Gisborne dancers are getting excited ahead of their end-of-year production of at the War Memorial Theatre this weekend. The ballet was created by Nadine Proctor, who has put her spin on the traditional story. About 80 students at the Nadine Antoinette School of Dance, aged from 4 to 19, will take the stage on Saturday.
They started working on the production at the end of August, following the completion of the school’s ballet exams. “The whole story is told in dance,” Proctor said. Audiences can expect a great use of props and lighting with a pirate ship (made by Nadine’s husband, Neil) that travels the stage.
Beautiful costumes and a mix of dance styles, including ballet, jazz and contemporary, will feature. Proctor was grateful for the support of her husband, who is production manager, and son Nathan for making some of the set. “I couldn’t have put on a show like this without help from the parents, who have assisted with props and costuming, and the amazing production team of Tim McAneney, of Creative Lighting Design, and Ross Tattle, who has come out of retirement to be stage manager.
” She also acknowledged the help from stage crew, dressers and makeup artists, which enabled the young dancers the opportunity to take part in a full-scale production. Proctor opened the Nadine Antoinette School of Dance, where she teaches Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) classical ballet, in Gisborne in 1993. She also teaches contemporary and jazz, but only in private competition cl.
