2011 NZ BODYART AWARDS
A HUGE BRAVO TO CUT ABOVE ACADEMY COMPETITORS – BOTH PAST STUDENTS AND THE TALENTED NEW WHO EXCELLED AT THE 2011 NZ BODY ART AWARDS
Now in its sixth year, the NZ Body Art Awards event has been strongly supported each year by the Cut Above Academy. Superbly presented by creative director Mem Bourke, the event has kick-started the careers of many of our graduated, who are out there in force making great names for themselves in the NZ makeup industry.
Notable Cut Above Alumni who have excelled at NZBA – and current students who competed this year include:
Bianca Fallon: graduated 2000, head of makeup Maori Television, Snapstar blogger
Kelly Isherwood: graduated 2001, freelancer, impressive stage and screen credits
Miranda Raman: graduated 2002: freelancer, impressive string of stage and screen credits
Philip Hekatoa, graduated 2002, Cut Above tutor, impressive credits, winner NZBA Masquerade 2007
Michelle Perry: graduated 2005, free-lancer, head of makeup Wearable Arts Awards
Amanda Mace: graduated 2005, freelancer, impressive portfolio of stage and screen credits
Magdalena O’Connor: graduated 2006, freelancer, frequent winner, Youth-town art director
Hayley Marlowe: graduated 2007, free lancer, currently working at Weta on The Hobbit
Celeste Strewe: graduated 2007, free-lancer, credits include Spartacus, All Saints, The Lycans
Kelly Zhong-ni Ren: graduated 2008, free-lancer, Supreme winner 2009, director RensFX
Casey Turner: graduated 2009; free-lancer, impressive stage and screen credits
Abbie Taylor: graduated 2010, free-lancer, credits include Sweeney Todd, Wizard of Oz
Erin Harrison: graduated 2010, free-lancer, director Creative Faces, Supreme Award 2010
Adrian Joseph: graduated 2010; free-lancer, winner NZBA emerging artist 2009
Angela Pethig: Cut Above tutor; – brought the house down this year with her highly commended entry: Snow White and the 7 Dwarves
Current student competitors:
Joanna Gui-Xia Qin; Competitor in the Masquerade Category
Sarah McClure; Competitor in the Weta Workshop Best Creature Award
Stacey Taylor; Competitor in the Thin Lizzy World of Fluorescent Illusion
Kate Donaldson: Winner of the Weta Workshop Special SFX award
Tinamarie Tinirau: Winner of the Maori Television/ Cut Above Head Start Scholarship
Della Halsall: Competitor in the Novice Hand-Painting Category
And congratulations to newcomer Sofia Bue Pederson- Who won the Cut Above Academy Best Emerging Artist award of a 1-year scholarship at Cut Above.
CUT ABOVE ACADEMY!!!
Cut Above Academy has scooped the pool again at the 2011 Auckland Regional Hairdressing competitions!Congratulations to Cut Above Creative Director Eve Whale – who trained the student team – and did pretty darn well herself!
Pictured: Model – Kate Donaldson, Stylist – Eve Whale, Make-up Artist – Trudi Boyd
Eve won first place in the SMG Urban Fashion Cut and won the Top Cutting Award for 2011.
Congratulations also to Senior Hairdressing tutor Sylvester Van Eck – who was placed third in the Directional Fashion Cut event and fourth for Directional Colour
AND our students excelled themselves in the Apprentice Styling Sweepstake event taking the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places.
Congratulations to the winner: Haine Mauheni of our Manukau Campus (pictured below with model) second place-getter Ella Macedo of the City Campus, third place-getter Tenielle Gillies of the City Campus and fourth place-getter
Hae-rin Lee of the City Campus.
Everyone can’t win – but we believe everyone’s a winner who gives it a go and helps keep our hairdressing industry standards up there with the rest of the world!
Warmest congratulations and thanks to all who entered, and trained hard with the team: Our tutors Dylan Quinn, Denise Paul, John Cobb, Siope Tuungafasi and
our students Rebecca Morris, Hulita Ofa, Supatra Bennett, Kerri Thomassen, Naydiene Kimi & Ngaupokoariki Mahani.
For more photo’s visit our facebook on www.facebook.com/cut.above1
Cut Above Does it Again!
Last month, when our creative tutor team wowed audiencesat NZ Bridal Fashion Week with their amazing hairstyles andmake-up designs, we said “watch this space!”
At the recent NZ Beauty Expo they wowed everyone againwith their fabulous finale show: “Mozart Goes Gaga”
So for those of you who thought Mozart only tinkled on the piano keys – lookat these images of the Cut Above creative styling – and think again! Staged byDuane and Tutes Wichman – Evans of Oyster Entertainment (who produced theCut Above 40-years show), the Cut Above hair and makeup tutors were joined byfashion icons Liz Mitchell and Annie Bonza in a fantastic fusion of catwalk, hair,makeup artistry, and OTT wigs – to imagine what it might have been like if themusical maestro had met the Lady Gaga!!” (Special thanks also to Wendy Hill andJane Iredale for the make-up products, Vanity Walk for the models – and TommyStowers for the vocals!)
AND THERE’S MORE!!!! Our three students teams took out first and third places in the BeautyExpo TRIPLE CHALLENGE contest … and produced a third look that was right up there with itscreativity
Congratulations to the nine contestants – and three models who made the day!!!
The Winner: Poison Ivy
Second Runner–up: Queen of Hearts
Third Entry: Black Swan
Miss Saigon
As part of their training students in this year’s Makeup Artistry Diploma at Cut Above Academy got to add their makeup artistry and hairstyling skills to the North Shore Music Theatre production of Miss Saigon
Those of us who were around in the 1970s will remember the heartbreaking images of babies fathered by American GIs, who were abandoned in Vietnam when the men were repatriated home. It was one of these images – a photo of a Vietnamese mother leaving her baby at the departure gate at Tan Son Nhut Airbase to give the child the chance of a better life with his ex-GI father in America – that inspired Schonberg, Boubil and Maltby to create the musical Miss Saigon. Based on the opera Madam Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the tragic tale of an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover, who sacrifices her beloved son – and ultimately her own life- to ensure her child’s future. The setting is updated from 19th century Japan to the war-torn Vietnam of the 1970s, and the doomed romance of Puccini’s American Lieutenant and Japanese Geisha is replaced by the ill-fated love affair of an American GI and a Vietnamese bar-girl, but the central idea in both tales is self-sacrifice.
Not the most cheerful material for a musical entertainment, you might think, but, as one critic wrote, North Shore Music Theatre’s production ‘would receive rave reviews in London or New York’. Their creative team surpassed itself with beautiful costumes and magnificent set designs, including a celebration of the USA that filled the stage with red, white and blue-lit stars; a pyrotechnics display; a live Statue of Liberty, and a stilt-walking Uncle Sam. The grim reality of the GIs fleeing from the US embassy roof – with the thundering helicopter virtually bursting onto the stage – served as stark contrast to the gaud and glitter of Bangkok’s red-light district.
All this brilliance presented a challenge for the Cut Above makeup team to match the visual excellence of the production. Led by their tutor Ali Brill, the students researched the musical’s history; studied other productions on the internet; attended pre-production meetings with the costume designer, director, and cast, and produced their own visual storyboards of make-up designs for the director’s approval. As backstage crew their services were then required for pre-show photo and TV publicity sessions, and make-up , hairstyling, dressing and props assistance for all the evening and matinee performances over the three-week season at the Civic Theatre.
Miss Saigon is one of the longest running musicals of all time- and it continues to stir audiences to compassion for the downtrodden victims of war zones. It is also a simple and moving love story of a young girl’s progress from naive country girl to a courageous woman taking control of her own destiny. However, due to unbelievable makeup, some of its early productions drew criticism of the portrayal of Asian men and women, and comparisons to a minstrel show! Therefore, because it was impossible for the North Shore Music Theatre to source an-all Asian cast, it was essential that the actors’ make-ups were believable. Fortunately the techniques and materials for ethnic make-up effects have improved radically since Miss Saigon’s early days. There is a far wider choice of colours, and the latest prosthetic makeup products are vastly superior. Nevertheless the Cut Above students spent hours with their tutors perfecting the application of eye prostheses and the design of totally believable make-ups to simulate Asian features and complexions.
http://www.facebook.com/Amici.Productions.NZ#!/video/video.php?v=10150249430118222
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/5021304/Photos-Miss-Saigon-rehearsals
North Shore Times
CUT ABOVE MAKE-UP ARTIST STUDENT FACES BIG TEST IN SINGAPORE
Behind the Scenes with Cut Above Hair and Make-up Artists at NZ Bridal Fashion Week
The Hairdressing and Makeup tutors at Cut Above Academy were out in full creative force at the NZ Bridal Fashion Week held at the Auckland Museum Dome on April 2nd to 5th . Their task was daunting – they had to create individual hairstyles and make-up artistry for a lineup of high profile NZ designers – Liz Mitchell, Yvonne Bennetti, Alison Blain, Jessica Bridal, John Zimmerman, La’Shika, Robyn Cliffe, Rosemarie Smith, Vinka Design, Corina Snow, Jane Yeh, John Zimmerman, Rosemary Smith, Serra Lilly , Exclusive Suit Hire - and the iconic Annie Bonza – PLUS two acclaimed International Designers – CYMBELINE of Paris and RUBEN PERLOTTI of Barcelona. The designers all had their own brief – so the team were hard pressed to create the necessary changes on the team of 40 models from the Monarch Agency – but they met the challenge! In fact, the International designers were blown away with their talent and versatility.
Bridal Show director Amanda Barnsgrove had this to say “ The Internationals just LOVE the work your team is putting out” , and Ruben Perlotti himself said he has worked all around the world on top shows, but never met such a professional team! The Parisian designer from Cymbeline was equally impressed. She wanted soft flowing natural hairstyles to complement her stunning collection of Romantic-inspired bridal creations – so the Cut Above Team had barely half an hour to rearrange the 40 models’ hair from sleek upswept chignons and funky backcombed up dos into natural styles she wanted.
Team leaders Rachelle McNabney ( Cut Above education Manager) , Serena Bond ( HOD Hairdressing- City Campus), Eric Waite ( HOD Make-up City Campus ), and Leslie Franklin-Hall - Manager of the new Cut Above Manukau campus all felt the event promoted a great team spirit among the tutor team – and gave them an awesome injection of creativity to take back to their students.
Tresemme Dream Team
Tresemme Dream Team: Official Hairstylists for NZ Fashion Festival
Congratulations to the five students of Cut Above Academy who made it out of a huge number of hairdressing hopefuls onto the eight – strong ‘Dream Team’ – and are now working as hairstylists for the fashion shows at NZ Fashion Festival! Check out the link to see what they’ve been doing!
Kate Donaldson, Ella Macedo, Geoffrey Pikinga, Rafaelle Wells Lakeland & Shari Worsley
(This is what the organiser wrote)
“Congratulations finalists –
There has been a huge amount of excitement and lead up to announcing the New Zealand Fashion Festival and TRESemmé Dream team. With the combined votes from the Judges and the public you are now officially part of the TRESemmé Dream team. So what happens next?
Here is what your week looks like. Eithne Curry will send all the information on the hours that you will be required after we have received your contact information and you have confirmed your availability.
Monday 21st, ‘Opening Show Day’
(12 Noon briefing at organiser Eithne Currie’s’s studio)
Tuesday 22nd, ‘Photo Shoot Challenge Day’
Wednesday 23rd ‘Show Day’
Thursday 24th ‘Show Day’
Friday 25th ‘Show Day’ and ‘Wrap Dinner’
Once again congratulations on making it this far!
Kind regards
Nikki Harmsen
New Zealand Fashion Week and New Zealand Fashion Festival
TRESemmé and New Zealand Fashion Festival
