Sean MacDonald (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitane, Raukawa, Tuwharetoa)
Dancer, Choreographer
Sean has been part of the Aotearoa contemporary dance landscape for 30 years dancing with many of its dance makers and companies. His most recent appearances were for Eddie Elliot in “Whaiwhakaata, Reflections in the Water”, for Those Guys in Tupua Tigafua’s “Shel We” in Sweden, Atamira Dance Company’s season of “Kaha” and NZ tour of “Te Wheke” and for Perths Co3 Dance Company in the presentation of Douglas Wright’s “Gloria”.
Nancy Wijohn (Te Rarawa, Tūhoe, Ngati Whaoa and Ngati Tahu)
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Dancer, Co-Director, Choreographer
Nancy Wijohn works primarily in the medium of Māori contemporary dance. Her career spans over 17 years of performance, choreography for theatre, film, television and site specific purposes.
At a young age Nancy thrived in many sporting codes representing the Auckland region in Netball, Rugby and touch rugby. Her natural love of athleticism and physical prowess was the curiosity that one day led her to a dance audition that changed the course of life and career pathway.
In 2007 she graduated from Unitec’s performing arts degree with a contemporary dance major. She been in numerous roles over the years. Her highlights include working with the her partner Kelly Nash (Body Island), Bianca Hyslop and Rowan Piecere (He Huia Kaimanawa), Atamira, Okareka Dance Company, Douglas Wright, Carol Brown, Santee Smith, Daniel Belton, Lisa Reihana - IHI exhibition
In more recent years Nancy has been actively working alongside Kelly Nash as a Practitioner in ConTact C.A.R.E Flinchock release method and Co-founders of Body Island Company. Their recent collaboration with Atamira Dance Company in Tempo dance festival 2022 saw the fruition of new choreographic ideas that they look forward to developing further. Body Island also produced Te Hā / Te Kā where they teamed up with Threading Frames co-Director Joshua Faleatua which saw the making of 6 dance films that have were part of the Imaginative film festival in Toronto 2022 and Maorilands film festival in Ōtaki 2022.
Nancy is forever grateful for the dance teachers that have inspired her journey and mostly grateful for her dance career that has shaped and deepened her connection to Te Ao Māori.
Abbie Rogers (Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa)
Dancer, Education Leader (Kaitakitaki), Marketing Co-ordinator, Emerging Choreographer
Abbie Rogers is a Māori dancer, choreographer, educator and emerging producer born in Ōtautahi and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Kāi Tahu, Te Arawa). She has worked alongside companies and independent artists with performances ranging from stage shows, site specific work and VR films.
Abbie has been working with Aramira Dance Company since 2019 performing in Te Wheke (2021), Tomo (2023, 2019), Tomo VR (2022), Kiko (2022) and Kaha-Tripleboost (2022). Abbie has toured internationally with Atamira to Vancouver, Hawai’i, New York, San Diego and nationally around Aotearoa. Abbie has also had the privilege of working with Okareka Dance Company on Mana Wahine, Eddie Elliott, Gabrielle Thomas, Unitec Dance, Kelly Nash, Nancy Wijohn, and Sean MacDonald.
Abbie is currently working with Atamira as a dancer as well as their Marketing Coordinator and Education leader. She is also independently producing a new work by Oli Mathiesen, another Atamira dancer, set to premiere as part of Auckland Pride Festival 2024.
Abbie has a passion for connecting Mātauranga Māori, tikanga and pūrakau with her contemporary dance practice and is grateful her journey into Māori contemporary dance has formed and deepened her connection to Te Ao Māori.
Cory-Toalei Roycroft (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungūnu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kauwhata)
Dancer
Tāmaki Makaurau based freelance dancer Cory-Toalei Roycroft graduated from Unitec, Performing Arts (Contemporary Dance) in 2017. Following this she has had the privilege of working with companies Ōkāreka dance company, performing in Hōkioi me te Vwōhali (2020) & Mana Wāhine (2021) and working with Atāmira Dance Company. She has worked both nationally and internationally, enjoying every challenge and experience of being a dancer specifically for Māori contemporary dance.
Caleb Heke (Ngāpuhi)
Dancer, Emerging Choreographer
Caleb is a contemporary dance artist, born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. Caleb’s interest in dance stared from their interest in music. They enjoy playing with rhythmic and arrhythmic decision making when it comes to choreography and music. Caleb has been a dancer with Atamira Dance Company since the end 2020 and has choreographed their own work (Mai Papatūānuku ki te Ao) which premiered in 2022 as part of Atamira’s KAHA - Tripleboost, alongside other emerging artists. During their time with Atamira they had the privilege to work with choreographers, Taane Mete, Jack Gray and Kelly Nash (Te Wheke, 2021-2022), Kelly Nash and Nancy Wijohn (Kiko, 2022) and be a part of smaller exploration Wānanga throughout their time with Atamira. These explorations have given them the space to learn more about their own Whakapapa and hear more about Māori stories and how these new learnings can influence Caleb’s own storytelling through dance. They are eager to learn different ways dancers body’s can find shape to hold form combined with texture, then how the body can fold. Caleb has worked with choreographers such as Jess Crompton, Carla Harré in 2021 (JawlineCo) as well as Jacob Reynolds in 2021-2022 (Measured Frenzy Co).
Oli Mathiesen (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi)
Dancer, Emerging Choreographer
Oli is a queer choreographer and dancer based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu, Ngāpuhi). He is an emerging artist, working nationally and internationally since graduating from Unitec in 2020 with a Bachelor's in Performing and Screen Arts – Contemporary Dance. Oli has been working, touring, and teaching for Atamira Dance Company since 2020, performing in Te Wheke (2021) and Kaha - Tripleboost (2022), including their international tour of the United States of America. He choreographed a new work Arero Ma (2022) on the company for KAHA - Tripleboost (2022), as well as A Brief Encounter with Oli Mathiesen and Bach Music on Sean MacDonald for KIKO (2022).
Oli performed in Crystal Pite’s 10 Duets on a Theme of Rescue (2023) facilitated by STRUT Dance for Perth Festival 2023. He has worked with The New Zealand Dance Company (What They Said (2022)) by Melbourne choreographer Jo Lloyd, and Black Grace Dance Company (I Am A Renaissance (2023)). Oli continues to work with companies and independent artists across the motu and within Australia.
Oli has produced choreographic works including an installation Divine Estate (2022) for The Performance Arcade 2022, Still Solo (2020) presented at Tempo Dance Festival, and Night and Mortar (2021, 2022) in collaboration with Sharvon Mortimer. Oli has an ongoing performative and choreographic practice centred around his indigenous, queer, and political identity, and loves the artistry of collaborating.
Dana Moore-Mudgway (Te Atiawa, Rangitane, Ngāti Apa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga)
Dancer, Emerging Choreographer
Dana Moore-Mudgway is a Māori contemporary artist born and raised in Ōtautahi now based in Tamaki Makaurau. In 2017 she studied with Hagley Dance Company for a year before completing her Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts majoring in Contemporary Dance.
Dana has been working with Atamira since the beginning of 2021 and has toured both nationally and internationally with the Company. She has had the privilege to work with choreographers Louise Potiki-Bryant, Kelly Nash, Taane Mete and Jack Gray (Te Wheke, 2021). Dana premiered her first work, Whakapipi 33 in 2022 on Atamira as apart of Kaha - Tripleboost. She has also performed with Atamira Dance Company for Rārangi Wā and Sculpture on the Gulf in 2021.
Dana is an active freelancer in the dance community in Tamaki Makaurau and has been apart of developments with choreographers Katie Shaw, Sharvon Mortimer and Oli Mathiesen. Dana worked with Hindsight Choreography, performing their work Retail Therapy in 2023. She has also been apart of multiple wānanga in developing Te Kura Maninirau, the Māori Circus School.
Madi Tumataroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera)
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Dancer
Madi is a dance artist born and raised in Ōtautahi, and has been working with Atamira Dance Company since the beginning of 2022. Madi is interested in exploring the depths she can take improvisation, strength within choreographic phrasing and pushing the physical body with dynamic and technical material. During her time with Atamira Madi has worked with Gabrielle Thomas and videographer Ed Davis on Tomo VR (2022), performed and created alongside 5 emerging choreographers for the work KAHA- Tripleboost (2022), has been involved with Wananga processes and developments, as well as Choreographers Kelly Nash, Tane Mete and Jack Gray on touring work Te Wheke (2022) Over the first year with the company Madi has had the opportunity to dive further into her own ideologies as a Maori creator within Aotearoa and the world and hopes to keep exploring and identifying the platforms she wishes to pull from for inspiration in future work.
Sherrick Martin (Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Te Arawa, Ngāti Maniapoto)
Dancer, Emerging Choreographer
Movement is my connection to potential possibilities through an embodied and spiritual practice. Sherrick is a creative movement artist, teacher, researcher and emerging creative director, choreographer, and producer. Born and raised in Rotorua getting his start in the street dance scene, he now specialises in Māori and haka movement, contemporary dance, commercial dance, and street dance styles. Sherrick’s artistic approach to matauranga Māori is an act of decolonisation and the re-indigenisation of artistic Māori ways of being.
He is a graduate of the University of Auckland completing a Bachelor’s (2021) and Master’s (2023) Degree in Dance Studies, With a specific focus on Māori Futurism: A Ritualistic Approach to Cultural Identity. In his work, he uses tikanga Māori and rituals that evoke a Māori futurist perspective of the world.
Sherrick has been with the Atamira whānau since 2021 as a seconder on Te Wheke (2021) and debuting in 2022 with Kaha-Trippleboost and Te Wheke’s Aotearoa tour (2022). Sherrick’s recent career highlights include Taki Rua, Hatupatu || Kurungaituku- Forbidon Love (2023/2024) Led by Tānemahuta Gray; Hawaiki TŪ, Autaia (2023) and Taurite (2022) led by Kura Te Ua; Ngā Rangatahi Toa, Manawa Ora- Tōku Whakaruruhau (2023) led by Chirs Graham and Hadleigh Pouesi; Nappyboys Dance company led by Ankaramy Fepuleai; NZX-NEXT led by Kiel Tutin.
Sherrick is passionate about teaching and works closely with Tertiary Institutions and Māori communities to facilitate Māori style movement workshops to create awareness and representation for Māori narratives. Sherrick has worked under many artists and Rangatira in the industry which has shaped the way he creates and views the world. Being guided by Tūpuna and creating mokopuna decisions he aspires to use the realms of Te Ao Māori to deepen his connection to movement and indigenous creative practices.