PROJECT MOMENTUM
MEET THE TEAM
Jeremy beck
CAROLINE PLUMMER FELLOW IN COMMUNITY DANCE Born in Ōtepoti, Aotearoa, Jeremy Beck is a distinguished graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and an established freelance contemporary dance performer, choreographer and teacher of Ngāi Tahu and Pākehā descent.
Throughout his career, Jeremy has worked professionally across Aotearoa and Australia with leading companies and independent artists, including The New Zealand Dance Company, Footnote New Zealand Dance, Atamira Dance Company, Dancenorth, Chunky Move, Ross McCormack, Tupua Tigafua, Sean MacDonald, Moss Patterson and Lucy Guerin.
Jeremy debuted his first choreographic project in 2018 with the solo work know one, which premiered at the Wellington Fringe Festival. He has been an ongoing collaborator with Footnote New Zealand Dance, creating commissioned works including This. as part of The Movement 2021, and A Floor, Some Thoughts and Us, a full-length work for the 2021 ChoreoCo Season - in the same year, he created Somewhat Physical for the New Zealand School of Dance Graduation Season. Most recently, his full-length work MODERN GOD, created in collaboration with Footnote NZ Dance, premiered in February 2025 to sold-out performances and critical acclaim.
“It takes a smart cookie to turn dense concepts into a compelling and entertaining dance work. Creator Jeremy Beck is up to the task; he emerges as a potent and gifted choreographic voice.”
- Lyne Pringle, The Post, 2025
In 2024, Jeremy founded Company Beck, an emerging dance company dedicated to producing bold contemporary work in Ōtepoti. In March 2025, the company premiered its large-scale production Commentary of Dreaming at the Regent Theatre as the opening show of the Dunedin Arts Festival.
Alongside his performance and choreographic work, Jeremy is an experienced teacher and workshop facilitator. He has taught at Footnote New Zealand Dance’s Choreolab (2016, 2017, 2021) and Professional Intensive (2019), and has been a regular guest tutor at the New Zealand School of Dance since 2020. Since 2021, he has also been developing his improvisation-based movement practice, Alternative Technique, which expands creative thinking and embodied awareness through dance.
In 2026, Jeremy was named as the Caroline Plummer Fellow in Community Dance at the University of Otago.
Jenny munro
Jenny delights in the freedom and playfulness of improvisation, discovering how dance nurtures wellbeing and celebrates the possibilities of ageing bodies.
With no formal dance training, she feels privileged to explore, create and share the joy of movement alongside professional and community dancers in Momentum.
DANCER
anna noonan
DANCER
xavier johnson
DANCER
yun lim
Yun began exploring the language of dance at a young age. It allowed him to inhabit the feelings he couldn't yet understand.
Dance remains one of the ways he makes sense of himself, the world, and the connection between the two.
DANCER
annie sutherland
DANCERbeccy murray
DANCER
tasman richards
DANCER
tess whelan
DANCERA latecomer to dance, Tess discovered its all-consuming joy when she joined Rasa School of Dance as an adult.
With a love of the fulfilment and connection that group choreography brings, the exploration of improvisation has taken her well beyond her comfort zone.
This journey alongside Jeremy and such a beautiful cast of dancers has been an emotional and deeply rewarding experience of self-discovery and growth.
GUEST DANCERS
BRYDIE COLQUHOUN
A Ngāti Kawa (Ngāpuhi) freelance creator. Brydie grew up in Ahipara, and was lucky to grow up in rural Aotearoa surrounded by the taiao.
She graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in 2012 and has loved navigating a life of movement and creation amongst the dance community of Aotearoa. She was honoured to be added to the NZSD distinguished graduates board in 2023.
Brydie is passionate about accessibility and inclusivity in dance, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She believes that how you walk through daily life hugely impacts your hauora and she always strives to lead with kindness.
In 2025 Brydie completed full-time immersion studying te reo Māori at Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa. She also premiered her first full length choreography- Rongo Whakapā with Atamira dance company.
ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY
Olivia mcgregor
ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANYOlivia McGregor (Muaūpoko, Ngāti Raukawa) is a dance artist from Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai, Lower Hutt.
Olivia has performed around Europe and Aotearoa in dance theatre, performance art installations and film with companies including Company Beck, Atamira Dance Company, Footnote New Zealand Dance, The New Zealand Dance Company, Constanza Macras- Dorky Park, July Weber, Andre Uerba and Matteo Graziano. Her Choreographic work has been presented at Tiny Festival (2024) and Tempo Dance Festival (2026).
Airu matsuda
FOOTNOTE NEW ZEALAND DANCEAiru Matsuda is a New Zealand born Japanese artist and graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance and Ev & Bow Full time Dance Training Centre.
Airu’s interests as an artist lie in how he can continue to carry and uphold his own dance history and use it in his exploration of movement. Having started his dance training in breakdance, he enjoys exploring how this can instigate ideas and be shown through his movement research. Airu is driven by the love of sharing a space with other collaborators and learning and being inspired by what others have to offer in the space.
After Graduating from New Zealand School of Dance in 2021, Airu has had the privilege of working as a dancer with Threading Frames on two of their films, Close to Telling and Walk with me. He has also worked with Good Company Arts on their films Tiger (Silver Lotus) and Dragon with the later being presented live in Tokyo, Japan in 2024. Both of the films have gone on to winning awards around the world including Best Dance Film, Best VFX and Best Experimental Film.
In 2023, Airu joined Footnote New Zealand Dance where he has performed works around Aotearoa and Japan. He continues to discover and develop as an artist, being inspired by everyone around him.
ella williams
FOOTNOTE NEW ZEALAND DANCEElla Williams is a professional dancer, born of Canadian, Trinidadian and Pakeha NZ descent. currently working in Te Whanganui a Tara, Aotearoa. She has successfully managed to be a full-time artist and hopes to continue to share her passion in dance.
She is interested in exploring different worlds through dance and using dance as a way to create space for thought and change.
For her, dance is a form of connection with the community, a connection to the world through creating and performing as an act of liberation and a connection to ancestors and her history.
Ella Williams works with companies such as Andanca, Java Dance Theatre, Movement of the human and Manubrium circus. She has also worked on projects with homeground since 2019 She has performed in shows such as: ‘Show do cafe’ for the measina lab 2023, fringe festival 2024 and a hamilton arts festival, 2025. ‘Torua’, festival of colour, Te Komititianga, Auckland live 2025.
‘Movement Jazz’ at Circus in your square 2023 with Manubrium Circus Theatre. As well as working with Java Dance Theatre since 2018 on, secrets in your streets, Back of the bus, creamery, cheese, Treat, Chocolate and Home of the Gods.
She has also created and performed a duo work ‘Gates to memory’ for Kia Mau festival 2025
Ella studied at New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) during 2015 - 2017 and received both a certificate in dance and a diploma in dance.