ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY WELCOMES YOU BACK TO THE LIVE SPACE TO EXPERIENCE DANCE BORN OF LOCKDOWN
Atamira Dance Company presents
KAHA – Tripleboost
Q Theatre Loft
7 - 9 July
Continuing their unwavering commitment to develop emerging artists and new work, Atamira Dance Company are proud to combine the energies of young artists, senior practitioners, and new technologies to present KAHA – Tripleboost, playing for a limited season at Q Theatre from 7 - 9 July.
KAHA – Tripleboost offers audiences three ways to connect with Atamira. Esteemed dance visionary Sean MacDonald leads the charge opening the stage presentation with a solo performance, STILL, painting a self-portrait through physical movement. This is followed by KAHA - five short premiere dance pieces, episodic in nature, by five emerging Māori choreographers. Meanwhile downstairs in Vault, between 6-7pm, limited audiences can immerse themselves in the world of the celebrated dance work TOMO through an all-new Virtual Reality film experience.
KAHA is a vital component of Atamira’s annual programme and is inspired by kaupapa Māori and contemporary identity. The 2022 performance is the culmination of two separate HOU research journeys, a platform where emerging Atamira artists develop fresh concepts, seeds, and provocations with a self-development focus. KAHA is the place where audiences are invited into the Atamira whare to experience new ideas, new artists and the development of dance that may go on to become full length works. KAHA will be like returning to the marae after some time away.
The intensity and challenges of artists working during the pandemic has given birth to some incredible ideas. As choreographers worked over Zoom and researched independently it is only recently that they have been able to come together and connect physically. What has emerged is something new: carefully researched and meaningful ideas that have gained momentum with physical connection as we remember the power of the body.
“KAHA is about the strength of the collective, inspiring the ihi of the individual. We stand behind our young artists, many of whom transitioned between tertiary and professional dance career pathways during COVID-19. Atamira plants the seeds for choreographic visionaries of the future, continuing a great tradition of our company which fosters the many sides of a dance artist to excel in the world. It is difficult as a freelancer to sustain a practice and we are so happy to provide the stability and assurance that their voice matters!” says Artistic Director, Jack Gray
Laying at the heart of KAHA is the precious relationship between teina and tuakana. Renowned dance luminaries Jack Gray (Atamira Artistic Director), Kelly Nash and Nancy Wijohn (Assistant Directors) guide choreographers artists Caleb Heke, Oli Mathiesen, Dana Moore-Mudgway, Abbie Rogers and Sherrick Martin (Atamira debut) in their work with collaborating performers Cory-Toalei Roycroft and Madi Tumataroa. The aroha and respect for both generations of artists make for stunning and innovative contemporary dance performances.
KAHA – Tripleboost
Three events across two venues
KAHA
opened by Sean MacDonald
Loft, Q Theatre
Thursday 7th July 7.30pm
Friday 8th July 7.30pm*
Saturday 9th July 2pm* & 7.30pm
*Followed by post show Q&A
Duration: 60 mins
TOMO VR
Vault, Q Theatre
Thursday 7th July 6pm / 6.45 pm
Friday 8th July 6pm / 6.45 pm
Saturday 9th July 12.30 pm / 1.15 pm / 6pm / 6.45 pm
Duration: 15 minutes + 10 minute kōrero with choreographer & film maker
Tickets:
TOMO VR: $15-$20^ (capacity of 40 over 2 sessions per night)
KAHA: $28-$38^ (capacity of 100)
BOTH SHOWS: $38 -$53^
Book at qtheatre.co.nz
^booking fees apply
KAHA TEAM
Artistic Director: Jack Gray
Executive Producer: Marama Lloydd
Assistant Directors: Nancy Wijohn, Kelly Nash
Producer: Alana Basile
Marketing Co-ordinator: Abbie Rogers
Production Design: Vanda Karolczak
Sound Design: Rachel Shearer
Brand Campaign: Osborne Shiwan
SHOW NOTES:
TOMO VR: Choreographed by Gabrielle Thomas. Filmed and edited by Ed Davis.
Atamira presents our first foray into the world of Virtual Reality (VR) which is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. Individual headsets provide the perfect platform for an innovative choreographic and digital interpretation of TOMO, a work that first premiered in 2019 at Tempo Festival.
With shifting architecture TOMO interprets the proverbial heart of three wāhine travelling through Te Ao Kikokiko (the land of the living). A battle between self and the source begins when one lost and lonely wairua enters their world.
Performers: Abbie Rogers, Bianca Hyslop, Cory-Toalei Roycroft, Madi Tumataroa, Sean MacDonald.
STILL: Choreographed and performed by Sean MacDonald.
A meandering through yesterdays curiosities. Of exuberance and melancholy, a clicking of snapshots..taking a pun(t) on (re)moving through a musing connectivity of randomly logical bone & muscle poetics. Presentation and internal. The stillness of anxiousness. A body influenced by the sequencing of time, a dance.
KAHA: Five new works
Te Pou What layers exist between the centering dimensions of our creative identity and whakapapa? Sherrick Martin (Tūhoe, Whakatohea) tunes into the frequencies of our tupuna and explores the relationship of human bodies having autonomy over their whole existence.
Hokinga Mahara What is buried within the spine that holds us, memories of forgotten lands severed by time? Dana Moore-Mudgway (Te Atiawa, Rangitane, Ngāti Apa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga) This work transports us to the deepest parts of our being, connecting realms between this lifetime and the last.
Tiaki Taonga What are the connections we have to taonga, individually and collectively? Abbie Rogers (Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa) considers te ao Māori perspective, delving into the personality of living taonga and the sacredness we place upon them.
Queertanga What if you take away the knowledge of my whakapapa, my pearl necklace, and my gay lisp? Oli Mathiesen (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Manu) parodies a singular character using stereotypical signals representing societal institutionalism.
Mai Papatuanuku ki te Ao He whero te toto, he whero te manawa, he whero ahau. What are the stories, and how can we tell these stories from the land? Caleb Heke (Ngāpuhi) draws upon the living and breathing of Papatuānuku; she who holds our whakapapa, our tīpuna, and the creation of time itself.