Wow! I just re-read Toby’s farewell blog and am once more a little overwhelmed at what we at the Trust are trying to achieve. And more so by the fact that it’s already been six months since Toby stepped down. . .

It’s been a very full six months, with Toby’s knowledge and expertise often missed. As many of you may know, we also lost Jan Webby from the Board at the AGM, and Maggie Hillock has since stepped down due to illness. Belated – but nevertheless heartfelt - thanks to them all for their service to the Trust. We welcomed Sandy Grey and Amanda Batchelor on board and have continuity through the ongoing service of Fleur de Thier and Kerri Fitzgerald. Megan Platt is on maternity leave having had a very special and much anticipated welcome of her own. We hope to have two other exciting board appointments shortly – watch this space!

Back in March we welcomed Vanessa Thompson on to our staff as the full-time Christchurch-based South Island Dance Co-ordinator. Vanessa comes to us fresh from a Graduate Event Management course and boy does it show! Super-organised and absolutely lovely, her skills were showcased in the smooth running and highly successful culmination of the Dancing Like the Stars Primary School dance project earlier in the month. Vanessa joins us because within a week of each other the Trust lost two valuable employees in Nicola Muir (South Island Dance Co-ordinator, Christchurch and Yogi extraordinaire) and Glenda Roberts (Part-time South Island Dance Co-ordinator for Dunedin), both of whom were lured to greener pastures. We wish them both the best and hope they have rewarding futures in foreign climates! Progress continues to be made toward finding a workable solution for the Dunedin position.

The South Island Dance Network is up and running but still very much a work in progress – get out there and promote it! Encourage all your friends and colleagues in the Dance community to utilise this tool as means of letting everyone know what’s happening in your corner of the world. Vanessa is constantly updating and improving things but we need your help make this succeed. Last year’s Hui reinforced both the need for the network and the realisation that it is up to us – the members of the dance community (participants / audience / supporters / whomever) - to make the network a site worth visiting. Rant over (for now!).

There’s been a heap of quality dance performance in and around Christchurch already this year and the Christchurch Arts Festival will soon be upon us. Get out there and support dance – like me, I’m sure you’ll be inspired by what you see.

The Dancing Like the Stars (Primary) and the Peer-Led Urban Dance Project (Secondary) school based dance projects have both been completed for another year. A huge thank you to all who made these such a success.

And of course the Body Festival will be here before we know it: look out for another exciting and jam-packed programme due out soon. We’re pushing ahead with the festival despite Christchurch City Council’s delay on funding support. Our appreciation goes to those who have already committed support to this year’s Festival (and to Adam and Vanessa for the work on all those funding applications!). As the council get later and later with their funding decisions every year this has meant some tough decisions are now needed to make sure the ongoing security of the festival is assured. My personal thanks and congratulations to Adam (Hayward – Festival Director) for his sterling work on this front. Adam’s contribution to the ongoing success of all the Trust’s activities can not be overstated and we are deeply indebted.

As you can probably tell, I’ve never blogged before - Vanessa made me do it!  I’ll try to keep this updated, but don’t hold your breath...

Don't forget to get out and support the dance content in the Arts Festival – I might see you there!

Blog by Andrew Shepherd (chair of the Dance and Physical Theatre Trust)