Meaghan Rowe - Director and Choreographer
Meaghan has been immersed in the arts since a very young age. Her dance journey began with Paula Hunt in Wellington, who was instrumental in nurturing her love for classical ballet.
For many years Meaghan trained only in ballet, before her eyes were opened to modern dance as a Contemporary Associate at the New Zealand School of Dance as a teenager. Unsure which avenue to pursue, Meaghan took a break from the dance world to continue with academics, using her time to gain a Bachelor of Arts and Honours degree in International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington. However, at the completion of her studies she knew that she must return to dance.
Meaghan then gained her Royal Academy of Dance teaching certificate with Robyn Sinclair in Dunedin in 2010. The next few years were spent dancing, teaching, and exploring in Europe; meeting her mentor Claudine Merkel (John Cranko Schule, Royal Ballet of Flanders) and training with the Münster Tanz Theatre. It was during this time that Meaghan fell in love with contemporary ballet, enraptured by the concept of manipulating the classical form to achieve an exciting new aesthetic for the modern audience.
After relocating to Auckland in 2014, Meaghan began her own dance school while also tutoring as a classical ballet coach at Unitec. Then in 2021, she decided it was time to take her passion for contemporary ballet in a new direction, by joining with friend and colleague Jess Opacic in the creation of The Classical Collab.
Romeo and Juliet - Meaghan Rowe’s choreography highlight reel