FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL TOUR, ATAMIRA IS BACK ON HOME SOIL FOR A 3-CENTRE TOUR OF TOMO
Photo credit: Charles Howells
Hot on the heels of a successful USA tour of legacy work Te Wheke, Atamira brings TOMOback to the stage with a stunning cast of Māori contemporary dance artists, touring to Tāmaki Makaurau, Whangārei, and Kirikiriroa this August.
Directed by tuakana choreographer Gabrielle Thomas who states: "TOMO started with the whakapapa of light and darkness, therefore birth. But it's also a story about my mother. My mother was very spiritual. If she had been raised Māori, she would have been considered a seer. Instead, she was put through the mental health system. She struggled but was very powerful and taught me much among the chaos".
Set within a world of shifting architecture, TOMO explores the boundary between two realms of endless time. A hauntingly powerful reflection of life and death, TOMO weaves together the tūpuna (ancestors) before them as two wairua (spirits) journey between domains. Their mother holds the power of creation and carries the gateway to the world of light.
This 60-minute dance was the choreographer's first full-length work, created and presented in 2019. Thomas says: "In it, I had the chance to create a space where the work could arrive, rather than trying to force its creation. I found a Māori way of working which was supported by Atamira and embraced by the community".
This 2023 tour of Tāmaki Makaurau, Whangārei, and Kirikiriroa bookends the pandemic. It follows the pivot to a TOMO VR Film experience in Auckland and Vancouver and recently at the NZ Doc Edge Festival XR Exhibition.
‘Dynamic and visually stimulating, there is no denying the talent that TOMO holds, offering the audience a unique Māori contemporary dance experience on a journey between light and darkness'
- Lauren Sanderson, DANZ, 2019
Choreographed by Gabrielle Thomas
Performed by: Sean MacDonald, Nancy Wijohn, Abbie Rogers, Cory-Toalei Roycroft, Madi Tumataroa & Caleb Heke
Music Composition: Peter Hobbs
Production Design: Vanda Karolczak
Recommended ages 12+
Atamira Dance Company is a leading creator and presenter of Māori contemporary dance theatre in Aotearoa-New Zealand, committed to uplifting indigenous world views through dance. Driven by choreographic and design excellence, our work embodies a unique artistic landscape shaped by the cultural identity of our people and their stories.
TOMO plays:
Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland)
TAPAC
Thursday August 3 & Friday August 4 @ 7.30pm
Saturday August 5 @ 2pm
Book at www.tapac.org.nz
Whangarei
Forum North
Thursday August 10 @ 12pm and 7.30pm
Book at www.eventfinda.co.nz
Kirikiriroa (Hamilton)
The Meteor Theatre
Friday August 18 @ 7.30 pm
Saturday August 19 @ 4pm
Book at www.themeteor.co.nz
Gabrielle Thomas is a choreographer and dancer of Kāi Tahu and Te Atiawa ki te Tau Ihu descent.
A collaborative artist with Atamira Dance Company since 2006, and a former dancer with Black Grace, Gaby has performed for choreographers Louise Potiki Bryant, Jack Gray and Moss Patterson. Gaby also assisted Moss Patterson for the youth engagement programmes Takarangi and Te Manu Ahi in collaboration with the APO.
Her choreographies are inspired by Māori philosophies, traditional practices, pūrakau (legends) and often incorporate her personal experiences growing up. Her short works have been presented in Aotearoa and abroad, and she is one of the eight choreographers who created Atamira’s company work Te Wheke which has toured extensively in Aotearoa and to Hawaii and the USA in 2023.
Gabrielle is an experienced teacher and a leader within the Atamira Education programme championing the use of te reo and movement and has run multiple community workshops and classes.