The New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) will close its year with Performance Season 2026, running from 18 to 28 November at Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre in Wellington.
Across 10 performances, students from the school’s full-time programme will dance two separate programmes, one in classical ballet and one in contemporary dance.
The end-of-year season has been a tradition since the school was founded almost 60 years ago. NZSD is the official school of the Royal New Zealand Ballet and The New Zealand Dance Company, and its graduates now perform across Aotearoa and around the world.
NZSD director Garry Trinder said the season marked important moments in the students’ artistic journey as they refined their craft and looked ahead to their futures in dance.
Two programmes
The classical ballet programme includes Jenna Lavin’s Les Valseurs, Lew Christensen’s Airs de Ballet, Concerto Pas de Deux by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and Val Caniparoli’s Children’s Songs, set to the music of Chick Corea.
The contemporary programme brings together four works by Māori choreographers. It honours two kaumātua of contemporary dance, Moss Te Ururangi Patterson and Taiaroa Royal, alongside new works by Brydie Colquhoun and Helena May.
Paula Steeds-Huston, NZSD’s head of contemporary dance, said putting the four works together in an all-Māori programme was a meaningful way to acknowledge and support te ao Māori within the school’s creative environment.
“The four contemporary works celebrate the manaakitanga of Aotearoa’s Māori choreographers,” she said.
Tickets cost from $25 to $47.50 and are available at nzschoolofdance.ac.nz.
Where students can start in 2027
For secondary students who want to try NZSD’s training before considering full-time study, the school’s 2027 Summer Intensive runs from 26 to 29 January 2027.
Classical ballet is offered at three levels for dancers aged 12 to 17, and contemporary dance at junior (12 to 14) and senior (15 to 17) levels. The course costs $425, including a $50 registration fee, and applications close on 13 November 2026, though courses may fill earlier.
NZSD’s full-time students study towards the New Zealand Diploma in Dance (Level 6) or the New Zealand School of Dance Diploma in Dance Performance (Level 7). Details on full-time auditions are on the school’s website.
