FEVER | DREAM
by Ballet Collective Aotearoa | Part of Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance
A fresh programme of dance and music featuring four newly created works. This mixed bill takes audiences on a journey from intense, feverish moments to dreamlike states, reflecting on today's fast-paced life and the subconscious ways we process ourselves and our experiences within it.
D)rea(m)lity (Dream Reality) by Zoe White, is a reflection on our inner worlds, drawing on the interrelationship between a subconscious and conscious state of being. The audience is collectively absorbed into a sort of dreamscape, a dance with elusive ideals in the presence of pervasive shadows. Traversing the textures of the imagined and the real, this piece explores tensions between the fears that create voids in our lives, and the illusions that fill them. Working closely with Jefferson Chen (Goodspace), D)rea(m)lity is an exchange of bites of movement that Zoe has created with her dancers and Jefferson’s musical response.
MOTH(S) delves into the unpredictability of life, where paths cross and intersect, but a singular focus may result in missed opportunities and our intended destiny. Like moths to a light, through a single focus, what might we overlook in the periphery. What alternative opportunities might have veered us toward a different pathway and altered the course of our being? Chance encounters shape our lives, yet unrealised paths might lead us to an entirely different existence.
The third work, FEVER, is a high-energy dance work exploring burnout, competitiveness, and the relentless pressure to keep going. Driven by fast-paced, dynamic movement, this piece captures the sensation of being trapped in cycles of productivity and competition — where stopping feels impossible. Lyndon Foley (Our Dreaming Bodies) is excited to again work with his collaborator, Lucy Summerfield, to bring us a new soundscape of vibrancy and frenzy.
An exciting group of young students will explore a ladder of words from FEVER to DREAM. Exploring ways to portray simple concepts from unrelated words through the dynamic electronic music of Conchord Dawn, the students will bring their individuality to the programme through exploring innovative ways to approach the composition of new movement patterns.
Ballet Collective Aotearoa is a project-based dance collective based in Pōneke, Wellington. BCA is dedicated to exploring new ways to tell the stories of Aotearoa, pushing the boundaries of ballet technique within the contemporary dance space. Collaboration across the arts sector is central to their vision, ensuring that kiwi-trained dancers have the opportunity to develop their artistry at home. Under the Ballet Collective Aotearoa banner, they provide a platform for dancers and choreographers to experiment, collaborate, and create new works in contemporary ballet. BCA bring ballet to new audiences and foster a supportive, innovative environment for artistic growth within the genre.
This year, the collective continues to build a repertoire of homegrown, locally developed contemporary ballet. They aim to present newly created choreography that is both abstract and virtuosic; to highlight the individual strengths of each dancer and their authenticity as contemporary artist’s trained in a ballet technique. BCA celebrate kiwi ingenuity and collaborate with other kiwi artists to bring you works that reflect the environment we inhabit at this time.