
Our Story
Ā MĀTOU KŌRERO
"Dance is the most beautifully truthful language of living."
Artistic Director (2011 - 2019)
OUR STORY
The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) is a leading, full-time arts organisation that creates and presents innovative and inspiring contemporary dance for audiences in Aotearoa and around the world.
Artists and audiences are at the heart of our programmes, embodying our commitment to serve dance-loving communities by delivering compelling and relevant dance experiences driven by diverse voices, reflecting the energy and spirit of Aotearoa.
Our performances resonate deeply, offering transformative and unforgettable contemporary dance that reflects the essence of our whenua (land) and its
rich dance culture. Our company’s kaupapa (purpose) is invigorated by the courageous risks we take, inspiring dancers, artists, creators and collaborators to deliver boundary-expanding work.
We honour and uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in all our practices and policies and celebrate and acknowledge the diverse voices of tangata whenua throughout our organisation.
As a dynamic yet compact organisation, we employ a core group of full-time dancers, management, and horizon hunting arts exponents who collaborate across all aspects of creative design, performance and delivery. Our dance studios and kainga (home) are centrally located at Wellesley Studios in the Auckland CBD. We are a registered not-for-profit organisation that serves to promote, enhance, strengthen and celebrate dance culture and its diversity within Aotearoa. We
are primary funded by Creative New Zealand and seek further support from partnerships, philanthropy, local authorities and trusts and foundations to deliver our activities and programmes.
Since the organisation was formed in 2011, we have been actively building audiences in Aotearoa and around the world by advancing excellence in dance. We have performed live to more than 80,000 people in Aotearoa and around the globe, and developed eleven programmes of work with 27 different creations from choreographers spanning Aotearoa, Australia, the Netherlands, and South Korea. We have been onstage at least once a year in our base city of Auckland and undertake a national tour annually. Alongside our domestic performance seasons we have completed seven international tours to the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Paris, and United Kingdom with the aim of showcasing the excellence of Aotearoa and its artists to the world.
Support
We are on a mission to commission, create and present compelling, relevant work with strong production values that move and inspires our dedicated and growing audience – creating a community that strengthens dance in this country.
We are a high calibre community of artists and supporters dedicated to producing and presenting inspiring new dance for New Zealand and the world.
And we want you to join us.
Your support as an individual or organisation is vital to the sustainability of the Company and our ability to produce beautifully realised work to the high standard of collaborative excellence to which we aspire to present to Auckland, New Zealand and the world.