Arts news |
31 Oct 2007
Choreographic Fellowship for acclaimed Auckland dancemaker
Internationally acclaimed Auckland choreographer Lemi Ponifasio has been awarded the 2008 Creative New Zealand Choreographic Fellowship. Worth $65,000, it is the largest choreographic fellowship available in New Zealand.
Artistic director and founder of MAU Dance Company, Lemi Ponifasio is a prolific creator of dance works and has continued to develop an impressive international following. His work has been presented in Venice, Vienna, Holland, London, Brussels, Adelaide, Prague and Germany. He is a curator for the London International Festival of Theatre. He also creates performance projects with communities throughout New Zealand and the Pacific region under the MAU Forum.
Lemi Ponifasio will use the fellowship to develop a new dance work, Birds with Sky Mirrors.
"This is a very important project to me and for the vision of MAU. It embodies my approach to dance and activism. Birds with Sky Mirrors is a response to what is becoming the defining issue of the twenty-first century: climate change," Lemi Ponifasio said.
"The Fellowship is a great honour for me and the MAU company."
Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said the Choreographic Fellowship was an excellent professional development opportunity and was important for the development of contemporary dance in New Zealand.
"Lemi Ponifasio is one of this country's leading choreographers. His work is provocative and he isn't afraid to take risks. This Fellowship will give him the time to further develop and consolidate his work," Stephen Wainwright said.
"Lemi and his dance company, MAU, are developing a strong international reputation. They are being invited by prestigious organisations to tour overseas, which illustrates how Lemi's independent and visionary choreography stands out in the crowded international arena."
Ponifasio's latest work, Tempest, had its world premiere at the Vienna Festival earlier this year, featuring Tuhoe activist Tame Iti and refugee Ahmed Zaoui.
Ponifasio and his company MAU have just performed Requiem at the London International Festival of Theatre and have been invited to return in 2008 with their production Tempest. The tour will also take the company to three other European countries and has been supported with a $35,000 Creative New Zealand grant.
Ponifasio has also been invited to stage Requiem at the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts in New York in 2008. This prestigious invitation to the United States has been supported by a $45,000 grant from Creative New Zealand.
The Fellowship will take place from November 2007 to November 2008. Creative New Zealand developed the Choreographic Fellowship for senior artists and previous recipients include Shona McCullagh, Douglas Wright and Michael Parmenter
