Trained at MEBA Auckland

Re: 'National College of Dance Summer School' Scholarship

From 16^th to 20^th January 2012, I attended a scholarship at the National College of Dance summer school in NSW, Australia. I enjoyed learning new skills and techniques from a wide range of teachers and dancers.

Classical class was a challenging but fun part of each day. The teachers formed great exercises and gave beneficial corrections. For classical repertoire we learnt variations from Paquita – a couple of solos and a trio involving a boy and two girls.

I really enjoyed the dances as they were full of jumps, turns and control. I was also exposed to a lot of contemporary. The teacher was very enthusiastic, loud and choreographed some great routines. It was great to be able to let go of my body and interpret the style in my own way.

For contemporary repertoire we learnt an unusual and strong dance called “A Complicated Game” choreographed by Graeme Murphy. This really took me out of my comfort zone. It involved a lot of body breaking steps and was very painful and tiring but nevertheless, it was fun. Choreography class was exciting too. We had to choreograph on ourselves and each other, sometimes impromptu and sometimes rehearsed. We choreographed both contemporary and musical theatre.

I thoroughly enjoyed choreographing my own steps and watching what other people came up with. Jazz was a fun time to let go and give lots of energy. Though I certainly did not enjoy the sit ups that were involved at the start of the class! Drama was relaxing and enjoyable. I learnt a lot of interesting information and also enjoyed playing games and doing fun exercises.

At the end of the day, it was good to wind down with stretch class, where I learnt new stretches and exercises. Overall, I have had a memorable experience and will take with me what I have learned to apply to my dancing life here in New Zealand. I really enjoyed this