28 May 2009
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27/05/2009
DANCENORTH ANNOUNCES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dancenorth has today announced the strengthening of their team through the appointment Raewyn Hill as Artistic Director. Formally commencing the prestigious appointment from 1 January 2010, Raewyn comes to Dancenorth following an extensive worldwide selection process and will immediately start work on the company’s 2010 and 2011 program.
With Northern Australia and the Pacific Rim as a palette from which to create work, Dancenorth will connect with, support and drive engaging stories through innovative and creative performances whilst capitalising on all opportunities created over the past few years, in addition to those that Raewyn will bring to the company.
Chair of the Dancenorth Board, Mike Butler, said “We received many high quality applicants for this position and Raewyn’s success is testament to Dancenorth’s focus to connect with our community and re-energise dance as focused within our region. As a mature relationship-driven leader Raewyn has the capacity to drive the company forward through highly skilled artistic management to catalyse the company’s growth by a strong, refined vision”.
New Zealand born and trained, Raewyn is highly regarded for her flair in balancing a strong physicality with a precise technical vocabulary and has managed her own professional dance company for many years. She is currently Artist in Residence at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; has created eight full length works including Angels with Dirty Feet; A dance for the forgotten; We are gathered here today, When Love Comes Calling, and most recently Finders Keepers; and will be Artist in Residence at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris from August to October this year.
Raewyn Hill commented "I am thrilled about my move to Townsville to work with Dancenorth. I look forward to strengthening Dancenorths profile within the Australian dance industry and am especially keen to encourage the companys engagement with the Townsville community.Dancenorth has produced world class contemporary dance work and I am thrilled to be joining the company at this time and getting my feet on the ground in early 2010".
The announcement comes eight weeks out from the premiere of Dancenorth’s new production Nowhere Fast, choreographed by Raewyn’s close friend and fellow New Zealander Ross McCormack, on 1-5 July in Townsville.
Industry and Dancenorth audiences will have the opportunity to meet incoming Artistic Director Raewyn Hill at the company’s third Art for Art Sake installment, the Nowhere Fast dinner & show on Saturday 4 July with tickets from $50. Bookings are open now and can be taken online at www.dancenorth.com.au, at the company’s venue on the corner of Stanley & Walker Streets or via phone on 07 4772 2549.
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RAEWYN HILL’s BIOGRAPHY:
Born in 1972 in Oamaru, Raewyn spent her childhood in a number of small towns of the south island of New Zealand. Graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance in 1992 with theBest All Round Student Award, she was subsequently named on the distinguished Honours Board in recognition of her commitment to dance in New Zealand.
Over an 18 year career Raewyn has become one of New Zealand’s foremost contemporary dance-theatre practitioners, having received numerous awards and endless accolades from critics and audiences throughout Australasia.
In 2001 she established Soapbox Productions as a vehicle for her growing choreographic voice and has toured consistently throughout New Zealand, having developed eight critically acclaimed full-length works: When Love Comes Calling, White, Night, Angels with Dirty Feet, Here lies within, We are gathered here today, A dance for the forgotten and Finders Keepers. In this time, Raewyn also developed several smaller commissioned works: Nest, Trio 1 and 2, How ugly is the duckling?, In time of Flight and Forgotten for Footnote Dance Company; Hanging between heaven and earth for New Zealand School of Dance; An ocean of tears for Royal New Zealand Ballet; and Vespers, which premiered during the 37th Hong Kong Arts Festival held this year, and Til Death do us Part for Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Raewyn retired from performing in 2006 following a successful tour of her solo show We are gathered here today and developed Soapbox Productions into her company ‘Raewyn Hill and Dancers’ where she is CEO, Artistic Director and choreographer. She has since appeared as a guest teacher and choreographer for a number of institutions including Royal New Zealand Ballet, Footnote Dance Company, New Zealand School of Dance, Unitec Performing Arts School, Beijing Dance Academy, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Tasdance, and most recently The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts where she is currently Artist in Residence, School of Dance. Raewyn will also create a graduation work in 2010 for New York’s prestigious performing arts conservatoire The Juilliard School.
Continuing to build her international profile, Raewyn Hill and Dancers premiered a full-length work Finders Keepers, supported by Creative New Zealand at the Festival of Colour, Wanaka and will be presented at Christchurch Arts Festival 2009. Raewyn is the Artist in Residence, The School of Dance Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts until July and will later this year become the first New Zealander to be awarded a prestigious Cite International des Arts residency in Paris prior to taking up the position of Artistic Director of Dancenorth commencing January 2010.Dancenorth are proud to welcome Raewyn to the company.
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