Jambalaya launches Dance Competition for Easter 2012

Jambalaya Festival of Rhythm and Dance launches Dance Competition for Easter 2012.

Jambalaya Festival is giving dancers the chance to share their talent to an audience of 1,000 people at the opening night of the Festival on 6th April.

Festival organisers Heidi Hughes and Shian Perawiti say they “are constantly amazed by the calibre of dancers that are emerging from New Zealand and wish to celebrate these talented artists by providing them performance opportunities and a platform to shine.”

Jambalaya Founder and Creative Director, Heidi Hughes is always on the look out for new and emerging dancers for future dance events and is excited about the possibility of discovering some fresh new talent.

A key underlying principle of Jambalaya’s has always been to celebrate the cultural diversity of Auckland and hopes to receive entries from all kinds of different dance groups.

Dancers enter the competition by sending a freshly uploaded YouTube video to the organisers who then upload it to the Jambalaya YouTube channel and open it up to the pubic to vote. The top 15 videos with the most likes make it to the final competition on Easter Friday 6th April at Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson.

“This way the public can choose who they want to see perform at the opening night of Jambalaya Festival. It’s also a fantastic way for the individual groups to promote themselves and get their names out there”

While at The Australian Dance Festival last year in Sydney, Heidi and Shian made some excellent contacts there and secured a very exciting prize for the Jambalaya Dance Competition winners.

The winning “team” each receives Jambalaya full festival passes valued at $125 each so that they can enjoy the rest of the weekend and take part in the many dance workshops hosted by international teachers that Jambalaya provides. The winners also receive an invitation to perform live at The Australian Dance Festival in Sydney later in the year to an audience of over 1,000 dance industry members.

“We thought this was another fantastic opportunity to get New Zealand dancers out there and seen by the world”

As well as the chance to perform, the 15 finalists who make it to the live competition receive free entry to Friday night of the festival as well as an opportunity to purchase a discounted pass for the rest of the festival.

Anyone wishing to go along and see the dance comp can purchase a Friday night ticket for just $25 from the Jambalaya website www.jambalaya.co.nz

There are also a limited number of FREE FRIDAY NIGHT PASSES available to Waitakere residents, downloadable from the Jambalaya website.

The dance competition is now open and Jambalaya are calling for video applications ASAP. The sooner they enter, the more chances they have to win. The 15 finalists will be announced on March 19 and will need to be available to make their own way to Auckland this Easter 2012.

Anyone wishing to enter the Jambalaya Dance Competition should see their website for more details www.jambalaya.co.nz/festival/dance-about.shtml

“This is a great chance for new and established dancers to perform to an audience of dance enthusiasts. The more we dance, the more colour and vibrancy we create in our community”

The Jambalaya website has lots more info about the competition as well as the rest of the festival. Check it all out at www.jambalaya.co.nz, or follow on Facebook (/Jambalayafestival) or Twitter (@JambalayaNZ). And be sure to vote for your favourite dancers on YouTube (JambalayaFestivalNZ)

ENDS

Jambalaya Festival of Rhythm and Dance
6-8 April, 2012, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson.
3 nights and 2 days of music and dance workshops, live performances, theatre, art installations, international food, crafts, DJ's, bands, parties and more.

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