Night of Dance

Sledgehammer

Blessing

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 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,

Senior Hip Hip Crew Brooke Vincent and Emma Badger

Crew

Blooms Conflicted Mackenzie Houghton-Lamb

lyrical, hip hop and jazz funk styles. Behind the scenes, a talented student crew, including stage management, wardrobe, hair, makeup and frontof-house, worked tirelessly to ensure the show ran like clockwork. The preparation for Night of Dance began months in advance for our wonderful dance captain and her team: Polly Davies (Dance Captain), Mackenzie Houghton-Lamb and Sinead Pawlick (Deputy Dance Captains). These dedicated students led the Junior Troupe, choreographing and producing Sledgehammer, an upbeat jazz ensemble featuring Year 7-10 dancers. The girls also contributed to show preparations and capably led the cast throughout performance week.

Congratulations to all students involved, and especially to our deserving award winners:

CURRICULUM DANCE Cup for Outstanding Performance in Curriculum Dance: Mackenzie Houghton-Lamb Cup for Most Improved Performance in Curriculum Dance: Brooke Vincent

Outstanding Performance Acknowledgements in Curriculum Dance: Year 12 and 13 dance class for their performance of Blooms contemporary group dance Year 11 dance class for their performance and choreography in Conflicted, a contemporary dance compilation of duos and a trio

EXTRA-CURRICULAR DANCE Cup for Outstanding Performance in Extra-curricular Dance: Emma Badger

Outstanding Performance Acknowledgements in Extra-curricular Dance: Polly Davies and Cassie Gray for their jazz funk duo performance of Crew Dio Senior Hip Hop Crew