Two performances: a contemporary dance work steeped in Maori mythology where two performers -- one male, one female -- place the legend of Hine-nui-te-pou in a modern context; the other involves fight scenes in a series of video games and follows stunt work on The Hobbit.
You'd think the work couldn't be more different, but dancer Hannah Poland-Tasker says contemporary dance and stunt fights aren't all that different.
"It's all just choreography," she says. "Dancers are great mimics so it's all a matter of watching and following the steps. We're also very athletic and we have better or more attuned body awareness. I don't want to make stunts my career, but it's great to do as an extra something I enjoy. But I step out if I think there's something too risky."
The last thing Tasker-Poland wants to do is risk injury, given she's one of our busiest and more recognisable contemporary dancers. She's spent the better part of the past four years dancing with the New Zealand Dance Company and, when time allows, appearing in Auckland Theatre Company productions Lysistrata, Chicago and Cabaret. There have also been roles in films and TV series.
