Footnote New Zealand Dance

What Footnote New Zealand Dance does

Footnote New Zealand Dance is a non-profit contemporary dance company headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, founded in 1985 and operating as the country's longest-established contemporary dance organization. The company commissions, produces, and tours contemporary dance works through a core ensemble of professional dancers collaborating with independent choreographers. Its production portfolio includes works such as MODERN GOD (premiered February 2025 and toured nationally), Thin Paper, and the gallery-commissioned How Far Do Your Arms Reach?, and it operates the annual Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance co-presented with Hannah Playhouse, Toi Aro, and Te Auaha. In 2025 the company delivered 21 public performances across 8 centres, employed 27 artists, and engaged 1,696 rangatahi (young people) through its education programmes.

The company's offerings span four principal streams: live contemporary dance performances toured across partnered venues nationally and internationally; a Dance in Education Programme delivering workshops, residencies, and masterclasses to primary, intermediate, and secondary schools at $1,400/day; digital NCEA-aligned education resources sold via Vimeo ($100–$170 each); and professional development programmes including Choreolab, choreographic residencies, and masterclasses. Distribution is via a venue touring network (Te Whaea, Q Theatre, The Meteor, Papa Hou, Oamaru Opera House, Circa, Toitoi, Turner Centre) domestically, with international appearances in Japan, South Korea, Australia, the UK, Germany, Spain, and Canada.

The revenue model combines ticket sales, fee-for-service education delivery, perpetual-license digital resource sales, and core government funding from Creative New Zealand (Arts Council) as core funder and Wellington City Council as core partner. Supporting partnerships include the British Council, Goethe-Institute, City Gallery Wellington, and DSANZ. The organization is governed by the Footnote Dance Trust Board and led by Artistic Director Anita Hunziker (appointed March 2024), General Manager Louise Jakeway, and Communications & Operations Manager Brynne Tasker-Poland. The company secured a permanent home in 2024 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025.

Name

Footnote New Zealand Dance

Legal name

Footnote New Zealand Dance

Website

https://footnote.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Footnote New Zealand Dance is a Wellington-based non-profit contemporary dance company, founded in 1985, that produces and tours dance works across New Zealand, runs the annual Pōneke Festival, delivers NCEA-aligned school education programmes, and supports emerging choreographers through professional development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Contemporary Dance

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Contemporary dance performances
• Dance education programmes
• Performing arts services
• Choreographic residency programmes
• Dance festival production

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Performance Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales at live performances across New Zealand venues including Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, and Oamaru.
2. Education Services: School workshops and dance education programs including Dance in Education programme, masterclasses, and residencies for primary, intermediate, and secondary schools.
3. Education Resources: Sale of educational resources for NCEA dance curriculum including Mass Solitude resource, IYKYK resource, and The Art of Tasking resource.
4. Core Funding: Government funding from Creative New Zealand as core funder and Wellington City Council as core partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Footnote New Zealand Dance creates, produces and tours contemporary dance works performed by a core ensemble of professional dancers for general audiences and school groups across Aotearoa New Zealand. The company also delivers curriculum-aligned dance education through the Moving Meditation workshops and Education Resources, and runs the annual Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance along with the Dance on Screen film competition and Choreolab development programme.

Product overview

Footnote New Zealand Dance is a contemporary dance company that operates as a multi-program arts organization rather than a single product platform. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including: Contemporary Dance Works (productions and performances), the Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance (annual festival), Dance on Screen Film Competition, a Dance in Education Programme (school workshops and masterclasses), Choreolab (professional development), Choreographic Residencies, Moving Meditation Workshops, and Studio rental services. These programs serve different segments including audiences, rangatahi/youth, dance educators, and emerging choreographers, collectively advancing the company's mission of fostering contemporary dance in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance: An annual week-long festival celebrating contemporary dance in Wellington, co-presented with The Hannah Playhouse and Toi Aro, supported by Wellington City Council.

Products and services

• Contemporary Dance Works Original and re-staged contemporary dance productions performed by a core ensemble of professional dancers and toured to venues across Aotearoa New Zealand for general audiences and programming partners.
• Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance An annual festival of contemporary dance held in Wellington, presenting a programme of performances and supporting events produced by Footnote and partner artists for general audiences.
• Dance on Screen Film Competition An annual film competition for dance on screen, culminating in a ticketed final in Wellington and designed to expand the visibility of dance work in digital formats.
• Dance in Education Programme (Moving Meditation Workshops) A school workshop programme aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum and NCEA Achievement Standards, delivered in-person to primary, intermediate, and secondary schools by Footnote's dancers, with per-workshop pricing.
• Education Resources (Mass Solitude, IYKYK, The Art of Tasking) Digital and downloadable education resources (Mass Solitude, IYKYK, The Art of Tasking) used by teachers and schools to extend dance learning beyond the in-person workshop.
• Choreolab A choreographic development programme supporting dance artists to develop new work, providing studio access, mentorship, and resourcing as part of Footnote's artist development pipeline.
• Choreographic Residency A residency offering for choreographers and dance artists developing new contemporary dance work, with studio access and mentorship provided by Footnote.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1696 rangatahi impacted through education programmes in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Hannah PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative partner for the Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance, presenting performances and providing venue access for the annual festival.
• Toi ArocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival partner for Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance, supporting the festival programming and venue access.
• Te AuahamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance alongside Footnote in 2024, continuing as a key partner for the festival venue and programme.
• City Gallery WellingtonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned 'How Far Do Your Arms Reach?' performance for Derek Jarman: Delphinium Days exhibition. Co-presented exhibition with Gus Fisher Gallery.
• British Council New Zealand and the PacificsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the expanded public programme including 'How Far Do Your Arms Reach?' as part of the Derek Jarman exhibition programme across Wellington and The Dowse Art Museum.
• Goethe-Institute New ZealandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMade possible Djibril Sall's visit to New Zealand and the Moving Meditation workshop series, in partnership with Footnote and Lōemis.
• LōemissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Footnote and Goethe-Institute for Djibril Sall's Moving Meditation workshop series.
• DSANZ (Dance Society of Aotearoa)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Mass Solitude resource development, choreographed by Sarah Foster-Sproull and performed by Footnote and Guangdong Modern Dance Company.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sydney Dance Company: Australia's leading contemporary dance company. A natural regional comparable given Footnote's Trans-Tasman activity and shared contemporary genre, though substantially larger and more established.
• Royal New Zealand Ballet: New Zealand's flagship dance company and largest dance employer. A broader incumbent in the same dance sector but focused on classical ballet; competes for the same public funding pool and NZ audiences.

Direct peers

• Chunky Move: Melbourne-based contemporary dance company known for new commissions and international collaborations. Comparable in producing experimental/contemporary work and operating on a similar scale to Footnote.
• Australian Dance Theatre: Adelaide-based contemporary dance company producing original works by resident and guest choreographers. Closest Australian analogue in scale, commissioning model, and contemporary-only focus.
• Bangarra Dance Theatre: Australia's leading Indigenous contemporary dance company. Comparable in combining cultural narrative with contemporary dance production and operating as a flagship regional performing arts company.
• Black Grace: New Zealand contemporary dance company with a national and international touring profile. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized NZ contemporary company that commissions independent choreographers and tours internationally.
• Atamira Dance Company: Auckland-based contemporary dance company producing original works by independent choreographers and touring nationally. Closest direct NZ peer to Footnote in mission, scale, and contemporary-dance-only focus.

Emerging players

• Touch Compass Dance Trust: New Zealand inclusive dance company producing original contemporary works. Comparable as a small NZ dance organisation working with choreographers and touring, though focused on inclusive practice.
• New Zealand School of Dance: NZ's national dance training institution feeding the professional dance talent pipeline. Overlaps with Footnote in education programming and shares the same small pool of emerging NZ dancers and choreographers.
• Restless Dance Theatre: Adelaide-based inclusive contemporary dance company. Comparable to Footnote in being a publicly funded, mid-sized Australian/NZ contemporary dance organisation with a strong education and community remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/footnote-new-zealand-dance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Footnote New Zealand Dance