Pump celebrates a decade of dancing in the capital

Wellington-based company, Pump Dance, will celebrate its 10th birthday with two shows at the Victoria University Memorial Theatre this Sunday, 12 June.

Pump Dance was created in 2001 by Director, Libby Calder, who, at the age of 16, began teaching dance as an after-school job at a community centre. Libby, now 26, has grown Pump from a small dance school with one tutor, operating from community centre Zeal, to a fully fledged dance company which employs 15 staff, has its own three-studio facility and offers hip hop, jazz, contemporary, ballet and drama classes.

“I started teaching dance because it was my passion and found so many young people that shared that passion as well but didn’t have a place to learn and enjoy it,” said Libby Calder.

“During the ten years that Pump Dance has been operating, the student numbers have continually increased, limited only by the size of our studios.”

“It’s a dream job! Teaching the art of dancing to aspiring young New Zealanders is a real privilege. The satisfaction that I get out of seeing my students improve and succeed heavily outweighs the difficulties of running a company and being an employer at a young age!”

Pump Dance hip-hop crews regularly enter local and national hip-hop competitions. Last year, the well-known Infinite crew won the FISAF national title which had them travel to the Netherlands to represent New Zealand at the FISAF World Championships. This year the dance company entered seven crews into the Wellington Regional Hip Hop Championships, two of which went on to enter the National Competition in Auckland.

“Ten Years of Pump Dance” is this Sunday 12 June with two shows (3.30pm and 7pm) at the Victoria University Memorial Theatre, Kelburn Parade.