News & Events
DANCERS TO JOIN COMPANIES
16 of the 24 students graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance in November 2011 have secured employment.
They will be taking up positions in companies that include West Australian Ballet, Black Grace, Singapore Dance Theatre, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Sydney Dance Company.
Two more graduates have been offered internships with the newly formed New Zealand Dance Company. Alana Sargent, who graduated in 2010, will also join Sydney Dance Company.
West Australian Ballet:
Edward Dobinson
Dane Holland
Yvette Sauvage
Black Grace:
Du Yan Hao (pictured)
Daniel McCarroll
Carl Tolentino
Footnote Dance:
Levi Cameron
Alice Macann
Royal New Zealand Ballet:
Tarrah Burns
Rebekha Duncan
Emma White
Sydney Dance Company:
Jesse Scales
Thomas Bradley
Alana Sargent (2010 graduate)
Java Dance Company:
Isabelle Nelson
Singapore Dance Theatre:
Jason Carter
Chua Bi Ru
New Zealand Dance Company:
Jonathan Selvadurai (internship)
Rebecca Bassett-Graham (internship)
Emma White, who joins the Royal New Zealand Ballet, is recipient of the Todd Scholarship for 2012. She joins a list of talented graduates of the school who have gone on to begin their careers with New Zealand's ballet company, including Adriana Harper and Paul Mathews.
In her review of NZSD Graduation Season for Dance Australia Maggie Tonkin remarked on the dancers' achievements, "It's no surprise to learn that a large number of the graduates have been snapped up by companies across the region".
Shona McCullagh MNZM, Arts Laureate and Artistic Director of the New Zealand Dance Company spoke to the students at their graduation ceremony on 27 November. She reminded them that a career in dance is not a job, "it's a hallowed profession".
Read the reviews of Graduation Season 2011
Paul Tayor and 'Company B'
Former Paul Taylor Dance Company member Richard Chen See is guest tutor at the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) in 2011. Richard is teaching Paul Taylor's Company B to the students for NZSD Graduation Season.
"Taylor stands amongst the pantheon of American dance giants.” Dance Magazine (USA)
Company B illuminates dominant social issues of the 1940s and the emotions surrounding them. It is danced to well-loved big band era tunes by the Andrews Sisters such as The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B), Pennsylvania Polka and Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! Rather than incorporate the social dances of the era, Paul Taylor has injected their essence into his modernist choreography created in the early 90s. The bubbly music and dance rhythms contrast with themes of wartime loss creating a layering of moods, at times feel-good and melancholy.
"What other artist today makes poetic drama of such variety and eloquence? A Taylor season is a journey through one of the most singular and searching imaginations of our time.” New York Times
“What Taylor himself will bequeath as a legacy... is one of the richest and most creative collections of work in 20th-century dance. He came as a pioneer; he will leave as a master.” Dance Magazine
Richard Chen See’s visit to the New Zealand School of Dance was made possible with assistance from Fulbright New Zealand and the Embassy of the United States of America.
Former New York City Ballet soloist Diana White shares 
Balanchine magic
Diana White is a former soloist of New York City Ballet and an Associate of The George Balanchine Trust in New York. She visited New Zealand in August 2011 to coach students of the New Zealand School of Dance in the Balanchine repertoire Emeralds for performance in the NZSD Graduation Season 2011.
Diana was interviewed on Radio New Zealand's Upbeat programme on 3 August 2011.
Photo: 2011 NZSD student Yvette Sauvage in Balanchine's 'Emeralds'
Alana Haines Australasian Awards 
Three New Zealand School of Dance students made the finals of the Alana Haines Australasian Awards held in Auckland, Easter 2011.
Third year student Emma White was a supreme awards finalist, winning a scholarship to the Rosella High Tower School in Cannes, France. 17 year old Cauê Frias was a supreme awards runner up, winning scholarships to Houston Ballet and the Australian Ballet School.
11 year old Jana Baldovino from the NZSD Regional Associate Programme was one of the 11 finalists out of 105 dancers in the Junior section. Jana, who learns ballet in Wellington from Paula Hunt & Helen Calman, won a Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dance International Summer School being held at Te Whaea in January 2012.
Photo: Caue Frias by Snapstar
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Tours of New Zealand School of Dance
The New Zealand School of Dance is a great place to visit. We welcome school parties and tour groups. Our students are highly motivated, vibrant, self-disciplined and are excellent role models.
Secondary school tours usually last around 45 minutes (shorter for younger students) and will often include observation of New Zealand School of Dance classes or rehearsals and may also include a short talk from one of our tutors or dance students.
You may want to combine a tour of the New Zealand School of Dance with a look at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, or with one of our dress rehearsals or performances. There is no fee for tours but donations are welcome.
If you would like to arrange a tour email the Dance Administrator Catherine Robertshawe or phone 04 381 9226.