Monday, December 17, 2012

Meet the Team - Geraldine

Today you meet Geraldine, Pineapple producer, dancer, singer and movie editor. In short, the girl that keeps the ball rolling...



> Can you tell us few words about you?

I’m Geraldine, I’m one of the Pineapple dancers and the producer of the company. I’m working as a production manager, movie editor and camera operator for a movie company in Auckland. I’m originally from France and came to New Zealand 2 years ago after few years spent in Canada and England!


> How are you involved in the Jukebox Dance Show?

I’m producing the show, which means I’m working with Julie on all the aspects of the show which are not choreography! On the dance side, I’m performing in almost all the choreographies, a great challenge!


> When and why did you start dancing? What about production?

I started dancing jazz when I was quite young. Being on stage has always been a part of my life, not only dancing but mainly singing and acting. I have been to different music and drama schools, learnt staging for 3 years, played in a number of classical and modern play and even sang for rock bands for 4 years! When I met Julie a year and a half ago, I decided, I definitely wanted to go back to dancing.


Beside dancing, my everyday job is really close to what I do for the company: communication, video producing and editing, client/press relation, organisation. I studied Political Science for 5 years and became a journalist for an INGO. From there, I learnt video editing and here I am working for a movie company. I love this job because it’s different everyday and it’s really creative.


> When, how and why did you start working with Pineapple Productions?

I started to dance with the company 1 year and a half ago, few months after I met Julie during one of her jazz class. I first joined the Cancan troupe and quickly joined the jazz and contemporary troupe. Julie is a really versatile dancer so the more I danced with her the more dance styles I learnt. Thanks to Charleston and Broadway, I have worked considerably on my stage presence. Thanks to Julie, I also discovered that contemporary could be much more powerful and technically demanding than what I was thinking (during the only contemporary class I took before, we rolled on the floor for 1 hour!). Her choreographies and the technique she bases her classes on really inspires me and help me to be a better dancer. Since then, I am really addicted to contemporary!


> What do you bring to the table as a Producer and what kind of experience does Pineapple give you in that field?

Being a producer I guess is to be able to find the best solution to move forward, support Julie the best I can with her artistic ideas and maintain good relationships with our clients and the artistic community. Julie and I are really multi tasks - from the company organisation to funding applications - and we need to be able to trust each other and support each other's ideas. Pineapple is now like our baby and it’s the opportunity for me to be entirely responsible for something I really care about.


> Why did you decide to take part in and produce the Jukebox Dance Show? What attracts you in this show?

Julie had that in mind for a while and when we tried to find a good concept for the Fringe festival, this idea became obvious. Being able to offer such a wide range of dance styles in an hour to an audience is such a great idea. It’s a really challenging project because we need to switch from one style to another in few minutes, then perform the best we can while wondering if we have put the right panties on! It’s also the company core belief: To be a complete dancer you may want to be open to different dance styles, working together on each others styles. It’s a continuous learning curve. You never stop learning, you never stop challenging yourself.


> Do you have a favourite choreography in the setlist?

I particularly love Immigrant song (grunge contemporary!) and Hot Honey Rag (Chicago style)!



> Anything else to add?

See you at the show!




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