New additions to Tempo 2008 were the shared programmes of short, mostly new, works called Fresh Cuts, Prime Cuts and Ladyforce Quatre. For 2008, Artistic Director Mary Jane O’Reilly called for proposals from the dance community at large for works that could be programmed with other new, or existing works. In conjunction with this new initiative, Tempo provided funding to cover studio hire, costume and travel costs for those artists invited to participate. The result were these three shared programmes, consisting of 15 works in total, showcasing a range of styles and experience.

Fresh Cuts featured work from younger choreographers and including Hip-Hop from the TMC dance crew- Richie and Andrew Cesan and friends, Unitec students, Pole dancing from Greer Howat, and two dancers from Hamilton (Hannah May and Heidi Vit) called Twitch Dance Collective making their first appearance in Auckland. The choreographers whose works made up Prime Cuts included ballet dancer Geordan Wilcox, freelance artists Liana Yew and Claire Luiten, director of Company Z, Timothy Gordon, and veteran dance artists Kilda Northcott and Lyne Pringle, aka Bipeds Productions. Ladyforce Quatre was a programme of works by four women; Katie Burton, Maria Dabrowska and the aforementioned Bipeds Productions.

Cheek To Cheek celebrated partner dancing in many forms; Ballroom, Salsa, Tango, Spanish, Hip Hop, Contemporary Latin and even a Ballet/Kapa Haka duet. The thirteen works in this short programme were performed at 6pm and 8pm shows. Pointy Dog Dance Company again featured with choreographies by Felicity Molloy, Katie Burton, Lucy Miles, in addition to the Pointy Dog dancer’s contributions. World Dance Showcase, like Cheek to Cheek, shown over two shows in one night, featured dances from ten different cultures. A stand-alone programme of Bollywood dances by the students of Monisha Kumar, Viva Bollywood, offered a view into the joyous, eclectic and energetic world of Indian dance, from Kathak to a Māori/Indian fuison work.

Atamira Dance Collective had a three-night season of Mapunapuna consisting of a collection of works from members Maaka Pepene, Jack Gray, Dolina Wehipeihana, Louise Potiki-Bryant, and Moana Nepia. Michael Parmenter’s Commotion Company presented Tent at the Maidment Theatre. Dancers in Tent were Craig Bary,Victoria Columbus, Sarah Foster, Justin Haiu, Claire Lissaman, Destiny Stein, Adam Synnott and Christopher Tandy supported by the work of composer Eden Mulholland, who received the 2008 Tempo Award for best music. Okareka Dance Company, formed by Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete in 2007, presented Tama Ma, an evening of their choreography along with new works from Douglas Wright and Michael Parmenter.

In 2008 O’Reilly instigated the Honouring a Dancer event in the festival. The inaugural recepient of this award was dancer Glenn Mayo, a former dancer with Limbs Dance Company and Douglas Wright and Dancers. As O’Reilly stated, ‘dancers are often the unsung heroes of our arts culture’ and this event shone the spolight on a career of a truly magnificent artist.