Move over US — Taranaki’s got talent
Slick show better than a Las Vegas act
The Dance Project: Mardi Gras: A Night in New Orleans Reviewed by Ilona Hanne .. .. .. .. .. ..
Some good news for all cabaret and dance fans — this review will save you money on tickets. After watching Taranaki’s The Dance Project latest cabaret — Mardi Gras: A Night in New Orleans, I can safely say you can cancel any upcoming bookings you might have
. . . to Las Vegas.
You don’t need to fly to the USA to get your fix of talent, high-energy performance, skilful choreography and eye-catching costumes because it’s all available here, right in the heart of Taranaki.
Under the thoughtful and balanced direction of The Dance Project founder and creative director Hayley Old, this team of 28 dancers and performers put on a show that is pure entertainment, from start to finish.
Moving seamlessly between hiphop, jazz, contemporary and musical theatre, the performers never miss a beat or a perfectly choreographed step throughout the three sets.
Teamwork is a key component to this show, and it shines through. Dancers move props across the performance space, setting the space up for each other in such a polished and smooth way it becomes part of the show rather than a break between dances.
Hayley and her fellow choreographers — Tori Cleland, Briar Hall and Elliott Gernhoefer, supported by Tegan McNab — have given every dancer the opportunity to not just show what they can do, but also extend themselves. Their routines take the dancers, some as young as 9, through a range of movements and skill levels with a fast soundtrack that doesn’t allow for mistakes or missed steps.
The thoughtful choreography is nuanced, with every choreographer clearly aware of the performance as a whole. Each dance is carefully designed to ensure the audience get the show they came for — with staging, lighting and positioning of each dancer clearly carefully designed to maximise the impact of the show. The costuming, hair and makeup are equally well thought out, and lift the show to the next level when it comes to polished perfection.
Saying this show is as good as bigger budget productions in Las Vegas is no throwaway line — having been to Vegas this year and watched a cabaret show featuring acts from the hit TV franchise America’s Got Talent, I can truly say this show was as good as any of the acts we saw at the Luxor Theater. In fact, it was better.
So save your money on tickets to Las Vegas, and support the fantastic Taranaki talent we have in The Dance Project by buying tickets to their next show as soon as they set a date for it. All the money their shows raise goes straight back into The Dance Project, investing in their dancers in a variety of ways, including bringing award-winning choreographers to the region for workshops.
That investment has clearly paid off and with a show like their latest cabaret it’s possibly time for The Dance Project to invest in tickets to the US to show America just how much talent Taranaki has.