The Arts Centre Christchurch
The Extraordinary Among Us
We believe that the extraordinary is not distant or rare — it lives in the stories we carry, the songs we sing, the dances we move, and the words we speak.
The 2025 Extraordinary Asian Arts Festival in New Zealand warmly invites Asian performing artists, groups, and creators from around the world to share your talent and be part of this vibrant celebration of diversity, connection, and cultural brilliance.
The Extraordinary Among Us
🌏
2025 Extraordinary Asian Arts Festival in New Zealand
Call for Performing Arts Submissions
🎭 Theme
We believe the extraordinary isn’t distant — it lives among us, in every heartfelt creation, in every shared culture, in every moment we meet on stage.
✨ Who Can Apply
We welcome applications from Asian-background individual performers, groups, cross-cultural creators, and community-based arts practitioners from around the world.
🎶 Accepted Art Forms
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Traditional & Contemporary Performing Arts
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ance, Music, Theatre, Spoken Word, Opera, Multidisciplinary
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Parade / Fashion / Performance Art
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Community Engagement / Flash Mob
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Suitable for indoor or outdoor venues
📍 Event Information
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Period：13 Jul 2025
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Venue： The Arts Centre Christchurch
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Duration： Recommended 5–20 mins per act
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Language：No language restriction. Native language allowed; brief English summary encouraged.
📮 How to Submit
Please email your submission to: lily.l@euac.co.nz
(Or submit via the official festival form – link to be announced)
✅ Notes
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There is no application fee for this festival. Selected performances may be eligible for travel, accommodation, or performance subsidies.
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All submitted works will be reviewed and curated by the festival team based on artistic merit and feasibility. Performance schedule and venue will be assigned accordingly.
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Selected participants will be notified in early June 2025.
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By submitting, you agree that the organizer may use your photos, videos, and program descriptions for promotional purposes of the festival.
The Extraordinary is already among us — and you are part of it.
New Zealand, often praised as “the last pure land on Earth,” is renowned for its breathtaking natural landscapes, inclusive society, and rich cultural diversity. At the heart of the South Island lies Christchurch—a city of gardens, resilience, and creativity. Known for its elegant English-style architecture and lush green spaces, Christchurch has transformed in the wake of past earthquakes, emerging as a vibrant hub of public art, street murals, and community-driven innovation. It is a place where Māori heritage coexists with global perspectives, and where the warmth of its people welcomes artists and dreamers from around the world. A city of inspiration and openness, Christchurch invites you to experience culture in motion.
Organizers：
Everyone an Artist Trust
New Zealand - China Union of Culture and Arts
Supporting Organizations：
Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua
Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Christchurch
Ministry of Social Development (Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora)
Christchurch City Council
Ministry for Ethnic Communities (Te Tari Mātāwaka)RATA Foundation
Lotto New Zealand
Arts Centre of Christchurch
Everyone an Artist Trust (EUAC) is a non-profit arts organization based in Christchurch, New Zealand, dedicated to promoting global cultural and artistic exchange, advancing arts education, and encouraging community engagement. Guided by the belief that "everyone can create, and art belongs to everyone," the foundation organizes a diverse range of activities, including the Asian Arts Festival and the Earth Day International Youth Art Exhibition, aiming to foster cultural inclusivity, raise environmental awareness, and provide platforms for artists to showcase their work. In addition, the foundation operates the Eager Art School, offering art education programs to nurture emerging talents and promote the integration of art within the community. The foundation's key partners include the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry for Ethnic Communities, Christchurch City Council, Christchurch Arts Centre, and Lotto New Zealand.
A lively day to celebrate the diversity of Asian arts and cultures. Asian Arts Festival is a vibrant arts festival bursting with music, theatre, dance, children fashion show, talk show, workshops, food, an art market, colourful cultural performances and presentations to address the city's cultural inclusiveness and the special contribution made by the wider ethnic communities, especially the Asian communities.
Explore the Beauty of Multiculturalism
A multi-cultural and entertaining atmosphere is specifically promoted in this festival, and it is interesting, colourful, surprising and family and children friendly. The proposed performances and activities are indoors and outdoors, aiming to encourage the wider public to explore the heritage city centre and help the ethnic communities art forms flourish in the Christchurch city centre. As with 2023, participating backgrounds will reflect the communities of wider Asian arts, including the Japanese art, Persian art, Malaysian art, Kazakhstan art, Bangladesh art, Chinese art, Balinese art, Vietnamese art, Taiwanese art, Philippines art, etc., with a variety of art forms such as music, dance, opera, theatre, fashion show, live music, rock band and dancing.
Connecting People
The Asian Arts Festival is not only a cultural feast but also a bridge connecting people. Here, you can interact with people from different cultural backgrounds, share each other's cultures and artistic ideas, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship. Whether you are from Asia, New Zealand, or other countries, you can find opportunities for resonance and communication here.
Talk Show
Summer and Annie are Chinese background talk show performers who have shown their talent in talk show recently.
ETHEREAL
En Beats Elite Kpop Group
From TVNZ’s Kpop Academy
Guest performing at Armageddon & YG Ent NZ performance
To producing an Idol Trainee at More Vision
En Beat Dance has been in the forefront of working in Kpop since 2016
Cornermental Asian pop/rock band
The band was formed in 2019, with the singers, Eric, Nodoka, Honza and Aaron, lead guitarist Glen, guitarist Honza, guitarist Jimcy, drummer Nelson, and bass Sam.
Children's Fashion Show
Children's fashion show is an important part of the Asian Arts festival. It is a demonstration of traditional costumes from Asian cultures or some costumes with Asian elements will be presented by children who are from Asian backgrounds and/or those who are interested in Asian culture and arts.
M.Y.B : ‘Mind Your Body’
Bollywood Dance Workshop
A transformative series by Ambaree Rege, designed to nurture harmony between body and mind through dance.
Not just for dancers, MYB welcomes all into a safe space to explore movement, connect with surroundings, and learn Indian classical dance.
Is MYB exclusive to a particular community? Absolutely not!
Open to all ethnicities and genders, ages 8 and above.
Join us in this journey of self-discovery!
Simurgh Persian Music Group
Traditional Persian performance group from Simurgh Music School. Founded in 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand, Simurgh is a community of musicians sharing their passion for traditional instruments of Persia and the surrounding regions of the Middle-East. This performance will feature a Persian percussion group of daf & tonbak drums led by instructor Esmail Fathi, as well as some Persian stringed instruments such as santur, tar and setar.
Canterbury Kazakh Community
Performance Group
Recently formed by members of the Christchurch Kazakhstan community is the first and only Kazakh performance group in Aotearoa. Led by pianist and music teacher Madina Pitt, the group performs traditional and modern songs, with lively dances and vibrant Kazakh attire. The group also features dombra players, a two-stringed instrument which is the national instrument of Kazakhstan.
UC Gamelan Ensemble
Based out of the University of Canterbury School of Music, this ensemble plays a traditional form of Indonesian music known as gamelan, which is a widespread tradition across Indonesia with many different regional varieties. This type of gamelan in particular is called Gong Kebyar and comes from Bali. It is known for using complex interlocking rhythmic patterns on various metallophones, gongs and drums of different sizes to create fast, dynamic and exciting performance.
Bangla Dance Group
Christchurch is a non-profit ethnic dance group which promotes Bengali music and culture through their dance performances to the wider community of Christchurch, New Zealand.
The word "Bangla" is the edonym of Bengali language which is the official language of Bangladesh and also the official state language of West Bengal, Tripura and Barak Valley in the state of Assam. Bengali is the 7th most widely spoken language in the world. Through Bangla Dance Group, Christchurch, the members, originally from Bangladesh and India, are celebrating their heritage culture and language.
They are performing on the Tagore song- "Eki Labonye" which is inspired by a Carnatic Rāga named "Lāvanya Rāmā". The composition that we are using tonight contains both of the parts (the original and the Tagore adaptation) and it portrays the beauty of nature, life and spirituality.
Art
Market
"My art theme comes from Japanese culture
where I have grown up. I especially appreciate its
traditional designs and patterns used in kimono
and love to incorporate them into my art. I use red and black as main colors to enjoy the vividness they can
create. I will have hand-painted ornaments, canvas paints, and other art crafts on my stall."
By Iwane Fumiyo
Visual Art Exhibition
Pūmanawa community exhibition space
10.00am - 5.00pm 24-27 July
