Tempo Dance Festival

For the first time Tuakana: Maori Contemporary Showcase was programmed.[16]

Featured was Okareka Dance Company’s Nga Hau E Wha, Daniel Belton’s Time Dance & Soma Songs, Sesilia Pusiaki’s Pukepuke ‘o Tonga, and Colours of India.[8] The programme included Dunedin based Indian Classical Dance teacher and performer Swaroopa Unni with Sringaram (Romantic Love) at Q Theatre.[17] Programme again in 2012 was Tuakana: Maori Contemporary Showcase featuring work by Tia Reihana, Cat Ruka, Merenia Gray, Kura Te Ua, artists from Hawaiki Tu Productions and Nga Mana Whakairo a Toi (Q Theatre).[16]

This year was the 10th year anniversary and included a Gala with performances from Michael Parmenter, Pasifika Sway, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Justin Haiu and Tupua Tigafua aka the Double Derelicts, Kura Te Ua and Ngarino Watts, Mary Jane O'Reilly, Touch Compass, Unitec students, and Monisha Kumar.[2] The festival programmed 34 dance performances including Fatu Na Toto - Planted Seeds by Tupe Lualua (Le Moana Productions).[2][18]

In 2014 dancer and choreographer Alexa Wilson presented two shows at Tempo, Q&Q with A&A, a collaboration with dance artist Anna Bate and The Status of Being, a full-length work for Footnote Dance Company.[19]

Taumata is the name of the closing performance of the 2016 festival at Q Theatre. This contained four works, Bianca Hyslop's A Murmuration, Taane Mete's solo Manawa, Sarah Foster-Sproull's Sisters of the Back Crow, and Loughlan Prior's Eve (Royal New Zealand Ballet).[20] Rodney Bell premiered his solo performance work Meremere (a collaboration with director Malia Johnston and Movement of the Human).[21]

The 2017 festival included at Q Theatre Orchids choreographed by Sarah Foster-Sproull, The Danz Season of Limbs@40 celebrating 40 years of the company Limbs with works by Mary Jane O’Reilly, Douglas Wright and Mark Baldwin, A World, with Your Wound in It by Jahra Rager and Inferno by Coven, a performance activation collective from South Auckland.[22] In the Aotea Square was Pedal Power, by choreographer Susan Jordan a free community event involving dancing with bicycles for seniors.[23][24]

Headlining the 2018 festival was Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company with ADAPTATION containing four works, EBBA, Stimulaze, FAM (duet excerpt) and Sporty.[25]

The programme included GIRL by Parris Goebel, Pōhutu by Bianca Hyslop and Rowan Pierce, NZ Music Double Bill: Dances with Aldous by Zahra Killeen-Chance, Josie Archer and Kosta Bogoievski, Fa’asinomaga/Identity by Sau E Siva Creatives and Not Odd Human by New Zealand School of Dance with Sam Coren.[6][26][27]

As the global pandemic took hold Tempo offered a year-round programme online programme with three seasons free of charge called ‘#GoingDigital’. The third season was called Putiputi, and ran through November and December.[28] One item a dance film Beneath Sky Snakes by Cameron McMillan, in collaboration with the Govett-Brewster Gallery, a work in response to Len Lye’s sculpture Sky Snakes.[29]