DANZShel We Dance?
Pacific Dance New Zealand Announces Festival Program for June 2021
Photo Credit: Pati Tyrell, Assistant: Raymond Sagapolutele
All it took was for the common cold to develop into a pandemic to throw the world of entertainment into chaos and drive creatives who thrive in live theatre and on stages to retreat into quarantine. Festivals were cancelled, live performances delayed, reworked, rescheduled and the popularity of going live online rose to fame. In the world of dance, choreographers and producers also had to pivot to be able to keep their practice and artistry current and alive.
The pandemic has allowed creatives and artists in Aotearoa with time, space and freedom to choreograph, produce, collaborate, process, perfect and deliver works for all those festivals and shows that were shelved in 2020.
Pacific Dance New Zealand is excited to announce an impressive eclectic line-up for the 2021 Pacific Dance Festival to be held across Tamaki Makarau in different venues. The line-up gets bigger every year and after the cancellation of the 2020 festival, this year is no exception and will now include a fashion extravaganza and even Pacific jazz.
Pacific Dance New Zealand Director Iosefa Enari says “The 2021 Pacific Dance Festival features a larger group of artists some who have been bought back from last year. Not only is our festival bigger but we are excited to announce our new partnerships with the likes of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Measina Festival, Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival, Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival and Kia Mau Festival in Wellington. Extending our traditional June festival season outside of Auckland to the regional centres and festivals is our commitment to broaden our reach, develop our audiences and give our artists more opportunities for performances”
The festival will open at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in central Auckland on Tuesday 1st June, with the enchanting and playfully intriguing ‘Shel We’ by award winning choreographer Tupua Tigafua. Featuring a stellar cast of outstanding dancers, Shel We Is an invitation from Tupua Tigafua, a highly accomplished dancer and choreographer who has had a career dancing for some of Aotearoa’s creative elite and one of the most ingenious storytellers of this generation.
Shel’s off-beat style and brilliant use of metaphorical imagery in his poetry and illustrations are what inspires Tigafua’s choreography – ultimately delivering a tribute to his parents, his family and the environment that has inspired him over the years.
MĀUI by Hadleigh Pouesi and Fresh Movement will also showcase at the ASB Waterfront ahead of three school matinee performances on Friday 4th & Saturday 5th June. Fresh Movement brings the stories of the Pacific back to life in this thrilling dance theatre work. Māui is a piece that uses dance, music and physical theatre to tell the stories that we grew up with and have traveled throughout the Pacific for hundreds of years.
Festivals are evolving in a bid to be able to cater and appeal to diverse audiences and where the Pacific Dance festival in the past has extended its offering to include locally produced dance films and workshops, this year we will present a Pacific Jazz Matinee (Sunday 6th June) at the Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC) by ‘The Collective’ and ‘Te Pō’ (Tuesday 15th June) a dance and fashion showcase by AUĒ and Vivian Hosking-Aue at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
The festival program continues with full-length shows at Mangere Arts Centre and will premiere Ta’alili ‘Faces of Nature’. Ta’alili is the arts group led by Aloalii Tapu and Tori-Manley Tapu. Their art work includes designing the stage, film, dance and visual art. Whilst working alongside their team of world-builders, designers, choreographers, artists, and performers, they have been building their works to reflect and shape their dreams and perspectives of the world.
The full-length works that will showcase at Mangere Arts Centre:
- MOANA, Tuesday 8th & Wednesday 9th June, 7-8pm featuring Lomina Araitia, Desiree Soo-Choon, Litara Allen, Ankaramy Fepuleai, Chas Samoa and The New Zealand School of Dance,
- Ta’alili presents the premiere of Faces of Nature, Friday 11th & Saturday 12th June 8-9pm.
- Mamai’ata, Monday 14th June 7-8pm by Te Hau Winitana
- HYPAMASS, Thursday 17th June 7-8pm, by Connor ‘Ooshcon’ Masseurs
- A double-bill show on Friday 18th & Saturday 19th June with 2019 choreographic lab artists Villa Junior Lemanu and Raisedinland Iose.
Our festival will be remiss without our free community offerings with our workshops and film screening.
- On Saturday 12th June, 2-4pm at Te Oro Arts Centre, Cook Island dance workshop.
- On Saturday 12th June, 3-5pm at TAPAC, Malcolm Lakatani will hold an ‘Island Princess’ open dance workshop to Niuean songs.
- Sunday 13th June, 3-4pm at the Auckland War Memorial Museum will be the Pacific Dance on Screen with a bespoke curation of films.
- On Saturday 29th June at the Auckland Public Library in central Auckland the Banaban community of Aoteroa will host a dance and costume workshop.
Tickets will go on sale to the Public on 19th April and will be available on our website. In recognition of our full calendar of nine showpieces, every ticket for our full-length shows will be $25 per show, per person. We will also launch a ‘Pacific Pass’ for our members and followers who will get first opportunity to purchase these limited number offers before it is made available for public sale.
Printed programs will also be available at the launch of the festival on Tuesday 18th May and will be available from festival venues. Follow our social media feeds on Facebook (@Pacificdancenz) and Instagram (@pacificdance_nz) for updates and front row seats into the creative experience of our artists before you get to the theatre.
The Pacific Dance Festival for 2021 is long-awaited and our calendar and ticket pricing offer is testament of our commitment to ensure that our artists and creatives are given opportunities and platforms to share and engage with our diverse audiences.
We invite you to join us. See you there.
PACIFIC DANCE FESTIVAL 2021
Tuesday 1st – Saturday 19th June
Tickets for all show
On Sale Monday 19th April
PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME:
Festival Launch
Tuesday 18th May, 6pm-7pm, ASB Waterfront Theatre
Festival launch followed by short snippets of works from the festival programme, and a performance by TBC. An industry invited event – please contact marketing@pacificdance.co.nz if you would like to attend
Shel We?
Tuesday 1st June, 7pm – 8pm, ASB Waterfront theatre
An invitation from Tupua Tigafua
Inspired by the works of renowned American writer and lyricist Shel Silverstein who wrote iconic ballads such as ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ for Doctor Hook and ‘A Boy Named Sue’ for Johnny Cash. Shel’s off-beat style and brilliant use of metaphorical imagery in his poetry and illustrations are what inspires Tigafua’s choreography – ultimately delivering a tribute to his parents, his family and the environment that has inspired him over the years.
Māui
Matinee Performances Friday 4th June, 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm;
Saturday 5th June, 5 – 6pm, ASB Waterfront Theatre.
Hadleigh Pouesi & Fresh Movement
Māui is a piece that uses dance, music and physical theatre to tell the stories that we grew up with and have traveled throughout the Pacific for hundreds of years
Pacific Jazz,
Sunday 6th June, 5pm – 6pm, The Auckland Performing Arts Centre
The Collective
We are a group of friends who met together through the music programme at the University of Auckland. We have since established ‘The Collective’ which is not only a band, but a community for Pasifika music students. We are all New Zealand born and raised, and the majority of our group hail from South Auckland. Music has always been an integral part of Pasifika culture. Similarly, we had strong musical foundations from an early age from within our homes and churches. Our musical talents were cultivated in high school through competitions such as Tangata Beats, Stand Up Stand Out and the KBB Music Festival.
MOANA
Tuesday 8th June, Wednesday 9th June, 7pm-8pm; Mangere Arts Centre
A collection of short works by emerging dance artists Lomina Araitia, Desiree Soo-Choon, Litara Allen, Ankaramy Fepuleai, Chas Samoa The New Zealand School of Dance,
Ta’alii presents ‘Faces of Nature’
Friday 11th June, Saturday 12th June, 8pm – 9pm, Mangere Arts Centre
Ta’alili is the arts group led by Aloalii Tapu and Tori-Manley Tapu. Their art work includes designing the stage, film, dance and visual art.
Mamai’ata
Monday 14th June, 7 – 8pm, Mangere Arts Centre
Presented by Inano Dance. Choreographed and directed by Te Hau Winitana , this work calls upon its audience to reflect on their own personal experiences, focusing on human traits and characteristics that we all possess. Mamai’ata sets out to reveal our own frailties and strengths, exposing a new way to a good life with the break of a new dawn.
TE PŌ
Tuesday 15th June, 7pm – 8pm, Auckland War Memorial Museum
A celebration of all Pacific people from size, gender, sexuality through Pacific dance and Pacific couture fashion. AUĒ brings to you a bright, bold and beautiful dance and fashion showcase like no other, displaying unique garments created by AUĒ LINE and traditional and contemporary Pacific dance directed by Vivian Aue and the AUĒ Dance Lab choreographers.
HYPAMASS
Thursday 17th June, 7pm-8pm, Mangere Arts Centre
Connor ‘Ooshcon’ Masseurs
A Krump theatre dance work and investigation that uncovers the boy to recover the man.
Double-Bill
Friday 18th June, Saturday 19th June, 8pm-9pm; Mangere Arts Centre
Villa Junior Lemanu, Raisedinland Iose
2019 Choreographic lab artists showcase. Villa Junior Lemanu choreographs and stars in a self-titled Atali’I O Le CREZENT (Sons of the CREZENT) that delves into the world of gentrification and the loss of community/tribe. Raisedinland Iose’s ‘XY’ is a redevelopment of his original piece that looks at the strength of a woman’s physicality and how far it can be pushed using his Samoan culture.
FREE WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS:
COOK ISLAND DANCE WORKSHOP
Saturday 12th June, 2pm-4pm, Te Oro Arts Centre
‘ISLAND PRINCESS’ DANCE WORKSHOP
Saturday 12th June, 3pm-5pm, The Auckland Performing Arts Centre
Malcolm Lakatani will hold an ‘Island Princess’ open dance workshop to Niuean songs.
DANCE ON SCREEN
Sunday 13th June, 3pm-4pm, The Auckland War Memorial Museum
Pacific Dance on Screen with a bespoke curation of films.
DANCE & COSTUME WORKSHOP
Saturday 29TH June, 11 – 1pm, Auckland Public Library
The Banaban community of Aotearoa will hold a dance and costume workshop.
To register for these FREE workshops please send an email to auckland@pacificdance.co.nz