The last couple of months have been a wonderful opportunity for the team at the Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival to learn all sorts of new skills.  

For example, Dancing with Delta requires us to be nimble footed, quickly responding, bending over backwards, moving forward swiftly, pivoting endlessly and keeping up with every move and change.  The rhythm of these times can be unpredictably slow and maddeningly fast, almost simultaneously, and the trick is not to trip over our very own moves. All this requires a huge amount of coordination and processing information whilst the goalposts change frequently and often without warning. It’s a dance not unlike a Tango … passionate!   

For our team this has been a next level undertaking  and if some of us were once dreaming of joining the Circus, well, we sure feel like we just have, juggling multiple balls, walking tightropes and even taming the tigers. As a ringmaster of sorts keeping the show on the road has been rewarding and testing in equal measures. 

We have had no training for this latest Delta Dance and it is only due to the amazing resilience and creativity of our people, our partners and our sector that we have even attempted to embrace the opportunity to bring joy, hope and purpose to our artists and community, albeit  with a smaller but perfectly formed Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival.

Tom Monkton The Artist<br>Image Antti Saukko

We are over the moon that we can once again bring a Festival to our community during this ongoing global pandemic, with the help of so many of our supporters, sponsors, patrons and contractors and with careful planning, the odd contortions and a huge portion of love and passion for the arts across all disciplines.

So enjoy the opportunity to see some fantastic work and be part of one of only two regional arts festivals this October that keep the ball rolling and the artists employed,  so that you can experience something new, beautifully crafted, exquisitely performed, deeply engaging  and ultimately very rewarding.

We look forward to seeing you all next week and next year when we continue to spread the joy with shows in January, February  and March. Tickets are selling fast so book your ticket today.

For more detail please check: www.hbaf.co.nz/tickets

Lead photo: Florence Charvin

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