Despite the challenges of COVID-19, our Year 3 Dance students finally got to perform their choreographic showcase in the Unitec Theatre last week.
With two lockdowns delaying the start of the School of Creative Industries’ shows this year, it was with a sense of relief and excitement that the students finally got to showcase their choreographic projects after weeks of interrupted preparation.
The Year 3 Dance Choreographic Showcase – coLAB3 – was performed in-house to Performing and Screen Arts’ staff and students. All students, crew and audience wore masks and seating capacity reduced to 30 people to allow for physical distancing guidelines.
The electrifying and emotional performance featured ten original works choreographed by the students under the supervision of Creative Industries Lecturer Katie Burton.
“The events of this year have presented an enormous challenge to our third year cohort, but they have responded and adapted incredibly well to the evolving situation,” said Katie. “Rehearsals for the showcase would normally have started in April, but because of lockdown, they worked instead on a digital solo project and began online rehearsals for their group work. At that point we had no idea when, or even if, we would return to the studio.”
Students resumed face-to-face rehearsals in June, with extra hygiene measures and face coverings on, “and their developing works responded to the desire to dance together again, to touch, to leap through space, to sweat, to laugh, and to feel the studio floor beneath their feet,” added Katie.
