Black Grace, the contemporary dance troupe of the South Pacific, has returned to touring overseas - and to the United States in its first visit since 2019.
The group were invited back to the prestigious Jacob's Pillow summer dance festival, and combined the performance with a week of shows in New York.
"I'm really happy and I'm really, really proud of the company," said Black Grace's founder and choreographer, Neil Ieremia.
"I couldn't have pulled it together without the dancers and the performers. They all bring something really exciting and they all have that that mana, you know, that pride about the work... It's just been a real pleasure actually making making this work and putting this tour together."
Ieremia pulled the whole performance together in a matter of just weeks.
"Someone would get sick and not be there and then we'd have to change the schedule. And, you know, we had to wear masks and stay away from each other, which is really hard when you're a dance company. So it was quite an intense and a very short rehearsal period but we made it."
For the dancers it's been a whirlwind couple of months after two years of lockdowns and restricted travel.
"It's taking a bit to get used to to try and find out groove again. Trying to figure out when is it good time to eat? How long have you got before the show? What can you find on the go like that? Finding the groove is a bit tricky, but I think we're all right now," said Demi-Jo Manalo.
For others, the whole experience is a real eye-opener.
"I had a moment when we first drove in... when you could just see the skyline," said Aisea Latu.
"And then it just hit like, 'We're here. We're here.' I'm just the random kid from New Zealand. My parents came from another country and I'm just like, 'This is why I'm so grateful' which is amazing."
Black Grace is used to performing at sold-out shows across the US and Europe, and the group are looking forward to the return of more travel ahead.
For now, it's time to head home and prepare for the New Zealand season of touring.
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