Creating Space For Mana Kōrero, Mana Ao Tūroa, And Mana Tangata

Ōtautahi Tiny Performance Festival 2021 brings you a line-up of mana whenua artists in an experimental and intimate performance setting.

Hōhepa Waitoa and Mahi Mahi Productions invites you to Jim’s Room - performed in a bilingual setting with waiata, haka, and āhua Māori to weave us through the world of Rangatahi Māori in an attempt to provide a ‘safe space’. Juanita Hepi (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Wai, Moriori, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi) and Byllie-Jean Zeta (Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Rangikoianake) are collaborating on a new multidisciplinary performance work in which wāhine respond to the term “I am not your Dusky Maiden”. Critically acclaimed theatre arts collective Toi Aamai presents you with a cast of characters that emerge from fracture within modern day capitalist dystopia.

These three works are told by movement, song, and story, through the body and theatrical lyricism, inviting you to witness a continuous exchange of encounter and meaning that reinforces our sense of ‘self’ and identity in real and imaginary ways.

Toi Aamai embraces the different and explores social struggles, struggles of women, and struggles of Māori. Juanita is a constant advocate for the arts and artists in Ōtautahi as this is the place her ancestors have battled, made love, and settled for centuries. Byllie-Jean weaves the stories of people-water-dreams-blood-earth and memory with obese baselines, glitter synth, grit and raw voice. Mahi Mahi spins tales that journey through the minds of Rangatahi Māori today in our pursuit to provide a safe space for them all.

These artists are inspired by master navigators and thinkers who have come before. They embody kaupapa searching for sustainable solutions. Tiny Fest is honoured by their presence on the program for 2021 and is inspired by the respect they show Papatūānuku, their histories, their ancestry.

Tiny Fest is working towards creating space for mana kōrero, mana ao tūroa, and mana tangata, by bringing people together to celebrate differences and the ways we are all interconnected. It emerged in 2019 as a new kind of festival: a platform and a community hub for the next wave of performance makers and audiences in Ōtautahi.

Tiny Fest invites you to join these artists in celebrating challenging ideas, sharing artistic exchange, and experiencing courageous moments. “The idea of 'think space' or 'ponderance' is a notion; an open invitation to willingly observe the un-narrative where the subtle becomes highlighted.” - Toi Aamai.

Be bold and hopeful with these artists, join the Festival in witnessing and being a part of intimate performance moments within this environment of uncertainty.

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