Dance fellow planning a 24-person collaboration

• Published date: 25 April 2024
• Publication title: Star, The

Dance Ōtepoti founder Anna Noonan said next weekend, May 4 and 5, will be filled with talks and taster sessions, performances and workshops

A panel discussion will explore crossovers between dance, health and wellbeing, there will be a lunchtime concert on Saturday, May 4, in the Octagon and an afternoon concert on Saturday afternoon from 2.15pm at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

A workshop presented by the University of Otago 2024 Caroline Plummer Fellow in Community Dance Marcela Giesche is one of the highlights of the weekend.

Giesche is the founder and artistic director of LAKE Studios Berlin in East Berlin.

Even before she knew about the Caroline Plummer Fellowship, she was hoping to use a year’s sabbatical to come to New Zealand.

Dunedin reminded her of growing up in the university town of Alfred, New York.

‘‘That’s where I went to school and high school and where I started with my first ballet training.’’

She aimed to develop a local version of her piece called Self-Portrait 24, in which a collection of 24 people developed a dance structure together.

‘‘The idea is that many different types of people come together to do this piece.’’

Eight experienced dancers will be combined with 16 amateurs.

‘‘And then through the mixture of the more amateur and the more professionals, there is created a network of support and also of mutual...