STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE is Dance Plant Collective's newest full-length contemporary dance show. We are seeking funding towards the premiere of STRUCTURE in April 2023.

Bella Wilson has choreographed this work in collaboration with the 13 performers. With an outstanding original score by Flo Wilson, STRUCTURE exists as a metaphorical magnifying glass. The show highlights the ways in which external structures control our lives in the era of late-stage Capitalism. What causes us to follow the norm and what happens when we deviate from this? STRUCTURE encourages the audience to gaze inwards, examining the harsh rigidity of impersonal structures and the gentleness of interpersonal connections. 

Exploring themes of social interconnectivity, mental health, the loneliness epidemic, grief, loss, hope and joy, this show will transport you through a meditative, melancholic yet hopeful reflection on what it means to exist in 2023. 

One of Bella’s biggest aims with this work was to provide a development opportunity for a large cast of dancers. This is a rare occurrence in Aotearoa outside of training environments. As well as creating striking and impactful choreography, working with a large cast also enhances the collaborative relationships of those involved. It fosters community and belonging within a dance industry that can be isolating. 

DPC will also support four final-year tertiary dance students with work placements/secondments. The students will gain vital industry experience, as well as connections to a huge creative team. This will support their transition into the professional dance industry. They will have the opportunity to understudy the work and may perform if a cast member becomes sick or injured.

ABOUT US

Dance Plant Collective is a contemporary dance-theatre company based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa.

Our vision is to create politically challenging and transformative performance work. The roots of our practice are planted in a desire to nurture community, honour the body as a locus of understanding and uphold the interconnectedness of all things.

Co-founded in late 2016, Dance Plant offers a unique collaborative practice inspired by the genius of rhizomatic ecosystems. We embrace both absurdity and authenticity, trusting the spontaneous cross-fertilisation of view-points to produce startling new material staged in equally surprising spaces.

Dance Plant Collective have shared our award-winning, sold-out performances throughout New Zealand and Australia. We regularly offer collaborative opportunities through a community-based approach within our work.

GETTING BOOSTED!

Originally due to premiere in Tempo Dance Festival in September 2020, the show has been postponed four times (unofficially, more like 6 times) due to Covid-19 outbreaks. These postponements have been devastating for our team, who have poured incredible amount of hard work and aroha into this show. 

After experiencing some of the biggest structural shifts of a generation over the past three years, we are so excited to be able to finally premiere the show to live audiences in our hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. 

We are fortunate to have the support of the Peacocke Dance Trust towards covering some of the costs of our artist fees. We have also received some generous in-kind support from Katrina Todd at Wellesley Studios, in the form of a short-term residency for our final few weeks of rehearsal. The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi are supporting Bella’s choreographic development through the Springboard award, covering the costs of choreographic mentoring with outstanding New Zealand choreographer Lucy Marinkovich (Borderline Arts Ensemble).

Unfortunately, due to the current dearth of arts funding in Aotearoa, we have been unable to secure full funding for this project. Therefore, through Boosted, we are seeking your support to cover our production, marketing, & costume costs, as well as boost the fees for our creative team of 23 artists. 

SUPPORT US

We would be so incredibly grateful if you could chip in whatever you are able to support us with: whether that is in the form of a donation, or sharing our campaign with your networks, it all means the world to us, so we can bring this beautiful dance work to life at long last!

Thank you in advance for your support.

Ngā mihi nui,
Bella Wilson

Choreographer of STRUCTURE
Co-director of Dance Plant Collective

STRUCTURE TEAM:

Choreographer: Bella Wilson

Composer: Flo Wilson

Choreographic Mentor: Lucy Marinkovich

Costume Designer: Lisa McEwan

Lighting Designer: Paul Bennett

AV Designer: Yin-Chi Lee

Producer: Madison Cronin

Lead Dancers: Brittany Kohler, Gus Syben, Kit Reilly & Natasha Kohler

Ensemble Dancers: Abi Jones, Alexandra Lamm, Carla Harre, Deborah Fletcher, Erin Meek, Holly Finch, Jess Crompton & Joanna Cook.

Understudies: Lara Chuo, Tess Doorman-Smith, Peni Fakaua & Woody Sabanhdit.

Dance Plant Collective would like to thank the following people and organisations for their contribution to and support of previous STRUCTURE development periods: 

Lucy Guerin Inc. (Melbourne), Wellesley Studios, Creative New Zealand, Unitec Dance, The University of Auckland - Dance Studies department, Dance24Seven, Zoë Nicholson, Tui Hofmann, Jaz Yahel, Alexa Wilson, Cat Ruka, Sarah Foster-Sproull, James O’Hara, Katrina Todd, Adam Naughton, Sharvon Mortimer, Oli Mathiesen, Katrina Bastian, Raven Afoa-Purcell, Kimberley Halberg, Elani Austin-Tennant, Issie Cassidy, Ruchi Ahuja, Celia Hext, Cade Hansen, Katie Shaw, Cecilia Wilcox, Nahyeon Lee & Janaína Moraes.