22 April 2013
Jolt Dance, an integrated dance company from Christchurch, have been visiting Wellington with “Rain”, their new production. The show at the Newlands Community Centre last Thursday afternoon was a beautiful cross-artform, integrated event.

This performance piece is aimed at disabled people and their helpers, and the public. The piece moved from performance involving dance, poetry, puppetry and acoustic guitar to beautiful graphics of rain thrown up on the wall.

The falling rain drew everyone in and leading to participation with the opening of umbrellas to create shadows on the raining wall and later joining this beautiful visual sequence with movement from the slightest raise of an arm to stretching and fingering rain.

The performance was multi-sensory. The whole performance was pulled together by the evocative poem “Rain”, written by Hone Tuwhare.

Jolt raised questions about the relationship of performers and audience that the wider performing arts world could learn from. It is described as a “work in progress”. It is progressing in a beautiful and truthful way.

Tania Kopytko is the Executive Director of DANZ – Dance Aotearoa, the national organisation supporting and promoting New Zealand dance.