Put on your dancing shoes
Two upbeat participatory dance events are on the programme at this year’s Wānaka Festival of Colour. Celebrated dance choreographer Michael Parmenter and Balfolk Dunedin Director Kate Grace will lead the dances in Bannockburn and Wānaka at the end of March.
Both nights will be accompanied by contemporary folk musicians Catgut and Steel, or Mike Moroney, Anna Groves and Sofia Bidwell, and will take inspiration from their unique venues. Mid 19th century themes will be the focus at The Bannockburn Ball. It will take place in the Bannockburn Coronation Hall, a gorgeous period country hall. In Wānaka, The Crystal Palace Dancehall’s Spiegeltent, which is a travelling tent filled with stained glass, mirrors and chandeliers, will play host. The Wānaka night will boast dances from the early 20th century including waltz and blues.
Both events include participatory dances and an occasional performance to enjoy. Michael Parmenter and Kate Grace will be the callers each night – initiating the dances and instructing the moves. Michael grew up in Central Otago and is excited for the soirees and to come back to the region.
“I’m looking at different social history and periods of the Central Otago region, and the two dances that we’ve got in Bannockburn and at the Crystal Palace in Wānaka are sort of snapshots of 19th century dance culture and early 20th century,” says Michael. “One of the things that I love about that particular area is that through the gold mining period, there were so many different cultural influences coming in from Scandinavia, from America, from the Celtic regions, and all these sorts of influences taking place. It’s a little bit of an imaginative reconstruction, but I’m just looking at some of those cultures and finding dances from those eras and areas, and I’m providing the opportunity in two really beautiful venues.”
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – Michael and Kate will be introducing choreography that’s not too complex – “a basic rhythm pattern that you can do all kinds of stuff with,” he says. The dances chosen can be taught in two to five minutes and each night will bring something different. In Bannockburn, there will be an opportunity to reconstruct dances of the time – taking a snapshot of the 19th century but reimagining it in today’s environment.
“For the Crystal Palace event, I’m looking at the early part of the 20th century where some of those dances we do at Bannockburn get modified by the influence of jazz, Tango, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and those sorts of genres. It’s a lot of the same dances we’ll explore at Bannockburn Ball, but they’ve been modified and will have a different tinge,” says Michael.
The dances will take place at Bannockburn Coronation Hall on Tuesday, 28 March, and at Wānaka’s Pacific Crystal Palace on Wednesday, 29 March. Pop on those dancing shoes and get ready for a night of fun. Tickets and more information can be found at festivalofcolour.co.nz
