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Story: Ballet

The Royal New Zealand Ballet

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The Royal New Zealand Ballet

The Royal New Zealand Ballet, established in 1953, stages both traditional and contemporary ballets. In 2001 the company combined forces with kapa haka group Te Matārae i Orehu to produce Ihi FrENZy, a ground-breaking performing arts show. It included the contemporary New Zealand ballet, FrENZy, danced to the music of iconic pop group Split Enz. Here, Natasha Purcell is performing in the production.

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Royal New Zealand Ballet

by Ross Brown

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How to cite this page

Jennifer Shennan, Ballet – Expansion and security, 1980s to 2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/2088/the-royal-new-zealand-ballet (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jennifer Shennan, published 3 March 2009.