Kowhiti Matariki Festival of Maori Dance

Kowhiti Matariki Festival of Maori Contemporary Dance

Kowhiti Matariki Festival of Maori Contemporary Dance Te Papa, 24-27 June www.kowhiti.org.nz

Auckland's acclaimed Atamira Dance Company will be one of the stars of the Kowhiti Premiere Programme performance of Maori Contemporary Dance being held in Soundings Theatre, June 24-27 as part of the Kowhiti Matariki Festival. Excitement is mounting within the dance community, as it is the first time that the work of such a prestigious group of Maori Choreographers have appeared together on the same programme. Two of the six shows on offer are already almost sold out, but bookings can still be made for the other four shows at Ticketek: www.ticketek.co.nz.

The people responsible for the Festival, Kowhiti Curators and Directors, Merenia and Tanemhuta Gray have themselves both enjoyed highly successful careers in the industry - with their last professional collaboration being the mega-production of Maui: One Man Against the Gods, which has toured throughout Aotearoa. Tanemhuta Gray has just returned from a visit to China as a part the Mayoral delegation and last month was also in Shanghai for the Opening Ceremony of Expo 2010.

As cuators, the Gray's objective has been to pull together the leading artists in the field to produce a programme that will give a taste of what is currently happening in the Maori Contemporary Dance sector. They have suceeded in creating a dazzling show, representing the work of eleven choreographers including their own choreography, the work of Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete of Okareka Dance Company, and work by Charles Koroneho and Moss Patterson.

The choreography will be performed by a huge cross section of dancers including those from Atamira Dance, Footnote Dance, solo artists Cat Ruka and Future Fame, New Native Dance, the New Zealand School of Dance, Whitireia Performing Arts, Wellington Performing Arts and Judith Fuge School of Dance

One of the works being performed by Atamira Dance Company is the poignant MEMOIRS OF ACTIVE SERVICE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, LIFE AND WAR. Choreographer and ex serviceman, Maaka Pepene has devised a piece based on two pieces of history – one of his own Grandfather’s diary, recorded during his service in WWII and the second; the legendary 28th Maori Battalion.

“Remember. I am always thinking of you sweetheart, no matter how long I am away from you, don’t worry my dearest, I’ll come back to you. Yours till the stars lose their glory, your own darling Paddy.” -- Charles Jack Murphy, 29 July 1944 (Maaka Pepene’s Grandfather)

Many of the other events at the Kowhiti Festival are being held on Te Marae and are free of charge. They include workshops, performances which includes work by Stephen Bradshaw and Jack Gray, lectures and forums. There is also a mini-festival of Maori Dance Films in Soundings Theatre.

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