Auckland

Lydia Zanetti with Caitlin Davey

Caitlin graduated from Unitec’s Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts – Contemporary Dance in 2015, whilst there working with choreographers including Sarah Foster-Sproull, Michael Parmenter, Katie Burton, Paul Young, Val Smith, and Maria Dabrowska, as well as choreographing her own works. She performed in Lemi Ponifasio’s work I AM with Mau in the Auckland Arts Festival. Caitlin was part of the Auckland Dance Project ‘Takarangi’, choreographed by Moss Patterson in collaboration with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Before her training at Unitec she was in the NZDC youth company, performing in works by Sarah Foster-Sproull and Justin Haiu. Caitlin has been in works in both the Short+Sweet and Tempo dance festivals. Immediately after graduating she worked with Malia Johnston on The Art of Colour with Auckland Live, and co-choreographed and performed in Fabricate. Recently she performed at the Undisciplining Dance Symposium presenting Charles Koroneho’s research. She currently works as a contemporary dance and ballet teacher at The Dance Studio in Auckland.

Caitlin Davey

Lele Yane, Your Fair Yane – Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria

Brigitte Knight (The Friday Company)

Brigitte Knight is an experienced and innovative choreographer, dance educator with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and dance adjudicator.
She has created work for Maori TV, Coca Cola Christmas in the Park, New Zealand Fashion Week, Dionysus Music Theatre, Paper Plane Factory, RWC 2011, Tempo Festival, The Body Festival, En Route, Hagley Park Millenium Celebrations, Aotea Diwali Festival, University of Auckland Diwali Festival, Te Manu Aute, The Radio Network, Boogie Nites, NZ One Act Play Festival and many more. Brigitte was the director of her own dance school for ten years, before relocating to Auckland and creating freelance work. She adjudicates across New Zealand and has created an extensive selection of dance for stage, competitions, dance schools and film. Brigitte is a fully registered, Experienced Secondary Teacher, and the author of two of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s NCEA resources. She has guested, tutored and choreographed for many of Auckland’s leading dance education providers, including Okareka Dance Company Summer School, AUT Dance, Carter Chan Dance Performance Centre, Auckland Academy of Dance, Auckland West Dance Academy and Corelli School of the Arts. She has recently completed her Masters degree in dance education, with a focus on the value of original choreography, which she achieved with First Class Honours. Brigitte is the Artistic Director of The Friday Company, dance reviewer at What’s Good, senior ballet tutor at AWDA and TIC Dance at Ormiston Senior College.

Heidi Chen
Stevie Barker

The Friday Company – Heidi Chen & Stevie Barker

Aakrithi Kumar & Sneha Dudaki (Dynamic Duo)

Opposites attract and The Dynamic Duo are the epitome of exactly that. You can feel Aakrithi’s bubbly personality ricocheting on stage, while Sneha’s graceful delivery will keep you at bay. Don’t be fooled by what you see on stage though; Aakrithi is as feisty as she is bubbly and Sneha has as many pranks as she has moves.

The pair first met in high school and bonded over their love for Bollywood dance.

Their passion for dance transcended over the years through individual and collaborative dance performances. Currently the two are working on their YouTube channel that focuses on showcasing the various faces of Bollywood.

Aakrithi’s interest lies in hip-hop and Bollywood fusion whilst Sneha prefers Indian classical, Bollywood fusion and Indian regional dance styles.

Being self-taught in dance, Short+Sweet is an excellent platform for the duo to take their ideas and choreography to the next level.
A warm thank you to Tarannum, Shubhai, Aspen & Sinelle.

Aakrithi Kumar
Sneha Dudaki
Kathie Bahad

Bring Me To Life – Evanescence
Cascades – Ryan Teague
Jag Soona Soona Lage – Om Shanti Om

Seren Powell-Jones

Mixing movement, text and confrontation to create a niche that works only for her. Seren is currently at the University of Auckland, continuing into post-graduate studies with her honors year. She is seeking to find answers about sustainable careers for female choreographers in New Zealand. Choreographing, stage managing, writing, blogging and dealing with all that comes her way at the age of 21.

Tokelau Akama
Lizzy Hagan
Deborah Fletcher
Sophie Henderson

Xavier Breed

I’m a third year student studying for a Bachelor of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. I had the pleasure of being involved in Short + Sweet in 2014 where I performed the piece ‘OPAQUE’ choreographed by Vivian Hosking-Aue. It is a great feeling to return to Short+Sweet in 2016, now as a choreographer with the aspiration of portraying my ideas and emotions through the bodies of others on stage. It’s great to be back and I’m excited to be showing my work: Forward or Tū I Luma (Step Forward) for the first time. Thank you to the dancers who have collaborated with me in this process; for their stories, their time and energy and to my support team such as my parents, friends and tuakana: Sophie Williams, Carol Brown, Teuila Rankin – it means the world to me!!

Ayden Smith
Hannah Elley
Keretina Hakaraia
Keyana Fuiava
Leticia Fortes
Maria Lealiiee
Renee Wiki
Taitanyk Toniu

Track Name
Farandola del Baris – Lo Cor De La Plana
AO (Main Mix) – MJ Cole ft. Serocee
Samoan Hymn

Grace Woollett

Grace Woollett graduated from Unitec in 2013 with a Bachelor of Performing and Screens Arts majoring in Contemporary Dance. She has drive and excitement for creation and performance. Grace has been working within a number of projects since her graduation, notibly ‘Mother/Jaw’ choreographed by Grace Woollett and Jahra ‘Rager’ Wasasala and ‘Orchids’ by Sarah Foster-Sproull.

Grace Woollett

Track Name
Dark Ambient Sound – Open
Building Energy Together – Dov Baron

Jenny de Leon

Swimmer is inspired by Home Bay where, every day, week, month, year; spring, summer, autumn, winter – I swim. Mostly in the day and sometimes at night in the dark, sometimes in the sun and often rain, sometimes warm and sometimes very very cold. Holy Communion with the sea. The sea is my lover. This is a prayer. And a tryst.

Jenny de Leon
Adam-Luka Turjak

Videography by Vernon Rive

Track Name
James Blake – Not Long Now (Klaus remix)

Leighton Rangi

Leighton studies dance at the University of Auckland and is a member of Identity Dance Company. Currently interested in Hip-hop and contemporary fusion.

Taitanyk Toniu
Zoë Olivia Nicholson
Odessa Grayson
Jennifer Cram
Adrienne Tucker
Kisha September
Kerryanne Mayhew
Gemma Jayde
Olivia Martin

Track Name
Track name: 2 weeks
Artist: FKA Twigs
Duration: while song (4mins)

Track name: The grey people
Artist: Fredrik Rydman
Duration: 4 mins