Some of New Zealand’s best young dancers will be taking to the stage in Wānaka this weekend for a special, one-off tour of the inaugural Ripple showcase.

Eleven dancers from the New Zealand Youth Ballet Company (NZYBC) will perform a mixture of classical ballet, neo-classical and contemporary dance in three pieces.

The Ripple showcase is also a collaboration with Wānaka studio Centralpoint Dance Studios.

Some 23 local dancers will perform excerpts from Centralpoint’s end-of-year show, The Nutcracker Remixed, and a part of Foundations, performed at this year’s Wānaka Festival of Colour.

Centralpoint Dance Studios director Briony Martin said Wānaka was lucky to have a performance like Ripple taking place locally.

“It’s fantastic to be able to provide opportunities like this for our local dancers to be part of, and it’s of huge value to offer something of this calibre to a Wānaka audience,” Briony said.

“Our connection with the NZYBC is important for both our local dancers and the community.”

The NZYBC lineup includes notable talents Hamish Giddens (17), Tamison Soppet (15), and Wānaka’s own Isabel Martin (15), who have each experienced individual successes at an

international level and are on the way to becoming world-class professional dancers.

Christchurch-based NZYBC founder Olivia Russell said she chose Wānaka to debut Ripple due to her passion for the region and a strong connection with Briony.

“It’s truly wonderful to connect with passionate teachers and individuals who share the same vision,” Olivia said.

“We are very grateful for [Briony’s] support and the opportunity to perform and inspire the younger dancers of Wānaka.”

The two Ripple performances will be held this Saturday night (May 10) and Sunday afternoon (May 11) at the Lake Wānaka Centre.

“The more we support performances coming to town often, the more likely we are to see more touring here,” Briony said.

Buy tickets here.

PHOTO: Supplied