Sledgehammer
Night of Dance At 6.50pm on a crisp June evening, the Year 12 common room was plunged into darkness and approximately 170 students stood in collective anticipatory silence, a brief but crucial moment of focus and calm before the adrenaline of performance kicked in. The final show of Night of Dance 2019 was about to commence – the highlight of the dance calendar at Diocesan, where the passionate and talented students of dance showcase their work, both on and off the stage. This year’s show was another resounding success, featuring the very best of student choreographic and
54
DIO TODAY
Blessing
performance work, with some pieces taught by an extraordinary line-up of guest tutors. As always, Night of Dance is an important week for NCEA curriculum students, who are assessed across performance and choreographic achievement standards, with external moderators in attendance to view their work. Highlights included Year 12 and 13 students presenting Blooms, an elegant contemporary group dance co-created with renowned New Zealand dancer and choreographer Dan Cooper, and the Year 11 class sharing a sophisticated piece called Conflicted, comprising their own choreography based on conflict in a relationship. Our promising Junior High
dance students in Years 7-10 performed a charming and polished repertoire including Bollywood, Samoan Sasa, jazz and contemporary. Extra-curricular dance at Diocesan is thriving. This year saw the addition of two new theatre jazz troupes performing in Night of Dance, as well as the highly anticipated hip hop crews. Our stunning Kapa Haka group opened each evening with a beautiful waiata and stirring haka, and the Chinese Dance Group graced the stage with a superb traditional fan dance. There was also an impressive array of solo, duo and group dances for audiences to enjoy in contemporary,
