2020

Tempo Dance Festival - 2020

With the emergence of the global Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that begin in March 2020, the continuation of Tempo was jeopardised by shut downs, limits on gatherings and the inability to plan ahead for the possibilities of  live performance events. In spite of this uncertainty Cat Ruka and producers Zoe Nicholson and Gabrielle Vincent quickly assembled the world’s first free online festival in 2020. #Going Digital Tempo consisted of three separate mini festivals spread out over the year, beginning in May and concluding in December; Whatumanawa (May- July), Ka Awatea (August- October) and Putiputi (November -December).  

Ruka explained the kaupapa of the festival: ‘we wanted to make sure there was always a home base for artists to turn to and see themselves reflected in whilst in isolation, and we wanted to be reflective of the resilence and determination of our sector. What has come from this very simple intention of wanting to nuture community is a one-of-a kind festival that will have platformed the digital works of 80 local and international artists.’   

Owing to this rapid pivot in the festival planning while also entering into unknown territory of presenting a soley digital dance festival, #Going Digital subsequently engaged with a huge array of dance and dance related events over eight months. Dance films, live streaming performances, dance photography, interviews, workshops, book readings, rehearsals, workshops, short films, even a cooking demonstration by ballet choreographer Lochlan Prior, filmed in his intimate home kitchen were embraced and celebrated in Tempo 2020.  Internationally-based New Zealand artists were given opportunites to participate in Tempo. UK- based Cameron McMillan’s film, Beneath Sky Snakes, a response to a Len Lye sculpture at New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Gallery, Carol Brown’s Lung Song, made with Australian collaborators and German resident Emma Murray’s live-streamed performance expanded the Tempo festival during this period of great uncertainity. 

#Going Digital broke new ground in how and what could be included in a dance festival and led the way for other online arts events internationally. Twenty years after the inaugural Auckland Dance Festival, Tempo #Going Digital continued the tradition ofofferinga myriad of dance genres and events, while also leading the way in innovation and accessibility in dance in the midst of a global health crisis that saw the complete worldwide shutdown of live perfomance.