Tempo Dance Festival's new director Celia Walmsley has worked in hotels, skiing and theatre management and says they have more in common than you’d think. It’s about creating magic.

"They are all run by talented, artistic, committed people who thrive on new ideas, high risk, adrenalin and the thrill of the collective efforts to get to opening night."

As Tempo kicks-off in Auckland, Celia tells us more about her role and background, including combining her two great loves - photography and dance.

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During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

When the sun is shining and annoyingly when I’m supposed to be getting an early night!

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

A mix of European taste and history and New Zealand green, natural, freshness, enthusiasm, energy and can do.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

New ideas and bringing brilliant people to work with me on them.

How does your environment affect your work?

Enormously.  Finding and bringing in talented, energetic, enthusiastic and positive people to a project and creating the synergy of 1 + 1 = 3 where things really happen and the enjoyment of achievement increases 10 fold.  That’s the team we have at Tempo.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Both.  I like the big picture but I know it’s the detail that either make it happen or trips you up - so you have to attend to the detail all the time.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

Find the best people you can afford and bring them into your dream. 

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

Hard to choose there have been many but probably top of the list is bringing Sylvie Guillem to New Zealand to perform PUSH with Russell Malliphant in 2007.

Who or what has inspired you recently?

Tim Hawkins - a genius and incredibly generous photographer and mentor. 

Tell us a bit about your background.

I grew up in London.  I started ballet at age 3 and gave up only a few years ago.  Like most girls I wanted to be a ballerina until age 14 when the reality of what that meant hit.   My career has taken me across the world to New Zealand and throughout the Pacific working in management in hotels, training, the ski industry (I worked at Whakakapa in HR and training for nine years) and then for the past 14 years in theatre. 

I joined Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London in 1998 for the opening of the new theatre and then moved back to New Zealand to join St James Theatre and the Opera House in Wellington where I worked for 12 years as CEO and then Director Programming until joining Tempo Dance Festival this year. Believe it or not hotels, skiing and theatre all have common elements.  They all encompass creating magic - front stage and back stage and they are all run by talented, artistic, committed people who thrive on new ideas, high risk, adrenalin and the thrill of the collective efforts to get to opening night.  ‘The show must go on’ is synonymous with all.

How did you become involved with the Tempo Dance Festival?

Maryjane O’Reilly.  I co presented MJ’s In Flagrante in a 12 day season at St James Theatre in cabaret this time last year and learnt about Tempo through her.  The rest, as they say, is history.

What does your role as Festival Director involve?

Artistic curation of the programme, working with some of New Zealand most talented and inspiring dance artists and choreographers and seeking out new works and new aspects to broaden and grow the festival.  Plus the essential, not to be ignored, nuts and bolts of funding, marketing, social media, ticketing and of course making the $ work.  I don’t do it alone though - Carrie Rae Cunningham is an awesome Assistant Artistic Director.

What are some highlights of this year’s programme?

For me the breadth of offering and the opportunity to offer some of New Zealand’s finest artists and dance groups the opportunity to perform more than once in a dedicated dance festival atmosphere.  Most performances have two showings this year which gives artists the opportunity to really enjoy the second night and for audiences to hear about works, they might not otherwise know about, through word of mouth.  From a personal point of view I’m really looking forward to seeing Okareka’s Nga Hau e Wha, Touch Compass’ Seamless and Sesilia Pusiaki’s Pukepuke ‘O Tonga.

Tell us a bit the Tempo Hero image and your background as a photographer.

I’m over the moon with the Tempo 2012 hero image.  I wanted to create an image that said high quality dance but that also included and attracted non dancers and dance enthusiasts from non-ballet dance forms.  To me this image shows an obviously talented dancer but also has street cred.

Brooke Ray, from Mt Eden Ballet Academy (now at the Royal Ballet School London) was an amazing dance model.  We got the shot in about only 12 takes and I’m proud to say that other than warming the colour of her top and cutting a distracting piece of thread off her torn jeans it is not Photo shopped.  That is how the photo came out even her hair is at it is in the original. 

Both my parents were photographers.  My father, owned Bassano Vandyke Elliot and Fry in London and was a leading fashion, court (royal not law) and portrait photographer.  After I realised I wasn’t cut out for the life of a ballerina I turned to photography but at that time there not many openings for women behind the camera.  So I decided that if I couldn’t work in the dark I would work in the light (in NZ). 

While back in the UK in the late 90’s I took a leap of faith and went back to college to study photography full time. It was during this time that I joined Sadler’s Wells and my two great loves – photography and dance – collided.  I pretty much thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I was allowed a press pass to dress rehearsals of many of the world’s great dance companies.    Dance photography is probably one of the most challenging disciplines as you are dealing the exactitude of technical correctness, artistic expression, emotion with the fatal combination of movement and incredibly low tungsten light.  I’m learning every day.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?

Probably photography but then if I’d started earlier I might not have collided with dance photography and I be over it now.  As it is I’m still inspired and still learning every day.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

The beach forest at Whakapapa village on Mt Ruapehu and a small village called Chiddingly in the country side in the south of England.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?

Depends on the music. You don’t always listen to music – sometimes it tells you what to do.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

A flag of brightly coloured silk to showing off its ever changing shape and colours in the wind in my garden.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

Do one thing at a time – credited to Deirdre Tarrant.

What’s great about the Tempo Dance Festival?

The thrill of so much talent coming together in two weeks of incredible dance and energy.

What’s your big idea for 2013?

Tempo’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Watch this space.

* * * The Big Idea 10th Birthday Questions * * *

What does The Big Idea mean to you?

Connection with inspirational people and ideas.

What changes have you noticed in the past 10 years?

Dance in NZ – a maturity and pride in its own voice, ideas and execution. 

What are some of the opportunities and challenges for the next decade?

Social media is a great opportunity for sharing ideas and growing knowledge and following for dance.  Funding the challenge.