Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The Royal New Zealand Ballet ‘pas de deux’ with TelstraClear begins
TelstraClear is the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s new national sponsor. The move underlines TelstraClear’s long-held belief in the importance of arts in the New Zealand community.
CEO, Dr Allan Freeth, says: "We are very excited
at the opportunity our partnership with the Royal New Zealand
Ballet represents. While our primary role is to connect people, we
like to do this in ways that make their lives better, richer and
more productive. With these values in mind, this partnership
is a natural fit for us."
"We are confident it will deliver a broad range
of cultural and business opportunities that will benefit both
organisations, as well as New Zealand's creative sector."
The three and a half year partnership with the
Royal New Zealand Ballet is TelstraClear's first and most
significant investment in a national arts company.
TelstraClear also supports regional arts organisations at a local
level such as Auckland Theatre Company, Court Theatre in
Christchurch and Palmerston North's Centrepoint Theatre.
"Kiwis strongly believe the arts help define who
we are as New Zealanders, as was shown in a recent Creative NZ
survey. We are delighted that TelstraClear is supporting us
to connect with our local audiences and to fly the flag when we
tour internationally," says Amanda Skoog, Managing Director
RNZB.
"Through this partnership TelstraClear is
sending a strong message of the value it places on the arts, and we
are grateful for its foresight and social responsibility. "
As part of the agreement TelstraClear will be associated with
company dancer Lucy Green, one of the RNZB's highest-profile young
dancers. Two senior dancers, Lucy Balfour and Paul Mathews, have
been named TelstraClear ambassadors.
The upcoming production The TOWER Season of Cinderella will be
TelstraClear's first as national sponsor and each year it will have
naming rights for a high profile national tour.
The TelstraClear Season of Giselle, which will tour to eight
centres from 7 November - 12 December, is regarded as one of the
most dramatic and beautiful of ballets. It will be RNZB
Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel's first choreographic work for the
company and a highly anticipated new production, which will star
his fiancée, prima ballerina and RNZB principal guest artist
Gillian Murphy.
After 12 fantastic years as national sponsor,
Meridian Energy will continue to support RNZB as a season
sponsor.