Christchurch locals were given a glimpse into The Footnote New Zealand Dance Company's national touring performance.
The dancers have reached the last leg of their 'If You Know You Know' tour, with Christchurch their last stop, following an eight-city tour of the country.
The contemporary dancers have held free half-hour performances at local art galleries in most cities they visited, like the one at Christchurch's Art Gallery yesterday.
Dancer Cecilia Wilcox said this was a good way to give potential audiences a taste of their work. "We found it to be really successful in not just selling tickets, but also promoting contemporary dance as an art form in general, which has been really great".
Wilcox says the show is a physical challenge which celebrates the dancers as individuals. "You'll see some, you know, difficult exerting dancing, which is great if you are a lover of technique and stamina and like that virtuosic movement".
Promoting contemporary dance to people who mightn't previously have experienced that style is one goal of the Footnote company.
"You can engage in it in a really physical way if you want to, or you can get you can engage with it more conceptually or artistically or dramaturge play. So it's, it's quite like it is very progressive in that way".
Wilcox believes finishing the tour in Christchurch was the perfect choice, and the company is hoping to open the eyes of audiences to the world of contemporary dance, over their final two shows tonight - Wednesday - and tomorrow afternoon.
Their website and ticket sales- https://www.footnote.org.nz/events/if-you-know-you-know-2024
- By Emily O'Hagan, made with the support of NZ On Air
