinary theatre experience is that most of the performers are scattered about in the space just, well, hanging out. The pre-show music, provided by Nick Wright and the lovely voice of Jennie Cruse, is a nice touch. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere. Lydia Zanetti and Molly McDowall are roaming about dressed in hot pink, tangled up in a knitting project.

To read the rest go to DANCESTUFF.CO.NZ

Thanks Carrie-Rae !

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This is IT team! We OPEN TONIGHT at GALATOS at 7.30pm !!!

Band from 7.15 - its gonna be a big one!

And if you can't make it tonight, there is tomorrow too! But only those two.

Tasty hmmyum

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Photos from rehearsals!

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Who is

SMS COLLECTIVE 

Initiated in 2011, SMS Collective merges the creative quirks of dance and sound artists Hannah Kaye, Kerrin Burns, Juanita Jelleyman and James Bryant to generate curious performance art.

This collective is a post-university project based group with an interdisciplinary edge. Having each studied at The University of Auckland, Juanita, James, Hannah and Kerrin, who have worked together previously, look to build on their developing practices as emergent artists.

Delighting in the collective-ness of it all, this independent artistic body moves with themes of urbanism, genuine relationality and interaction with the aim of exploring Sound, Movement and Space in diverse, site-specific locations.

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In TASTE ME is ...

NATALIE CLARK

Natalie Clark is a young but ambitious dance and performance artist. She is interested in the body, multimedia and site-specific work. Natalie recently made work for Theatre 466's A Return to Service and rehearsal directed for Etched Dance Productions' work Scribble Scape in Auckland Fringe Festival. Last year she was a dancer for Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen's and Charles Koroneho's work The present doesn't exist in my mind, the future is already way behind... as part of Living Room 2010 festival of public art. Natalie also has a strong interest in writing and reviews for In Unison as well as writing on her own personal creative blog (www.noteface.blogspot.com).

This year Natalie will complete her Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts at Unitec, majoring in contemporary dance. During her training she has worked with choreographers Sarah Foster-Sproull, Shona McCullagh, Michael Parmenter, Tim Podesta and Katie Burton (who is also making work for Taste Me), undertaken workshops with Douglas Wright and Alexa Wilson and made several works of her own.

You can read more on Natalie's site here (www.nataliemaria.weebly.com)

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Presenting

ANNA BATE

Anna is an experimental choreographer and performer. She studied contemporary dance at UNITEC and is currently completing her masters at the University of Auckland. Most recently she staged 'The Adventures of Ghost Heart and Still Horse' 2011 and 'Pro-posing' 2010. Anna is also currently working with Sean Curham on his 'Ghosting' series.

Photo: Kathrin Simon

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Taste Me also features ...

Celine Sumic is a transdisciplinary artist with a background in Japanese language and architecture. Movement and flow inform her approach to design with current studies in choreography extending her thinking in this area. Through her practice Celine investigates the intersection of individual and collective histories to reflect upon and reframe relationship with self and space. Her work takes the form of poetry, site-specific performance, cinematic sketches and a range of clothing under her label Lumen®. Her performance persona Veil and the Bedlambs, conceived as a Japanese pop-rock alter-ego, is inspired by the ritual transformation of Harajuku on any given Sunday.

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Some photos from Monday night rehearsal - we're so close and the hype is beginning to build! Please book through Eventfinder (on your right) and pass the word on - this is promising to be THE performance series of the year!!!

... less then a week out ...

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Ciarin Smith

Ciarin is a recent graduate of Unitec, majoring in Acting. Recent theatrical endeavours include Auckland Theatre Company's Romeo and Juliet and Cabaret, three seasons of kiwi play The Idea of America and a (very brief) stint on Spartacus. He is currently rehearsing for Peach Theatre Company's Othello - a collaboration between Jesse Peach, Douglas Wright and Gareth Farr. Ciarin also has a huge facination with dance and is excited to be working on such a interesting, multi-faceted show.