Michael Earl Parmenter (born 1954) is a New Zealand choreographer, teacher and dancer of contemporary dance.

Career

Parmenter studied dance in the 1980s in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and was influenced by both New York-based choreographer Erick Hawkins and Japanese Butoh master

Min Tanaka is a Japanese dancer and actor. Biography Tanaka was trained in ballet and modern dance, but in 1974, turned his back on these forms. He began his solo career with a series of nearly-naked primarily outdoor improvisational dances that took place ...

. He has a master's degree in creative and performance dance from the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

. He formed the dance company ''Commotion'' in 1990 with notable works including the dance opera ''Jerusalem''. Recent work includes dance opera ''OrphEus'' which premiered at the 2018 Auckland Arts Festival. Parmenter openly talks about his homosexuality and living with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

including in autobiographic show ''The Long Undressing''. He has taught at the New Zealand School of Dance and UNITEC. He has choreographed for Footnote Dance Company, the

Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danish ...

and the New Zealand Dance Company amongst others. Reporter Simon Wilson recounting a significant moment in the arts for him about a Parmenter performance:

I remember Parmenter telling his life story, the boy from Southland, born in the 1950s, gay in a conservative Christian family, how he got from there to dance, and then to a show based not on choreography but on words, although there was some very lovely dance in it too. That was ''A Long Undressing''.

In the

1998 Queen's Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplem ...

, Parmenter was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to the performing arts, and he received an Arts Foundation Laureate Award in 2010. In 2022 Parmenter spent six months in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

as the Caroline Plummer Dance Fellow at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, during which he established a Balfolk group in the city.

References

Living people 1954 births People from Invercargill 21st-century New Zealand dancers 20th-century New Zealand dancers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit People with HIV/AIDS Gay dancers LGBT choreographers New Zealand LGBT entertainers {{dance-bio-stub New Zealand choreographers New Zealand dance teachers University of Auckland alumni