Limbs Dance Company Marks Forty Years

Limbs: Dance For All People Book Marks 40 Years of Ground-Breaking Dance Company

Forty years ago New Zealand’s ground-breaking Limbs Dance Company was formed by a group of young dancers who aimed to “put dance first and individual egos second”.

During the 12 years of Limbs Dance Company they became known throughout the country and their legacy continues in today’s dance community.

Through photographs, interviews, and reviews Limbs Dance Company: Dance For All People, 1977-1989tells the story of Limbs, from their first public performance in Auckland in May 1977, to the last shows in Wellington in the winter of 1989.

Written by former Limbs dancer and rehearsal director, and historian Dr Marianne Schultz the book traces the history of Limbs.

With the advent of Limbs in 1977, the language of movement in New Zealand changed inextricably, expanding and exploding the definition of dance from this small South Pacific nation.

Fundamentally, the founding members of Limbs believed that dance could reflect common human issues and emotions and was capable of touching people from all walks of life.

With this belief, they made dances that were simultaneously relevant, challenging, sexy, serious, fun and exciting. These core beliefs and means of expression continued over 12 years as new artistic directors, choreographers, dancers and management upheld the passion and innovation of the founders of Limbs.

Spanning years of political protests and economic reforms, the works that Limbs presented in this period and their performance settings – large music festivals, prisons and opera houses – reflected the changing nature of New Zealand society. This unique history is a record of New Zealand seen through the lens of dance.

Author Marianne Schultz came to New Zealand from the United States of America in 1986 and joined Limbs Dance Company in 1987 as a dancer and rehearsal director.

“It was so different to being a dancer in the US. This was a full time job and in America at the time very few people had a full time job in contemporary dance.”

Marianne has been “talking about” writing a book on the history of Limbs for almost 20 years and it gave her the motivation for her to study history at the University of Auckland.

“I asked historian James Belich for advice and he asked if I had studied history, so that kicked off my studies and I went on to do my Masters and then Doctorate.

“I wanted to tell the story of Limbs and put some of New Zealand’s cultural history on the bookshelf. There are very few books documenting New Zealand’s cultural history, especially the performing arts.”

Marianne said Limbs was a major turning point in New Zealand dance, not only in the style of dance, but reflecting what was happening culturally, politically and socially.

After Limbs, Marianne (60) continued to dance and is returning to the stage once again in October performing in Sarah Foster-Sproull’s new work ORCHIDS as part of Tempo Dance Festival.

The release of Limbs Dance Company: Dance For All People, 1977-1989 on Wednesday 27 Septembercoincides with a major celebration of the 40 years since the founding of Limbs which includes an exhibition ‘Let’s Dance’ at Auckland Public Library, The DANZ Season of Limbs@40 performance as part of Tempo Dance Festival and a reunion dinner.

Limbs Dance Company: Dance For All People, 1977-1989 is available through selected bookshops and through Q Theatre as part of Tempo Dance Festival for $40 (RRP). Also available throughhttps://mschultz2.wixsite.com/website

ENDS

Limbs Dance Company: Dance For All People, 1977-1989
Released: 27 September 2017
RRP $40

Available from Thursday 28 September from selected bookshops and through Q Theatre as part of Tempo Dance Festival for $40 (RRP) and through https://mschultz2.wixsite.com/website

About The Author: Dr Marianne Schultz

Marianne Schultz, PhD, is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and historian. Born in the USA, she has lived primarily in New Zealand since 1986. Following her dance studies at NYU and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Marianne performed with Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians. In New Zealand she has danced for Limbs Dance Company, Douglas Wright Dance Company, Spinning Sun and currently with the Foster Group. She is the author of numerous articles and chapters in edited collections on dance and performing arts history. Her first book, Performing Indigenous Culture on Stage and Screen: A Harmony of Frenzy, published by Palgrave McMillian, appeared in 2016.

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