The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) announces the premiere of its most provocative and poetic season yet, The Absurdity of Humanity to be presented at Q Theatre, August 24-27, 2016 for a strictly limited season.
Artistic Director Shona McCullagh couples the striking works of choreographers Ross McCormack (Matter) and Lina Limosani (Whispers from Pandora’s Box) to form a powerful trans-Tasman double bill.
Matter by Ross McCormack (Creative New Zealand’s 2015 Choreographic Fellow) is a long anticipated theatrical work that contemplates feelings of belonging, love and failure amidst a forest of lonely totems. Created by one of New Zealand’s finest and internationally acclaimed dance artists with an absurdist eye for detail, McCormack says “I am fascinated by people bestowing huge importance and almost mythological or religious cathartic experiences to benign objects”.
Whispers from Pandora’s Box by Australia’s Lina Limosani (2015 Dame Peggy van Pragh Choreographic Award recipient) is a highly theatrical exposition on the dichotomy of good and evil within human nature. With a score created from mashed up film soundtracks and absurdist scores, this black comedy contains Elizabethan inspired costumes and shockingly timed fight sequences, promising both the macabre and humorous. Kill Bill meets Elizabeth I in this romp of surreal and action-packed pandemonium.
The Absurdity of Humanity features performer Eddie Elliot, a Manurewa resident. While studying dance at UNITEC Elliot watched a performance by NZDC, which inspired him to approach Shona McCullagh, NZDC’s Artistic Director. “Hello,” he said, “my name is Eddie and one day I’ll be in your company.” His bold statement proved to be a true prediction, as he went on to understudy for NZDC, and is now one of their professional dancers. The Absurdity of Humanity also showcases talented dancers; Carl Tolentino, Chris Ofanoa, Chrissy Kokiri, Emily Adams, Katie Rudd, Xin Ji and founding company members Lucy Lynch and Tupua Tigafua.
Tickets on sale from Thursday, June 23
qtheatre.co.nz / Ph: 09-3099771 / 305 Queen Street, Auckland
About The New Zealand Dance Company: Founded in 2012, NZDC is Aotearoa’s freshest dance company. The company was formed to build a hot bed of dance talent and creativity that is sustainable and to challenge and grow New Zealand dance culture. The vision for NZDC is to create new connections to dance by staging contemporary dance in highly engaging ways and different contexts. nzdc.org.nz