This week we caught up with Victoria Columbus, a talented dancer and choreographer who recently worked on The Fibonacci as part of The New Zealand Dance Company’s national tour, Kiss The Sky
(which is currently touring nationwide!)
How did you get your start in the industry? Did you always envision yourself being involved in dance/performing arts?
My first dance contract was with the Black Grace Dance Company. It feels like dance has been part of who I am for longer than I can remember. At age five I watched my older sister take dance classes and I eventually joined in. I remember as a child making little dance shows with my sisters in our living room. My parents always encouraged me to make a life from doing something I loved and as a teenager I decided that it would be dance.
Tell us about your new work, ‘The Fibonacci’ as part of The New Zealand Dance Company’s national tour, Kiss The Sky?
When I started to research the ancient Fibonacci sequence for this piece I was amazed by how this mathematical sequence was reflected in so much of the natural world and utilised throughout music, art and architecture. I became fascinated in how these hidden patterns within nature interconnect everything and suggest that even our most individual nuances could be apart of an intrinsically linked universe. It has been interesting to explore the Fibonacci sequence as a code to inform how the dancers move within the work but also investigate the feeling of how this pattern provides a strong sense of connection outside of our individual consciousness.
How are you enjoying the process of creation with the NZDC dancers – any challenges you’ve faced?
It has been a wonderful experience working with the company, the dancers have shared their fascination with the Fibonacci sequence and through discussions and exploration we have deepened the concept of the work. The challenge of working with this concept has been endlessly counting the numbers in different sequences to inform how and when they move. I feel very grateful for how dedicated the dancers have been, as they have endlessly counted the sequence over and over throughout the creation of the work.
What do you hope audiences will take from your creation in the triple bill?
I hope the audience will observe a strong connection between the dancers. That their synchronised movement language reflects a sense of harmony and meaning to how they exist throughout the space.
What have you learnt/experienced that you would tell your teenage/younger self if you could?
I would tell myself to stop worrying so much about everything.
What is the best piece of life advice you’ve received / a mantra that you live by?
Listen to your body and allow yourself to feel things.
Imagery by John McDermott