Performing Arts for The Fashionista in 2015

I just found a pile of posts sitting in my drafts that I had written but obviously forgot to post it. This is one of them. So please check the dates to see when this was actually written. 


It was a very big year for The Fashionista last year in the performing art area. She chose drama as one of her electives which they did for year 9 and of course she of course had to sign up for everything going as is her way.

Early on in the year she performed in the Sheila Winn Festival with her high school.

The Festival is an annual event that involves more than half the secondary schools in the country. During the Regional Festival, students engage with Shakespeare's plays by performing 5-minute and 15-minute excerpts from them with schools in their area.

Schools from each region are then selected to go on to participate in the National Festival.
She played one of the dancers.  Unfortunately I was sick and didn't make it but her dad and Grandma when to see the regional one she was in. Their school got best costumes I think, but the 'boys' school that they are affiliated with won and went to participate in the National Festival.

This is a pic from one of her dress rehearsals. On the night they also had colourful ribbons tied around their wrists with bells so they jingled when they performed.

She was fortunate enough to attend a Black Grace dance workshop in Auckland with her contemporary group, Manu Wairua, in April. The group was so blessed as Black Grace is New Zealand's leading contemporary founded by Neil Ieremia (on chair in pic) in 1995.

Each student got to partner up with one of BG's dancers and so got some one on one treatment. MW's 'manager' I suppose you could say (far left in the pic below) told me it was very funny to see The Fashionista doing one rather flexible move with her legs and the male BG dancer she was working with try it, and laughingly make some joke about not being quite as flexible as she was. She came home from this event on an absolute high ... the BG group are really warm, funny, flexible and helpful apparently. They were all given Black Grace t-shirts ... it's 12 months later and it is still her favourite t-shirt!

Post workshop pic of MW and BG ... I love how they felt comfortable enough with them to take a funny picture as some events the kids are quite reserved. 

Performing an exercise with one of the BG dancers.

Her drama class performed a couple of sketches in June to show off what they had been working on throughout the two terms. She was one of two given the narrators role (first pic), in the class production and then she got to perform with some of her friends in a mini piece that they had put performed in class where she was the wicked aunt (second pic).  She got a bit of the acting bug doing this course and performing ... hmmmm

Apologies for the quality of the photo, I had to cut her out of a larger one.

Outside of school she started 'en pointe' ballet and also continued with contemporary. Unfortunately due to her travelling such a distance each day to and from school the added external class were more than either of us could take much more of (I was spending hours on the road each day!) so she dropped ballet as it was three classes a week but still continued with her weekly contemporary class. Here's a pic of her the day she took her exams, which she passed.

All of the members of Manu Wairua, except for The Fashionista, attend the same small character School (120 students in total). This school is a very progressive maori school (although you don't have to be Maori to attend there). One of the very talented lasses, who started the group, has been sitting her High school levels in dance and had to choreograph and perform a repertoire as part of her assessment and as they don't have a lot of dancers at their school to choose from so they asked XXXX to help out.

She practiced with her partner a few times and had one practice with the group before going on that night. They were the finale and did really well. It was a war based theme, with very strong and theatrical music.

It was a great night held at a centre in the middle of Hamilton. Some students performed a scene if they were doing drama, some performed on a musical instrument and a few sung with a band they had in to accompany the students. They were being assessed as they performed their routines and they did so well.

Around the same time she was also rehearsing for her schools annual performance. Her girls high school joins together with Boys High each year to put on a big school performance. They each take it in turns to host and run the event. In 2015 it was Boys High's turn to run the event and they chose Jesus Christ Superstar. She actually was one of two year 9 girls (there were about 300 girls in year 9 but of course they didn't all apply or audition) to get a part as a dancer in the show. She was over the moon as you can well imagine.

There were hours and hours and hours of work putting this performance together. Every Sunday between 1 and 6 she attended rehearsals at Boys High, along with another 1-2 nights a week there also. On top of that the dancers rehearsed through their lunch breaks at school for the special performances they were doing in the show that didn't involve the rest of the case. It was tiring that's for sure. 

They ended up performing about 6 shows in July and I have got to say, trying not to be biased, that the show was just AMAZING. The singers were awesome, the dancers perfectly rehearsed and looked so professional, and the student band (up the back in the pics) just first class. Anyone who saw the show was just blown away by it.

She just loved being with the cast and crew and they really bonded during the rehearsals. She still has some amazing friends, even a couple of males ones, from this event. I think I was the highlight of her year. During this show the acting and performing bug hit her BIG TIME and she now wants to pursue it as a career.

She's the wee angel up the back right. She did a beautiful job.

Photo by Cirrus Photography

Can you spot her? She's the wee one at the front left.

Photograph by Feisty Photography

Waiting back stage to go on.

In November she performed in her new dance academy's recital doing contemporary. She was only in the one dance as it is a large school and the recital lasted for about 2 1/2 hours or more!

When I advised the owner early this year that she wouldn't be returning, who also was one of two of her ballet teachers, she told me that she thought she danced beautifully in the recital and that she was welcome back anytime, which was just lovely as she is a very exacting teacher who does not give praise lightly.

My favourite photo taken by the photographer the school hired - she hates it.

That's her in the front, middle.

Mana Wairua's First Workshop

This year The Fashionista  joined a recently formed "Youth Contemporary Dance Company" named - Mana Wairua, set up by the amazing dancing son and daughter, of one of TF's old teachers.  Their aim is to perform at festivals and other events.

Last week they were lucky to attend a two day contemporary dance workshop.

 

 

 

 

Cathy Livermore (in the black top on the right) 'discover all that you are' and an amazing dancer and choreographer, took them on the Saturday and again on the Sunday. Cathy is originally from Aussie but has Maori roots which brought her back to NZ to investigate further and she has really become involved in the Maori culture and incorporating it into her dance. She's simply the loveliest, most authentic woman.

 

 

 

Here's Cathy working with the Kila Kokonut Krew, at the factory, who toured Aussie last year along with the Endiburgh Festival.

 

 

Trey Pickett visiting from New Mexico, USA taught them on the Saturday. Trey is the sweetest most beautiful man and he doesn't actually seem to dance, dance simply seems to be part of him, just like you and I breathe, he just dances.

 

"Trey Pickett is an acclaimed performer and choreographer in New Mexico. He was first inspired as a young boy performing with his family when he then ventured into street dancing. Trey's passion for dance has grown through-out the years and has inspired him to share his passion by opening his own dance company, Disciples of Chaos(DC). He has performed in NY, has danced in the UNM dance program, as well as being the first black principle dancer at New Mexico Ballet Company."

 

 

This is from YouTube, there's a few other things on there with Trey also.

 

Anyway TF really enjoyed it but there were parts where she was VERY out of her comfort level. The students were asked to really be authentic and to simply throw themselves into it but there was still a bit of stiltedness and reservedness (I could have just made those words up) in them which I think will go with more time and further experience.


TF hadn't never danced with a male before and the kids all had to dance together and had to sometimes touch and connect, and she felt a bit conscious doing this as a lot of 12 year olds would I imagine. They also brought a lot of Maori spiritualism into it and it is all quite new to her but it was seriously a really great experience and she enjoyed but felt a bit lost at times. It was a steep learning experience for her. She actually has been loving learning more about the Maori culture and dance, so is getting more than she bargained for with this beautiful cultural opportunity being added to her dancing.


How lucky are these kids to get these opportunities to learn from professionals, at such a young age and there's a different work shop coming up soon!!!


If you'd like to follow these kids and their contemporary dance group, they can be found on Facebook on this link ... Mana Wairua - NZ  The more likes and support the better!

Post Traumatic Concerts Syndrome

Well as anyone with kids who have recitals, concerts etc. knows there are certain times of the years that are just cah-ray-zeeeee busy! 
 
Thankfully our manic period has just passed. Monday to Wednesday we had rehearsals every night and then concerts on Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday before lunch and Saturday night ... WOW!  Each time it was a 75km return trip ... 'noice' on the petrol costs too.
 
The Fashionista's dance school actually runs two separate types of concerts. Two of the concerts are for the ballet only and it is a 2 hour show based on an actual ballet.  In the 1960's Mr and Mrs Draper were RNZB ballerina's (Mr D also danced with international groups), so there is a special emphasis given to ballet. This years ballet was Peter Pan. The Performance group mainly stars in it, splattered with dances by the different ballet grades. TF's class did the twinkling stars when Peter takes the Darling children flying to Never, Never  land.
 

 
 
The other two concerts held are for all the other dance types not including ballet; contemporary, hip hop, jazz, tap and any other classes they run there. Even the adult classes participate in the concert.

 

 
As TF also learns contemporary we had to do the four concerts but for a change we had a stroke of luck. Grandma and Aunty H were going to the different concerts that we attended so took care of the transport for us on those couple of nights. Luckily TF is at the age where I can help her with her show make up and hair at home and she can do the touch ups herself.
 
 
We arranged to go to the grand finale which happened to be the ballet, and took the girls to a Thai Restaurant for dinner afterwards. 

They were vastly amused to see that the restaurant abbreviated the location of Pukekohe to Puke which they sadly added onto the menus after the name of the restaurant.  I am not sure they realised what "puke" can mean in English, really not the best name for a restaurant. 

 
 
 
 

Mama Brag Moment

Forgive this mummy brag moment ... Last night was Miss 12's last class for contemporary for the year. The girls did some moves for the parents to watch and redid the dance that they performed on stage at their recital.

All the girls received their certificates at the end BUT THEN a Merit Award was awarded to a student who showed "outstanding effort and potential in 2014" and yup Miss 12's name was called out.

Am I proud ... you betcha I am but, not because she is a beautiful dancer but because more importantly every week this child turns up and works at dancing like she is auditioning for a stage role. She jumps, she turns and she spins and moves with 100% effort each and every time. If she isn't getting it to her satisfaction, she practices at home until she has it sussed. She gives it all her effort each and every class and so I am proud of her for working so hard.

I am also very thankful to the teachers she has had this year and in previous ones for inspiring her and building her confidence and love in dance.

The Fashionista with her lovely Contemporary teacher who she just adores!

Candle Design

Miss 12 and I designed and decorated these candles today as gifts for her ballet and contemporary dance teachers.

Her ballet teacher's candle reads, "Life without Ballet would be pointeless". We were going to make it in pink and black but as her teacher is an older lady we thought red more appropriate.

Her contemporary teacher is a lot younger, and so we made it a little more modern. It reads "A dance teacher helps their students find the song in their heart (pic) the beat in their feet and a passion for life".

On the back of the candles, in small writing towards the bottom, like on the back of greeting cards are the words, "Thank you, her name and 2014". She is really thrilled with the result and hopes her teachers like them.

Side note:  Teachers were thrilled with their gifts and even showed them to other teachers who were quite envious. We had to explain over and over again how we made them ... lol

Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes ...

As some of you may be aware The Fashionista is a "little bit" interested in dancing ... in fact even at 12, she can't stand still and can be found dancing around the house constantly. She always has and I thought maybe it was something she might grow out but of course it has only gotten stronger and faster and the leaps bigger.

At present she is dancing three times a week. Ballet 2 hours a week and contemporary on the third evening. It is a 95km round trip and we don't get home until 8pm one evening, 7pm the next and 6pm on another night. It is tiring and is costing us a fortune in petrol. With the Papa's shift work it means a lot of the time Agent Smelly has to come with us, which really is starting to get on her nerves as she is an early to bed girl and doesn't do well with the late nights.

TF has decided that she really wants to become a dancer (not necessarily a ballet dancer). She has even advised us that if she can't make it on the stage then she will be teach dance and either history or science in high school so she has really thought it through and is quite driven. At each class she always gives it her all. You would think she is trying out for a show at every class. She has her dad's competitiveness I think!  She has been online looking at dance academies in Australia as well as NZ  to attend when she is older. Of course she would like to take on extra classes now but obviously due to the distance that is not really an option at the moment.

Agent Smelly also wants to play basketball and would like to take some drama classes. She is quite the little actress I can tell you! So it will be better for both girls (and their taxi driving mama) for them to be closer to some other activities that they wish to do.

So what this boils down to, after much discussion, we decided that we are going to shift closer to a bigger city. The girls were not very happy at first but soon came around and are now quite excited at the impending move.  In the past two weeks we have been looking at homes and the area where we are interested in moving to.

But with the decision that we would move TF made a rather surprising request ... "would it be OK if I tried High School when we move?" ...

Carnival Recital 2011

Today the girls performed in their recital. This years theme was "Carnival".  It was held at the Pukekohe Town Hall, which has both upstairs stalls and downstairs ones and both shows seemed to be very full. There was a show at 11am and another at 4pm which each went for nearly two hours, so it was a very, very long day!

Agent Smelly is in the junior ballet section and The Fashionista, the intermediate ballet section but because they are very small groups they combined their dance. They performed to The Circle of Life from the Lion King.

Agent Smelly was obviously a lion along with 6 other little girls.

The Fashionista and her 3 fellow ballerinas were all different coloured birds.

These pics were taken whilst waiting backstage

We had to attend a rehearsal and group photos on the Thursday evening and then again last night for a full dress rehearsal. As their dance academy is 30 minutes away (via the motorway!) it has been a very tiring (and costly) few days for the driver! Grandma P gave the girls a box of chocolates each after their performance ... frankly I think the Mama earnt a few of those chockies!

This picture was taken during Thursdays first rehearsal. Agent Smelly is the middle lion and The Fashionista on the far right.  The white sheet was just up so the photos could be taken.


At the actual recital it's all dark with fancy lighting and stage decorated properly. Impossible to get photos during the recital as they come out black with a few lights ... lol

After the last recital The Pig took us all out (including Grannie P and Auntie H) for a lovely dinner.

Then I brought two very tired wee girls home to bed ...