Malia Johnston is a New Zealand choreographer and dance director who has created works for many of New Zealand's dance companies including

Footnote Dance Footnote New Zealand Dance (founded in 1985) is New Zealand's oldest contemporary dance company. Based in Wellington, it has been described as "New Zealand’s most enduring and influential contemporary dance company." History Footnote was found ...

, the New Zealand Dance Company, and events such as the World of Wearable Arts and the Armistice centenary 11 November 2018.

Biography

From 2007 to 2014 Jonston was artistic director for the World of Wearable Art Awards show. She directed the World of Wearable Art show which travelled to Hong Kong's International Arts Festival in 2012 and was creative director for the 30th anniversary season in 2018. Johnston is a guest choreographer and tutor at the

New Zealand School of Dance The New Zealand School of Dance was established in 1967 and is a tertiary educational institute in New Zealand that teaches contemporary dance and ballet. It started as the National School of Ballet, and after contemporary dance was added in 198 ...

and a tutor in dance at

Unitec Institute of Technology Unitec Institute of Technology (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. 16,844 students study programmes from certificate to postgraduate degree level (levels 1 to 9) across a range of ...

. Companies that Johnston has choreographed for include Footnote Dance and the New Zealand Dance Company. She is one of the founders of the company Movement Of The Human. Directing and choreographing performances for large public outdoor events is an area Johnston works in. This includes a performance at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park called ''He Wawa Waraki: Roaring Chorus'' for the New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage that commemorated the 1918 armistice that marked the end of World War I. In 2021 Johnston directed the opening of The Performance Arcade ''What if the City Was a Theatre?'' programme in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

which was a collaboration with Johnston's company Movement of the Human, kapa haka group Hiwa, Wellington Opera, and singer Sharn Te Pou.

Awards

* 2013

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Choreographic Fellowship. * 2018 Director of the Year,

Wellington Theatre Awards The Ngā Whakarākei O Whātaitai / Wellington Theatre Awards are the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington established in 2015 after the previous awards sponsor ended their support. They are awarded annually. The prev ...

for ''RUSHES'' ( New Zealand Festival in association with Te Papa: Museum of New Zealand) and ''Meremere'', a solo autobiographical show featuring Rodney Bell. Both produced by MOTH at Circa Theatre.

References

{{Authority control Living people New Zealand choreographers Year of birth missing (living people)