Michael Parmenter's

DANCE THAT WON'T BE HELD DOWN

TENT: A structure held aloft by tension. Like ropes and poles our very muscles and bones sustain our bodies against the fall. We live our lives strung between freedom and necessity, beauty and terror, memory and desire.

Spontaneous, ephemeral, mercurial, TENT is life on a knife edge. Pitching into the wild realm between order and chaos, TENT is dance in a state of flux. Charting the fragile and precarious space between bodies, TENT is about life when there's nothing to hold on to….except life itself.

TENT is a major performing arts event - a new work from acclaimed choreographer Michael Parmenter performed by a company of leading contemporary dancers. Michael Parmenter's first new work since Jerusalem is a not to be missed date in the 2008 dance calendar.

TENT PREMIERES IN WELLINGTON TO ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS AND AUDIENCES

"... sequences of compelling beauty, particularly solos and duos. Craig Bary phrasing his movement to music of Bach and Sarah Foster to her own heartbeat are exceptionally memorable... The lively score composed by Eden Mulholland...set design by John Verryt and lighting by Nik Janiurek are fully and impressively integrated." Dominion Post

"As an ensemble the company dances supremely well.It takes a great deal of effort to make dance like this look as effortless as it does. There is also outstanding work by Craig Bary, Sarah Foster and Christopher Tandy... There is a brilliantly danced and disturbing section by Foster and three men; a wonderful solo by Tandy who is a fantastic dancer. His extremely flexible body is capable of spaghetti-like back bends and high extensions, unusual in a male dancer... there is a new vitality and youthful exuberance apparent." Theatreview

"Parmenter can organically process emotion into physical movement with a dynamic lyricism and joy that just overwhelms the viewer.
A LONG UNDRESSING - CAPITAL TIMES