Manukau's Pacific Dance Artist in Residence Announced

Pacific Dance New Zealand is proud to announce that Justin Haiu has been selected as the Manukau Pacific Dance Artist in Residence for 2010.

The residency will be carried out in Manukau for eight weeks starting 31 July.

This exciting new residency is presented by Pacific Dance New Zealand in partnership with Manukau City Council and DANZ (Dance Aotearoa New Zealand).

Applications were sought from established New Zealand based dancers, dance choreographers and directors of Pacific Island descent with a proven track record of working in a community and/or professional theatre context.

Mr Haiu, from the islands of Wallis and Futuna and now based in Mangere Bridge, is an established Pacific Island dancer with significant performance, instruction and choreographic experience.

Mr Haiu has appeared as a performer in a number of professional theatrical and television productions including the Australian stage production of Lion King (Melbourne and Shanghai), The Arrival (Red Leap Theatre, presented at the NZ International Arts Festival as well as in Hong Kong and Sydney) and Tent by esteemed choreographer Michael Parmenter.

He was a finalist in ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, a nominee for Best New Work at the Tempo NZ Festival of Dance in 2009, and chosen as one of four choreographers who created a new dance work for the Pacific Dance Fono at the 2009 Manukau Festival of Arts.

Mr Haiu is currently choreographing the upcoming Pacific dance theatre production My Penina at The Edge showing from 2-7 August.

Pacific Dance New Zealand director Iosefa Enari is thrilled with the selection of this year’s artist. “Justin will bring to this residency a clear sense of community involvement and the youth of Manukau will benefit significantly from his residency. We are proud to be involved in Justin’s development as a choreographer and dance artist.” 

During the residency Mr Haiu will be given the opportunity to create a dance work with youth participants from the community culminating in a public showing at the new Mangere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku in September.

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Aaron Taouma on 021 284 0150 or email at marketing@pacificdance.co.nz or visit the following websites:

www.pacificdance.co.nz , www.manukau.govt.nz/arts , www.danz.org.nz