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Jack Gray

Jack Gray
Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa

"Make a superb visual experience that moves, shocks, and uplifts people."

Jack Gray

Born in Auckland, Aotearoa, Jack Gray is a world class recognised Māori contemporary dancer, choreographer, teacher, facilitator and writer. He is a founding member and was Artistic Director of Atamira Dance Company from 2018 - 2023.

His independent arts practice spans two decades and has taken him all over the world where he engages with diverse audiences in community-centred spaces of Indigenous knowledge exchange, such as Cultural Informance Lab (California), Transformance Lab (New York), I Moving Lab (USA, Australia, NZ), Indigenous Dance Forum (New York), I LAND (Hawaii, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York), Intentional Indigenous Artform Exchange (New York) and more. He was a Visiting Assistant Professor at University of California Riverside, Artist in Residence at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute, Regent’s Scholar at UCLA/World Arts and Cultures. Jack has published writings in Dance Europe Magazine, Danz magazine, Theatreview, Te Kaharoa and Biography. Jack has produced interdisciplinary works for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (Hawaii), Berkeley Dance Project (UC Berkeley), FestPAC (Guåhan/Guam), Yirramboi Festival (Narrm/ Melbourne), Festival 2018 (Gold Coast), Te Whainga (Auckland Museum/Smithsonian Museum) and more.

Jack creatively devises Indigenous approaches towards enhanced relationships between place, people and potential. He has been invited as a cultural ambassador with Dancing Earth (New Mexico), International Interdisciplinary Artist Consortium (Massachusetts), First Nations Colloqium (South Africa), Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (Canada), University of the Arts (Philadelphia), Blakdance (Australia). Another ongoing platform is Movement for Joy, a class that is inclusive to all, which looks at joy and authentic embodiment as an opportunity to dynamically connect more productively with the self and others.

"Make a superb visual experience that moves, shocks, and uplifts people."

Jack Gray

Repertoire

Mitimiti rests somewhere in the dunes, and on the edges of bloodied dreams, calling us to enter a new realm. The bones of yourself, of an ancestor, a whale, a house become fleshed out by multiple design and movement innovations, unveiling the secrets of the Atamira (platform) in a unique multi-level gallery-style. Mitimiti is the departure point to disrupt, reconfigure, and invoke.

Kotahi is a unique international collaboration with Atamira Dance Company (Aotearoa) and NAISDA Dance College in Darkinjung Country (Australia). Three new contemporary dance works were presented over two extraordinary programmes, showcasing choreographers Louise Potiki Bryant (Ngāi Tahu), Jack Gray (Te Rarawa, Ngati Porou) and Frances Rings (Kokatha).

Kotahi I opened Tempo Dance Festival with pre-show ceremony in Q Theatre and premiered Onepū (Sand) by Louise Potiki Bryant.

"Mitimiti is a story of venture, loss, honouring our kaitiaki and coming home. In 75 minutes, the production weaves together a range of stunning visuals, vocals, instrumental music and contemporary dance, to create a multi-disciplinary narrative that lingers long after the show is over."

New Zealand Herald

  • Education
  • Choreography
  • Unitec Institute of Technology, Bachelor’s Degree of Performing and Screen Arts (Contemporary Dance and Choreography), 1998
  • I LAND 2017 27 public events, 5 cities
  • July 22-25
  • July 31-Aug 1
  • Aug 17-19
  • Aug 28-31
  • Sept 1-23
  • 2017 Highlights include:
  • Indigenous Stamina: Tactics & Revelations
  • Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
  • Northern Territory The Culmination
  • Mark Morris Dance Centre & Calicoon
  • New York/Lenapehoking Ruatepupuke
  • The Field Museum of Chicago & Jackalope Theater
  • Chicago/ShikakoNa’Lå’La
  • Velocity Dance Center
  • Seattle/Duwamish & New Expressive Works
  • Portland/Multnomah In Conversation 1 & 2
  • KDC Works
  • Tasdance
  • Tasmania/LutruwitaTwo Flows: Tree to River
  • Yirramboi First Nations Arts Festival
  • Melbourne/Narrm Indigenous Dance Forum 2
  • St Paul st Art Gallery
  • Auckland/Tāmaki MakaurauI Moving Lab tour
  • Whaingaroa/Raglan
  • Piha
  • Ohinemutu
  • Gisborne/Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa
  • Tokomaru Bay
  • WhanganuiLukao Fuha/Hikoi Piha