Students from the The New Zealand School of Dance opened the 2015 Kokomai Creative Festival in the Wairarapa with Dance Bites, a creative two part performance directed by Gary Trinder. Dance Bites takes us on an historical journey presenting enchanting extracts from well known ballets before arriving here and now at the present day with choreography seamlessly entwining and reflecting  the accompanying modern compositions.

Opening with Part One ‘An Historical Perspective’ Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognisable music is the inspiration for majority of the choreography, and we are swept away into the whimsical world with excerpts from  eight  well known ballets including Paquita, La Bayadere  and The Sleeping Beauty. The classical solos and duets are technically impressive, with an array of dancers flitting around the stage in bounds and leaps, enticing the audience with every turn.  The elegant costumes complemented the effortless theme of the night.

The Carterton Events centre is simply transformed into a cozy and functional auditorium. The dancers so close to the audience they are almost stripped bare of any privacy, kindly opening their hearts and souls to the emotions cascading through them as they dance. The one obvious emotion in the first act is the array of nerves.  The nervous tension so quietly powerful you can feel it vibrating through the air at first though  dissipating with the enthusiastic applause the audience offers.

Lifting the energy is the outstanding Men’s Duo from Russel Kerr’s Swan Lake showcasing sprightly precision and strength, and evoking admiration from the audience as dancers Felipe Domingos and Yuri Marques move together as if they are one person.  Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Pas De Deux from ‘Concerto’ is a highlight with the element of trust and technique alluring, and both dancers, Lola Howard and Luke Cooper, are a shining ray of pure innocence.

Part two ‘Here and Now’ brings a change of mood that reveals a sense of playfulness: by now the audience and dancers are well acquainted and the excitement is rather contagious. The classical music is not as conservative as in the first half of the show, and brings us alluring renditions of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ and Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Black and Yellow’. The modern play on classical music offers dancers familiarity, and they become almost unaware of the audience, so focused they forget who is watching them. An array of nine selected pieces such as Opus 38, Rythme, Sarabande from Agon, and El Choclo cause the heart to flutter. But it is the work ‘Haru’ that is mesmerising with  the manipulation of dynamics creating a powerful and unique quality which makes  each movement look so light and uncomplicated. Not so easy to do considering the uneven surface of the stage floor was an unexpected challenge, and the dancers’ recovery and poise when taken by surprise was exceptional.

The climax of the night came with Dialogue, an eclectic ensemble piece of nine dancers casually entering the dark stage to a hum of electronic beats. This refreshing style of music has each individual dancer bound together by the beat coursing through every fibre of the dancers being. The fluidity of contemporary dance fused with the energetic elements of breakdance is clever, with  a myriad of moving parts of which the dancers were one. An audacious performance of Bruno Mar’s well known Uptown Funk  gave the audience that rush of feel good spirit that live dance tends to do to you.

This evening of old and new took us on an inspiring journey and sure enough, each  bite sized piece was consumed with such eagerness  that it left you hungry for more.

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