Dance Lab: Underground Renaissance

Dunedin's contemporary dance group, Dance Lab, is set to premiere it's season of exciting new work, Underground Renaissance. 

The season features the choreography of Ojeya Cruz-Banks (University of Otago, Dance Studies), Lisa Wilkinson (Rasa School of Dance), Jack Gray (Atamira Dance Collective) and Kilda Northcott (Bipeds Productions), with lighting design Martyn Roberts (University of Otago, Theatre Studies).

In collaboration with the 10 Dance Lab performers and special guest dancers - Lisa Wilkinson, Jack Gray, Kilda Northcott, Elle Loui August and Rhona Northcott - this promises to be an excellent night and rare opportunity for local audiences.

Underground Renaissance presents a collage of bold and exquisite dance pieces that explore themes of counterculture, freedom, resistance, cultural diversity and identity. Cruz-Banks says, “this is a performance that explores kinetic expression that embodies the freedom to be who we are below the surface.” Indeed, Dance Lab and collaborators have multi-cultural backgrounds and dance practices that inform and shape the choreography to “create hybrid cultural moves.”

Creative Director, Dr Ojeya Cruz-Banks, relocated from the US in 2008 to take up a new post in Dunedin as lecturer on the Dance Studies programme at the University of Otago. Cruz-Banks is also the current director and mentor of Dance Lab, which is a dance collective and performance research group founded in 2001 by the Dance Studies programme. While their headquarters are at the School of Physical Education, and many members’ are staff and students, Dance Lab is also a community based practice that aims to reach beyond the University to the wider New Zealand society.

The artistic goals include the creation of choreographic works that embody diverse cultural perspectives of life; and the hosting of master classes and residencies by guest artists. All dance members contribute to movement composition and to the creative processes. With this regard, Dance Lab provides professional development for emerging dance artists and aims to promote high quality dance performances.

Cruz-Banks research, as dance anthropologist, has lead her to form an ongoing relationship with Auckland-based Atamira Dance Collective, which subsequently prompted the collaboration with artist, Jack Gray, and his recent choreographic residency with Dance Lab. Audiences will also be treated to a piece that features Dunedin-based dance icon Kilda Northcott and her sister, Rhona Northcott, in a rare performance.

A conversational-style forum directly follows the performance where the audience will gain insight into the creative process of this performance experience.