Pacific Dance Artist In Residence: Re-Igniting Cook Island Culture

By Aaron Taouma

The 5th Pacific Dance Artist in Residence was held for the second time in Wellington. Cook Islands master dance artist Tuaine-Nurse Tamarua Robati worked with high school students from the Porirua area to re-ignite the community’s passion for Cook Islands culture.

After 40 years of teaching, Tuaine Robati knows a thing or two about motivating young people to learn. But even after all this time leading the performing arts programme at Whitireia New Zealand, acting as the Artistic Director and International Tour Director for groups of students he leads to international festivals each year (since 1994) and acting as the Cooks Islands Community Liaison at Whitireia; Tuaine still does not consider himself a dancer.

Read the full article (Iss. 37) Re-Igniting Cook Island Culture