NATIONAL DANCE ARCHIVE OF NEW ZEALAND
NGA KAITIAKI TAONGA KANIKANI O AOTEAROA Report from the Chair 15 June 2023 These past twelve months since our last AGM seem to have flown by! It seems we have less to show for this year than we have for the past few despite all the COVID-related restrictions of the past years continuing to ease. There were still some significant events to highlight, however, and these have put us in a good position for the next twelve-month period. Trustees Our trustees continue as for last year: Geordan Wilcox in Auckland, Philippa Pidgeon in Christchurch, and the rest of the trustees based in Wellington – Peter Boyes, Kim Crawford, Debra Harris, Katherine Lancaster, Brigitte Knight, Keith McEwing and Sue Nicholls. With the exception of our Christmas meeting being held at Sue’s place, our bimonthly meetings now have all been held by Zoom. This caters well for national representation with our representatives in Auckland and Christchurch. This is something we should look at developing further. Sponsorship and Funding Subcommittee With our last oral history project complete and deposited in the Alexander Turnbull Library, the committee was keen to get the next project under way, starting with a fundraiser. Penthouse Cinema was booked and on 2 October we screened the Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow to a capacity audience in the small theatre. Along with some donations from people unable to attend, including one considerably large anonymous donation, we raised $6,630. The sale of cards through the National Library shop continues to provide a steady, though small, income. It is always good to keep in mind that double benefit of such fundraising efforts are also ways of promoting and making the NDA visible. Oral Histories Subcommittee With funds to start the next project our list of names has been consulted and a short list drawn up. The Oral Histories subcommittee will next look at applying for another grant to supplement our fundraising efforts for the project. Technology Subcommittee Once again, a special thank you must go to Brigitte for her website and social media expertise. As part of the promotion of the film fundraiser Brigitte created a Facebook page for the National Dance Archive. It is now down to us to keep the page active, which we have not managed to do so well since the fundraiser. Something to look at developing in the next twelve months. The Year Ahead It is hoped that in twelve months’ time we will have our next oral history project underway. We have an outline and we have much of the funding needed to complete this project. Time is all we need to make it happen! It will also be good to follow up on some of the resources proposed for adding to the NDA’s website. Once we have published these on the website, we can then use our social media channel to publicise these and other New Zealand dance resources and collections through our social media pages. Conclusion As always, I conclude by offering my sincere thanks to all the trustees for the time you have volunteered to serving on the NDA committee over the past twelve months. A special thank you to our treasurer, Carolyn McKeefry, and to Sue Nicholls doing secretarial duties. Being an organisation run by volunteers we need to exercise patience and be grateful for any progress that we see. I think we should all take pride in our achievements, both big and small, as we look to build on these in the coming months. We should not lose sight of our purpose to inform and encourage the archiving of New Zealand dance history. This enables the New Zealand dance community to put into practice the whakatauki Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua; I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. Keith McEwing Chairperson 13 June 2023
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NATIONAL DANCE ARCHIVE OF NEW ZEALAND
NGA KAITIAKI TAONGA KANIKANI O AOTEAROA Report from the Chair 16 June 2022 Mistakenly thinking the worst was behind us last year, this year has been a bit of a step backwards in terms of COVID and its impact on us as a voluntary organisation. With the Delta variant we once again found ourselves in lockdown, restricted from meeting in person and carrying out activities we might have otherwise engaged in. Nevertheless, we have continued with our regular meetings every two months and we have still made some progress on several fronts. Trustees Our trustees remain the same this year: Geordan Wilcox in Auckland, Philippa Pidgeon in Christchurch, and the rest of the trustees based in Wellington – Peter Boyes, Kim Crawford, Debra Harris, Katherine Lancaster, Brigitte Knight, Keith McEwing and Sue Nicholls. With our meetings more often than not being held by Zoom now, having a national representation is a more feasible goal when we need to recruit more trustees. Oral Histories Subcommittee October saw us completing the oral history project A Dance Picture, made possible with NZ Lottery Grants Board funding that we received in November 2019. The project consists of four interviews—Jamie Bull, Shona McCullagh, Jenny Stevenson, and Carla van Zon—with Lyne Pringle as the interviewer. We are especially grateful to Lyne for all her efforts in making this project a reality and the time and effort that she put in gratis to help with accommodating our budget shortfall. Technology Subcommittee We are grateful to Brigitte for her expertise with the website and continuing to add new things to it. The analytics we receive tell us we average between 3-7 views per week. While that is small in terms of internet traffic, given that promotion to date has only been by word of mouth, that is not an insignificant amount. Plans to start a Facebook page next will continue to raise our online presence and lead people to the website. One possible thing to be thankful to COVID for is now we do not think twice about meeting by Zoom. It is nice to still meet in person when we can, however, and a special thank you here to Sue for hosting the December meeting at her house for a shared meal afterwards to round off the NDA calendar year. Archiving Resources Subcommittee The Archiving Resources team have probably been the most impacted by COVID with not being able to meet in person for a large portion of the last twelve months. Discussions of ideas of what can be included on the website have still been able to take place, however. News stories of profiling the four interviewees of our A Dance Picture oral history project has been informative and the posting of the Harry Baker cards very colourful and attractive. Sponsorship and Funding Subcommittee The sale of cards through the National Library shop continues to be our main income, which is not a lot! Plans to have a film evening at a cinema are in place once it seems viable to host such an event in a safe way. Other Matters The NDA continues to offer support to DANZ in whatever way it can. NDA is most appreciative of all the support DANZ has given it over the years so to finally be able to reciprocate in some small way such as writing letters of support, is the least we can do. There continues to be a need for coordinating and promoting the cultural, social and educational aspects of dance in New Zealand, and DANZ remains the best organisation to provide an overview for this despite its funding cuts. The Year Ahead As restrictions ease around COVID this will mean being able to carry on with some projects that were put on hold. We continue to look at what can be added to the website, and starting a Facebook page will also increase our online profile. I, personally, am looking forward to the film night, which, as well as helping our bank balance, will also help with our profile generally and a chance to tell more about the work we have been doing, not to mention directing them to the website and Facebook page. Conclusion Once again, I offer my sincere thanks to all the Trustees for the time you have volunteered to serving on the NDA committee this past twelve months. Thank you to our Treasurer, Carolyn McKeefry, not only for continuing to manage our accounts throughout the past year but also leading the charge as we transition from using cheques to internet banking. All in all, we should be pleased with what we have managed to achieve despite the exceptional circumstances and here is hoping we are able to continue moving forward with those matters as well as picking up some of the ideas that were temporarily put on hold in the new year. Keith McEwing Chairperson 15 June 2022 Our Lotto NZ Story
Nga Kaitiaki Taonga Kanikani O Aotearoa The National Dance Archive of New Zealand The National Dance Archive of New Zealand (NDA) is a charitable trust formed to encourage the preservation of New Zealand’s dance heritage. We are a voluntary body which develops resources to support our dance community in preserving New Zealand’s dance scene and culture. We commission oral history recordings of prominent New Zealand dance personalities. We are not a repository for archive material, but we want to point people in the right direction. The National Dance Archive of New Zealand (NDA) has initiated several oral history projects since its inception in 1982. These recordings are deposited as part of the National Dance Archive Oral History Project with the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington (ATL Ref: OHColl-0208). Permission to listen to these recordings is required from the National Dance Archive and in many cases from other related parties. To find out if an item is available please consult the Turnbull Library catalogue or contact the Library on https://natlib.govt.nz/questions/new. Projects have covered various aspects and communities related to dance in New Zealand. This current project, A Dance Picture, is recording the life-long commitment of four women to dance and the arts in New Zealand. Although they have all been dancers in their own right, they are best known for their roles of teaching, administration and promotion of dance in New Zealand. These four women have based most of their dance career in New Zealand. Through their work they have expanded opportunities for New Zealanders in dance education and performance, and ultimately increasing audiences and dance appreciation within New Zealand. With previous oral history projects completed by the National Dance Archive having largely focused on dancers and dance teachers, this oral history project helps to broaden the spectrum of dance that has been recorded. This project is a fitting complement to the project that focused on Māori and Pasifika men in contemporary dance, as well as the celebration of the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage. The project is of both regional and national significance, as each of these people has had a major impact on the cultural life of New Zealand, both at a regional and national level. Through teaching, mentoring and fostering the next and current generation their influence on the recognition, promotion and growth of professional dance in New Zealand has been profound. The interviewees chosen for this project A Dance Picture and generous Lotteries grant are: Carla van Zon, Jenny Stevenson, Jamie Bull, Shona McCullagh These interviews will be conducted by Lyne Pringle. Lyne has considerable experience in oral history interviewing. As dancer, choreographer, teacher, dance writer and researcher, she has a professional understanding of her subjects, a curiosity about their lives and work, and a researched knowledge of this area in New Zealand’s dance history. Since her training under oral historian, Judith Fyfe, Lyne has been the primary interviewer for five oral history projects commissioned by the National Dance Archive. In 2009, with the help of a grant from the Sesquicentennial Oral History Fund, she recorded the stories of dancers from Limbs Dance Company and Impulse Dance Company, and in 2011 interviewed Māori and Pasifika men influential in New Zealand contemporary dance. More recently, in 2013 Lyne recorded interviews with five people covering a broader perspective of the dance industry in New Zealand. The Dance Archive are extremely grateful to the Lotteries Commission for the grant that made the continuance of oral histories possible at this time. Images left to right: Douglas Wright New Zealander Dancer, Choreographer, Writer Photo: Peter Molloy Carla van Zon ONZM New Zealander Dancer, Executive and Arts Administrator Photo: Carla van Zon Shona McCullagh Dancer, Choreographer, Director Photo: Sally Tagg |
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