Students fuel Fireworks project

When 16 year-old Terry Morrison leaves high school he wants to be a dancer. The year-12 Tangaroa College student will get the chance to show off his skills at Fireworks, a project between the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) and The University of Auckland’s Dance Studies Programme, at the end of the month.

Morrison is one of 100 school students from South Auckland taking part alongside students from Wiri Central School, Pakuranga Intermediate School and Dance Studies at the University. They have all joined forces to perform a new contemporary work set to Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks created by renowned NZ choreographer and Atamira Dance Company Artistic Director, Moss Patterson.

“I danced last year as part of the Sacre project with the APO” says Morrison. “Before that I’d been involved in Hip Hop. When David, our drama tutor gave us the opportunity to be part of Fireworks I grabbed the chance even though it meant giving up months of Saturdays to rehearse” he says.

Choreographer Moss Patterson has been working with the students since August. “Tangaroa College was selected to take part as they have a very strong performing arts culture at their school. The piece that will be performed is called Poutama and refers to the stairs Tane travelled up to the heavens. It’s a metaphor for obtaining greater knowledge. We are asking these students to perform at their very best with professionals and through that, showing them what is possible with art. It changes their expectations and their lives” says Moss.

David Riley who teaches drama at Tangaroa College says his students love dance and learning different styles of performing. “I’ve seen a big change in the way the students feel about themselves. They have more confidence and self-belief. There is a real growth in their creativity” he says.

First-year Dance Studies student at the University, Rhiannon Morgan has found working with the Tangaroa College students ‘awesome’. “They have such different ideas. It’s been so cool collaborating with them. They all bring their own style of dance which is very different from my ballet-based background” says Morgan.

Fireworks, which is part of this year’s Southside Arts Festival, also features performances by Dance Studies students of works they created during the year. Highlights include contemporary work premiered at the 2012 International Youth Dance Festival, Singapore, and the 2012 International Festival of Academies, Taiwan.

For Terry Morrison being part of Fireworks has been life changing. “When I finish high school I hope to study dance full-time and make a career out of it. This experience has given me such a massive boost” he says.