TOMO

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".

The 2023 tour to Tāmaki Makaurau, Whangārei, and Kirikiriroa bookends the pandemic. It follows the pivot to a TOMO VR Film experience in Auckland, Vancouver and the NZ Doc Edge Festival XR Exhibition.

“How do you ‘choreograph’ wairua? Like this, with wisdom, clever craft and deep talent for knowing, how the shape of such things should be.”

Lyne Pringle, Theatreview 2023
Review