SHONA MCCULLAGH
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
MNZM, NZ Arts Foundation Laureate

Arts Laureate Shona McCullagh is New Zealand's most versatile choreographer, moving adeptly between choreography for feature films such as King Kong to commissions for the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company to Auckland Theatre Company's Sweet Charity.

In between, the former Limbs and Douglas Wright dancer is an internationally celebrated filmmaker, with all 3 of her short films winning acclaim and international prizes, while crossing the boundaries between dance and drama seamlessly. From Sundance to Clermont-Ferrand, to the BBC to ABC, Shona's films have screened across the world and most recently, won America's Dance On Camera Festival in New York.

In addition, Shona works frequently in the corporate sector, artistically directing and choreographing events such as the Team New Zealand Auction which raised 1.7 million. Recently Shona collaborated with Michael Hodgson to create an interactive opening to the Schwarzkopf Hair Awards where they pushed the boundaries of creating cutting edge theatre where live performers interacted with pre-created video in scripted scenarios. In addition Shona and Mike utilised the software Isadora and created a projected interpretation of a live-captured performance.

Now moving into combining installation and performance, Shona is creating live art works in a collection called The Peep Shows. In the research and development phase, she created a work where one of her chickens could play Beethoven's 5th, hence the title.

Her ultimate vision is to create urban works that inspire play and delight as we traverse our cities.