Aotearoa's ballet fans are lucky that our national institution is far from snobby or esoteric. The Royal New Zealand Ballet has a history of making the dance form accessible and fun, telling classic tales in modern ways and making ballet really resonate with contemporary audiences.
As part of this, the RNZB holds the occasional open day where nosy parkers can pry behind the scenes at what makes this elegant national institution tick. With a new season on Romeo & Juliet soon to launch, RNZB has taken over Te Papa for Saturday 22 July with a tonne of behind the scenes action.
There's plenty of 25-minute viewing sessions for watching dancers at company class and rehearsal that will transport you to fair Verona, plus kids will be kept busy with dance and fencing workshops and story time with legendary dancer and performer Sir Jon Trimmer. This whole array of activities is free, but keen parents need to book for some workshops.