Bold Theatre, Fresh Dance, Mana Māori, Mana Pasifika – Kia Mau Festival Returns!
New Zealand’s only contemporary indigenous theatre and dance festival, Kia Mau Festival, will return to Wellington from Friday 2 – Saturday 24 June. A heart-warming cultural celebration, led by Wellington’s own Māori and Pasifika theatre and dance companies, the Festival provides a unique chance for whānau and communities to engage with today’s tangata whenua in a truly genuine way through the celebration of art from not only local Māori and Pasifika artists, but also First Nations people from across the globe.
One of the shows presenting at Kia Mau is Manaia, bringing together the works of three wahine toa from the Atamira Dance Company in a powerful exploration of Maori femininity. Under the theme of Manaia, a mythical creature with the head of a bird and body of a human, the programme bridges human endeavour to spiritual aspiration. Nancy Wijohn will present her solo performance Pito in the short works programme, weaving together physical opposition with illusion, while the story explores themes around maternal connection. Pito evokes the ideas of connection and disconnection through both imagery and audio-visual elements, transporting imaginations to a different time and environment.
Nancy Wijohn (Te Rarawa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa) has been an integral member of Atamira Dance Company since 2008, performing in numerous works with the company throughout Aotearoa, Hawaii, North America, and Asia, with Pito being the third work she has choreographed for Atamira. Nancy’s first independent work Āhua, working alongside choreographer Kelly Nash and acclaimed director Rachael House, received critical acclaim in its short season at Tempo dance festival 2015. Outside of Atamira, Nancy has been a principle dancer in Okareka Dance Company’s acclaimed show Mana Wahine that toured extensively throughout New Zealand and was performed at Brisbane’s World Theatre Festival, and she has also collaborated with Carol Brown in numerous works seeing her travel to the Prague Quadrennial 2015, performing in Flood. Nancy will be heading to Canada to facilitate in workshops and creative labs with Santee Smith (First Nation’s artist/director of Kaha:wi dance theatre) who is also taking part in the Kia Mau Festival this year, before taking up the prestigious indigenous dance residency in Banff.
Nancy’s involvement in the Festival comes in the incredible package of Manaia, Atamira Dance Company’s new short works programme that showcases the strong female choreographic voice within the company, presenting at the Hannah Playhouse from 13 – 17 June.
KIA MAU FESTIVAL
Friday 2 – Saturday 24 June
Venues across Wellington
Manaia
Hannah Playhouse, Wellington City
Wednesday 14 – Saturday 17 June
Tiki Taane Mahuta
The Opera House, Wellington City
Friday 2 June
Portrait of an Artist Mongrel
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Wednesday 6 – Thursday 7 June
Fire In The Water, Fire In The Sky
Pataka Gallery + Museum, Porirua
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 June
Gathering Clouds
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Thursday 7 – Saturday 10 June
Lick My Past
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Thursday 7 – Saturday 10 June
NeoIndigenA
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 June
Dance Talks Conversations with the Artists
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Wednesday 7, Thursday 8, Wednesday 14 & Thursday 15 June
Friday’s Flock
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Thursday 8 – Saturday 10 June
Breaking Ground
New Works-In-Development by Writers + Choreographers
The Pit, Te Ara Hihiko at Massey University
Thursday 8 & Saturday 10 June
Riverside Kings
Expressions Whirinaki, Upper Hutt: Friday 9 June
BATS Theatre, Wellington City: Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 June
This Is What It Looks Like
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Wednesday 14 – Saturday 17 June
The Maori Sidesteps
BATS Theatre, Wellington City
Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 June
Purple Onion
Hannah Playhouse, Wellington City
Friday 16 – Saturday 17 June
Mata and the Mysterious Musical Maunga
Te Marae at Te Papa, Wellington City
Saturday 17 June
The Mooncake and the Kūmara
Hannah Playhouse, Wellington City
Wednesday 21 – Saturday 24 June
Head along to Eventfinda for tickets and more information.
