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As the promise of spring begins to fill the air and lighten the feet, it announces the return of the desire to move our bodies and get the blood moving again.  Now is the time to champion the wonderful world of dance, which is soon set to leap into the forefront of the Christchurch events landscape in the form of the 2009 Body Festival: Christchurch’s much loved annual dance festival held from 25 September to 11 October each year.

For 2009 Festival Director Adam Hayward has worked to bring another dynamic and wildly creative range of dance events to the Garden City in order to bring the magic of dance to a willing public who are increasingly seeking out its benefits. “Dance was rated the 8^th most popular physical activity by New Zealanders in the 2007/2008 SPARC Active New Zealand survey, “ Hayward states, “and this year we really wanted to celebrate that achievement by offering a diverse programme that features a range of dance events designed to appeal to everyone in the community.”  As in previous years, the Body Festival is presenting an impressive array of community focused dance workshops alongside their diverse performance programme.  “In recognition of the survey’s findings we’re also offering Christchurch residents another year of strong community participation through our range of have-a-go dance workshops held in the Christchurch Art Gallery, NASDA studios and at Eastgate Mall,” Hayward explains, “We encourage the community to venture out and sample some of the diversity that dance has to offer - there’s a dance style for everyone, from the very young to the young at heart!”

It seems dance as a recreational pastime is making a spectacular resurgence evident in the success of the Body Festival, which continues to grow from strength to strength as increasing patronage numbers reflect the growing enthusiasm of its audiences.  More and more people are taking up dance for its physical and social benefits, and dance festivals and television shows like Dancing With The Stars are doing much to bring dance to the forefront of public awareness.  Riding high on this wave of dance popularity the Festival is aiming for another high-profile opening launch which seems set to place dance even more firmly in the minds of its Christchurch audiences.   

Launching itself off with another whopper the Festival aims for the world’s largest line dance in Victoria Square on September the 25^th.  “If you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a cowboy or cowgirl, then now’s the time to pull those dusty old boots and Stetson out of the wardrobe and give them a spruce up,” says Vanessa Thompson Project Coordinator for the 2009 Body Festival.  As in 2008, which saw the festival attempt the world’s largest synchronized dance, seeing a 2000+ strong crowd being led by the RHB’s (Wellington’s 80’s inspired dance troupe) through a choreographed dance routine to Bon Jovi’s 80’s anthem ‘Shot through the Heart’, the 2009 launch once again highlights the commitment of the Festival in promoting the accessibility of dance to the Christchurch community.  To get into the spirit of the launch the Body Festival have commissioned their own dance routine called the ‘Body Festival Slide’, choreographed by Mary Stanley-Shepherd of the Cathedral City Line Dancers, and the staff of the Body Festival hope to see people get into the spirit of the event by bringing along their family, friends or work colleagues and dressing up in a range of “Wild West” inspired costumes. The 2009 launch is set to be hosted by Classic Hits Breakfast hosts Dave Fitzgerald and entertainer extraordinaire Jason Gunn who will provide another element of creativity and dynamism to this community focused and fun event.

But it’s not just the launch that will have broad community appeal as the 2009 Body Festival looks set to delight, inspire, and challenge audience perceptions about dance and dance performances by offering another colourful programme of dance events showcasing the best of local and National dance talent.

Festival highlights include:

The world premiere debut season of newly created contemporary dance company, Southern Lights Dance Company, featuring choreography by critically acclaimed Shona McCullagh, Christchurch based choreographer Fleur de Thier, and Christchurch Arts Centre’s Artist in Residence visiting American choreographer Zoe Scofield.

The Body DanceSport Championships held in the Christchurch Town Hall auditorium on October 10^th.  Described by Hayward as “showcasing the competitive dance side of all things best illustrated in Dancing With The Stars,” you can check out how the professionals do it in this exciting ballroom and latin dance competition featuring an impressive floor display by reigning Australian Professional Latin Champions David Byrnes and Karla Gerbes.

For the more adventurous audience member the Festival presents ‘Back of the Bus’: a dance show that takes place on a bus as it travels around the city.  Come ride with Java Dance Company as they defy gravity, stall time and get the heart racing.

For those that are single the Body Festival welcomes the return of Speed Dancing in 2009. Think seed dating but with dance where the Body Festival gives you the chance to try out a bunch of different dance styles to see if any take your fancy; and they don’t just mean the dancing!

Try a number of the Festival’s have-a-go dance workshops which cover a diverse sampling including Belly Dancing, Tango, Hip Hop, Salsa and Ballroom, to name a few. 

So jump on board the dance wave that is taking the world by storm and celebrate the wonderful, wild, and sometimes wacky world of dance that is the Body Festival 2009.