Body Festival 2015

The Body Festival is Christchurch’s annual event of dance and physical theatre. This year it runs from 25 September to 11 October. Participation is an important part of the festival which gives everyone an excuse to give it a go and get their body moving!

As always this year’s event offers a broad range of dance workshops and beginners’ classes as well as performances and exhibitions.

The opening night event, No Lights No Lycra was energising (and sweaty) with the kind of upbeat playlist sure to get a body moving, but there are plenty of other opportunities to “trip the light fantastic”.

Dance o mat, 2012, Flickr CCL-2012-03-21-IMG_0499

Don’t miss these highlights of the festival –

Speed dancing at TedX

If you’re not sure what kind of dance style suits, you can try out a range of them in quick succession at the Dance-O-Mat.

Body Festival 2008, Flickr CCL-2013-01-15-DSC09707

Retro Aerobics

Flash back to the 1980s and “feel the burn” with this homage to the workout videos of Jane Fonda. Bring your legwarmers and leotards!

Outstanding Feet

A celebration of the diversity of dancing talent sourced from the high schools of Canterbury.

A day of hip hop

Watch a dance movie and become inspired before you join in on one of the hip hop workshops, or all three of them: beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Feeling inspired and want to know more?

• Explore the Body Festival website
• Search CINCH, Community information Christchurch for local dance classes including ballroom dancing, hip hop, ballet and more.
• Check out our Dance resources page

World Book has mutated!

There was a time when the World Book was just one plain brown set of encyclopaedias sitting on a shelf. Nowadays it has transformed into a startling array of gorgeous looking eResources. These eResources are updated daily, available 24/7, and are full of multimedia options including video, interactive maps, activities and country comparisons. You can print, email and save results and even have articles read aloud to you. In short, World Book eResources are very clever and very useful, but they have a problem – there are almost too many of them! I do get asked about the many World Book platforms that we have so here is a brief rundown:

• Academic World Book: university level information;
• World Book Activity Corner: (formerly Craft Corner)  the place to go if it is raining and you have no money, but you do have kids. Learn how to make an ashtray or a sound proof scream box;
• World Book Discover: for those who are learning English as a second language, or for those adults who struggle with literacy;
• World Book Early World of Learning: let a scarecrow called Trek take you around the world and introduce you to colours, letters, numbers, shapes and reading. Aimed at pre-schoolers and early primary;
• World Book enciclopedia estudiantil hallazgos: World Book in Spanish.;
• World Book InfoFinder: aimed at teens. Includes science projects, biographies and research guidance;
• World Book Inventions and Discoveries: aimed at tweens and teens to supplement World Book Kids and InfoFinder;
• World Book Kids: aimed at primary aged children up into their tweens. A gorgeous interface with games, science projects and age appropriate articles and images;
• World Book Reference Centre: for adults not necessarily in the academic arena. Includes help on life skills such as buying a car, budgeting and searching for a job;
• World Book Web (all : if all else fails then go here and it can take you to all of the above!

Confused? Just remember that World Book has developed eResources with certain ages in mind. So if you are helping your children do their homework or wanting to update your CV then World Book does have something for you.

Te Kupu o Te Wiki – Puku (tummy)

Kia ora. To encourage the use of Te Reo Māori we are publishing weekly kupu (words) and phrases that can be used with children.

Kīwaha (idiom)

He aha hoki
Whatever

Kupu (word)

puku
tummy

Tirohia tēnei puku nui!
Look at this big tummy!

• Hear the Ngā Rerenga Kōrero o te Wiki – Phrase of the week.
• Browse our Te Reo Māori resources.
• Previous Te Kupu o te reo Māori posts.

 

This week in Christchurch history (28 September to 4 October)

28 September 1864
Re-built Victoria Bridge opens. It is probably the country’s first iron and stone bridge.

29 September 1978
Friendship Corner opens by the Bridge of Remembrance. After a heated public debate over whether the area should be used for parking, the Council decided to plant the area with trees representing Christchurch’s sister cities.

30 September 1972
New Town Hall complex and James Hay Theatre (designed by Warren and Mahoney) opens. Ferrier Fountain commissioned.

1 October 1870
Opening of Canterbury Museum building, designed by B.W. Mountfort.

Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch [ca. 1885], CCL PhotoCD 12, IMG0090

1 October 1948
City Council takes over Canterbury Public Library from University.

1 October 1953
Over 3000 hectares of Waimairi (showgrounds area), Heathcote (Bromley area) and Estuary included in City.

2 October 1916
Opawa joins city.

3 October 1988
Park Royal Hotel opens in Victoria Square.

More September and October events in the Christchurch chronology: a timeline of Christchurch events in chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.