AVAILABLE FOR TOURING
Drawing on the whakapapa of Atamira Dance Company’s illustrious continuum and inspired by the symbology of the Octopus as kaitiaki, this large full-length work was collectively created by the leading navigators of Māori contemporary dance.
Performing Arts Global Exchange program with Mid Atlantic Arts | Tour to the USA, March & April 2023
Hawai’i
Kahilu Theatre, Waimea
Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Kahului
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Outreach College, Honolulu
New York (Manahatta, Lenapehoking)
The Joyce Theatre, New York
California (Kumeyayy territory, San Diego)
University of California San Diego, San Diego
Cahuilla territory, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
Eight dancers and eight choreographic practitioners - tuakana and teina, journey into the esoteric dimensions of human experience, revealing the eight tentacles of Te Wheke – Mauri, Whānau, Wairua, Whatumanawa, Hinengaro, Mana Ake, Tūpuna, Tinana.
Solo and ensemble movement expressions occur within a sleek shape shifting world of floating black silk. Layers of Te Ao Māori emanate through accomplished patterns of video design, mesmeric soundscapes and subtle shimmering garments with reflective lighting enhancing the darkness and light.
“Atamira Dance Company continues to offer us complex, significantly crafted contemporary Māori dance."
Megan Seawright, Theatreview 2021
TĀHUHU KŌRERO
2023
21st March - 14th April
Hawai'i, New York, California | USA
2022
26th August - 9th September, 19th October
Ngāmotu, Heretaunga, Te Papa-i-Oea, Ōtepoti | Aotearoa
2021
11th June - 24th June, 13th August
Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Ōtautahi, Whangārei | Aotearoa
“Te Wheke” is an accomplished work of many layers…anyone can see these as ancestors, representatives of a culture that Atamira furthers in its homeland and is now sharing with New York”
Brian Seibert, New York Times, 2023
"Head cocked, Oli Mathiesen flits across the space as if from tree to tree, buoyant with the force of a bird, or sprite. Abbie Rogers’ kinaesthetic precision is fascinatingly machinic—an arm cuts air; a pivot is a sudden and total reorientation. With each movement, Nancy Wijohn musters a geologic power. "
Amit Noy, Contemporary Hum 2023
