Creative ID: 674
Masterton, Wairarapa
My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths):
Our dance programme is an initiative created by two creative artists. The programme aims to uplift and help young dancers grow by offering exclusive training and education around Hip Hop and Street Dance. The artists are recent graduates of the University of Auckland with a Bachelor’s in Dance Studies with extensive experience in teaching, performing, and making choreography around New Zealand. They are passionate about spreading our knowledge in Hip Hop and Street Dance to empower youth.
Their dance programme currently runs in the Wairarapa region with two dance academies; a junior academy for youth aged 5 to 8 and a senior academy for youth aged nine and over. The academy provides opportunities to learn street dance foundation and history, gain choreographic skills, learn from guest tutors, and offer performance opportunities. Further information is available on request.
My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with:
The creatives are dance educators and creative artists with four years of teaching experience and professional practice in the dance field. They are currently based in the Wairarapa region, working with a local high school. They run curriculum dance classes and the school’s hip hop crews who compete around the country. They are also the founders of a dance programme, an initiative to uplift and empower the youth in the region through Hip Hop and Street Dance. They also support the community in the dance sector, teaching around schools and providing opportunities within dance. They have competed nationally and internationally with world-renowned dance crews for three years. This experience took them to represent New Zealand in countries like Mexico, Australia, and Hawaii.
They are both graduates from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Dance Studies and recipients of the Summer Research Scholarship by the university. As a Venezuelan and Niuean, the artists have a great passion for using dance to spread cultural awareness and strengthen cultural identity. Their cultural backgrounds greatly influence their choreographic projects. Some of their choreographic works have appeared in festivals like Short + Sweet, Talk2Me dance showcase, and Spotlight Season 7.
Over the years, the creatives have worked and performed with artists like Netsky, Jordan Gavet, Jess B, Abby Cristo, Geoff Ong, and Jordi Webber. Additionally, one of the creatives has worked with international brands like PUMA NZ. The other creative represented the Pacific in the World Youth Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in 2019. Both creatives choreographed and performed for the University of Auckland Asia Tour in 2020. The educators have experience teaching in a variety of schools within Auckland and the Wairarapa. Some of the collaboration and projects within schools include: a dance programme around low decile schools in Auckland, running an arts enrichment programme at a local school with a focus on dance, and leading two Hip Hop crews in a local high school for the last two years.
Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes:
The creatives have extensive experience working with young people, teaching dance in different studios and schools around the country for the last three years. They specialise in open choreography, crew work, community dance classes, and teaching Hip Hop and Street Dance foundation. They have worked with prestigious dance studios and school of dance. Classes and workshops vary with young people aged from 5 to 18.
The artists have also collaborated with schools to bring dance to the learning environment. The projects with schools have varied from one-off workshops to teaching curriculum classes (such as NCEA standards). Currently, the creatives are based in the Wairarapa, working as dance teachers and mentors for a local high school, teaching young girls aged 11 to 18. The artists have a dance academy that mentors young people in Hip Hop and Street Dance aged 5 to 18.
Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice:
The artists are passionate about dance education. They believe that youth involved in this creative art form can gain new tools to explore and articulate their ideas, explore different creative methodologies, gain confidence through learning and performing, build relationships within the community through collaboration, and create lifelong memories.
Hip Hop and Street Dance styles were founded on the values of peace, love, and unity. The practice of these styles and the culture encourages participants to accept and celebrate their identity and individuality. The dance form specifically speaks to diverse communities as a way to engage with one’s own identity, sense of belonging, and culture – no matter their age, background, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, movement ability. It is through the foundations of street dance and our own personal values as creatives that they celebrate diversity – as they bring together young people from across the region through their dance programme.