Dance festival short + sweet

Win tickets to the Short + Sweet Dance Festival

Choreographer Philippa Pidgeon is bringing some Sugar 'n Spice to Auckland's Short + Sweet dance festival.

Ms Pidgeon has been a dance lecturer at AUT's North Shore campus since 2007 and saw the chance to produce a 10-minute routine as something she could really get her "teeth into".

For Sugar 'n Spice she drew inspiration from watching her three-year-old son and his interactions with other kids.

"I decided to revisit demi-character dancing which is prevalent in classical ballets, children's nursery rhymes and games," she says.

"My dancers Zoe Hood-Hogan, Te Mana Allen, who is from Forrest Hill and Alahnah Wharton also inspire me and contribute greatly to the creative process and costume ideas even."

The dance festival will run at the Auckland Town Hall from February 7 to 11 and feature dancers performing in styles such as contemporary, hip hop, circus work, belly dancing and burlesque.

The catch is that all routines must be only 10 minutes long.The event has been run in Auckland for the past three years and event producer Carrie-Ray Cunningham says it is a huge opportunity for local dance artists to perform in an internationally recognised event.

Short + Sweet has been named the number one pick for summer entertainment by Metro Magazine in their Jan/Feb issue which Ms Pidgeon says is really fantastic.

"I hope we can all live up to that listing. The dance community here is ever-growing, resourceful and innovative and so it's great that we are getting recognition."

Win two tickets to the show. Email north@snl.co.nz with Dance in the subject line to go into the draw

- © Fairfax NZ News