Nicole Jenkins:

Hi, I’m Nicole and I’m doing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Theatre and minors in Dance and Tourism. I’ve done many of the dance papers over the last three and a half years and I have really enjoyed all of them. I’ve been able to grab different things from different papers and apply it to my everyday life, which is really important.

I’ve also received many opportunities and experiences through doing these papers. One experience and opportunity I did last year was I was asked to perform in a gala, and that was for celebrating 150 years of the University of Otago. A student and I, we did a contemporary dance in front of thousands of people, dancing to a live-stream orchestra, and it is definitely something that I will treasure for a very long time.

Another opportunity that I did last year was an internship paper where I went into a preschool on campus and taught dance and movement to young preschool children. And once that paper was over, they asked me to come back and work as a relief teacher, which just goes to show that you can get jobs and other opportunities through doing these dance papers.

Sofia Kalogeropoulou:

Kia ora, my name is Sofia Kalogeropoulou and I’m the coordinator of the Dance Programme in the School of Performing Arts.

Dance at Otago offers new and exciting papers ranging in different dance styles, from dancing popular culture to dance for musical theatre and contemporary dance. All papers integrate theory and practice. This unique combination allows students to explore in the lectures various current academic research and understand and appreciate dance as an art form.

In the practical sessions, the students explore different techniques and aesthetics from a variety of choreographers nationally and internationally, like Akram Khan, Parris Goebel, and the Black Grace Dance Company.

It is so exciting to see the students developing fundamental skills and communicate their ideas with clarity, collaborate with other people in artistic projects, and above all create their own unique choreographic identity and perform their own work on stage, on film.

This gives them a particular edge and makes them employable in a variety of jobs, whether it is choreographers or dance educators. And they educate in the tertiary education or in the private sector. Some of our recent graduates already teach in high schools. Others have created their own choreographic company and performed their work around the country.

Dance has become more appealing to the students and they can pick up a paper as part of their degree, any degree, or they can complete the Dance minor. And others can study Dance as part of the Bachelor of Performing Arts.

It’s very exciting to see how the students embrace dance, and to put it in the words of one of my current students, dance is inspirational, is uplifting, and expands their creativity.