Image credit: Asher Milgate

Our History

In 2000, a collective of passionate dance artists, educators, and advocates came together to establish the New Zealand Dance Festival Trust. They saw a need for a dedicated organisation that could advocate for dance, provide opportunities for performance and professional development, and celebrate the full richness of movement practice across Aotearoa.

Founding Trust

  • Wilhemeena Gordon

  • Michael Hodson

  • Heather Lee

  • Tracey Lloyd

  • Daniel Pawlyk

  • Suzanne Smith

  • Frances Turner

  • Briar Wilson

A group of ten dancers performing a traditional dance on stage, dressed in pink and yellow costumes, with some holding fans.
Women in vibrant pink and yellow traditional Chinese costumes perform a dance with tambourines against a dark background.

Image credit: Asher Milgate

Taonga Tuku Iho – Our Living Archive

Our Living Archive is an ever-growing and expanding collection of ephemera, moments, thoughts, and reflections of Tempo Dance Festival's momentous 24 years.

An online archive of posters, brochures, photographs, press clippings, programmes, promotional material and film showcases twenty-two years of Tempo Dance Festival, the longest running dance festival in Aotearoa New Zealand. The material gathered here represents a vast array of dance, highlighting many of Aotearoa’s finest dance artists and memorable performances.

Performer with dark makeup stretching on stage, wearing sparkly shorts, in a split pose at a dance or performance event.

Image credit: Amanda Billing