Anzac Salute: Live in your Living Room

Saturday 25 April 10:30am, 1:30pm, 7:30pm (NZST)

Programme Notes
Casting and credits

Join us for a special broadcast of Dear Horizon and Passchendaele, two works that were commissioned for our Salute programme back in 2015, to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli landings.

Neil Ieremia’s Passchendaele is a work special and unique to the RNZB. The work is named after the Battle of Passchendaele, 12 October 1917, the day on which the New Zealand Division suffered more casualties than on any other day in the First World War, or since. It is inspired by music composed by former New Zealand Army Band member Dwayne Bloomfield who was born and raised in Timaru. This intensely moving score is performed live by the New Zealand Army Band.

“It is a significant challenge to articulate through dance the essence of a subject matter drenched in dignity and sacrifice and so close to our nation’s core. As a proud New Zealand artist, I am honoured to be offered this very opportunity to meet this challenge.”
Neil Ieremia, 2015

Dear Horizon was Andrew Simmons’ fifth choreographic commission for the RNZB. A former RNZB dancer, his talent for choreography was nurtured during the five years he danced with the company. Highly acclaimed composer Gareth Farr’s specially commissioned score for the New Zealand Army Band features New Zealand String Quartet cellist, Rolf Gjelsten, performed live.

Of the work, Andrew wrote “Exploring such an important and sobering topic with the dancers has been quite a different challenge. Conflict is not joyful and nor deserving of celebration. I wanted to focus on human aspects and emotions of war: loss, fear, hopelessness. These are not specific to only one war and neither is this work – I hope that in whatever small way possible it may serve as a reminder and reflection upon all that war takes away.”

We are honoured to share these works with you again this Anzac Day, with pride, respect, and gratitude to everyone who serves Aotearoa – in uniform and in every profession.

The work will be broadcast 3 times on Anzac Day through Facebook Premiere. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the broadcast and it will be available globally, to those outside Australasia as well.

Audio Described Broadcast available
In collaboration with Audio Described Aotearoa, the RNZB are offering free audio described broadcasts of Anzac Salute. For full details visit the RNZB access page.