2016

Harry Haythorne Award

$1,500 – Supported by the Harry Haythorne Fund

The Harry Haythorne Choreographic Awards were held in November 2016 at a special in-studio event for RNZB Dress Circle members and Friends. A panel of judges, including RNZB artistic staff and guests, awarded the Judges’ prize of $1,000, and audience members voted for the Audience prize of $500.

Shaun James Kelly won the Judges’ Award for his work Blanc, which he choreographed for fellow RNZB dancers Madeleine Graham, Tonia Looker, Katherine Minor, Marie Varlet, Leonora Voigtlander, Alexandre Ferreira, Shih-Huai Liang and Paul Mathews.

RNZB dancer Laura Saxon Jones won the Audience Award for her work Alpha, which she choreographed for Madeleine Graham, Katherine Minor, Alayna Ng, Kirby Selchow and Leonora Voigtlander.

Partner a Dancer – Harry Skinner

The Foundation continued to support the RNZB through the Partner a Dancer programme.

Born in Invercargill, Harry Skinner trained under Paula Hunt in Wellington and at the Australian Ballet School. He performed in the Australian Ballet’s productions of Don Quixote and Destiny. Harry joined the RNZB in 2008 and his early roles included Peter’s Shadow in Peter Pan (2009) and Fritz in The Nutcracker (2010).