KOTAHI is a unique international collaboration bridging the creative and cultural spaces of Atamira Dance Company (Aotearoa) and NAISDA Dance College in Darkinjung Country (Australia).

Three new contemporary dance works are presented over two extraordinary programmes, showcasing the visionary talents of tuākana (senior) choreographers Louise Potiki Bryant, Jack Gray and Frances Rings.

Thursday 4 October: Kotahi I opens Tempo Dance Festival with a pre-show intercultural ceremony at 6:30pm. Kotahi I features the epic beauty of "Onepū" (Sand) by Atamira founding member, Louise Potiki Bryant (Ngāi Tahu). “Onepū” is an expression of mana wahine - the intrinsic spiritual power of women, inspired by specific atua wahine (female deities/ancestors) from Ngāi Tahu creation traditions. With Onepū, Louise aims to honour these atua.

Friday 5 October: Kotahi II concludes the season with a double-bill presentation. "Indigenous Stamina", by Atamira Artistic Director Jack Gray (Ngāti Porou, Te Rarawa) is a work where indigenous knowledge meets contemporary interdisciplinarity. Enter into a palette of landscapes by Australian-based lighting designer Karen Norris (Tainui), motion capture by digital designer Miranda Smitheram (Kāi Tahu) and score by Infinite Dakota (Matao).

“Shapeshift” by Frances Rings (Kokatha, Head of Creative Studies NAISDA Dance College and Choreographer for Bangarra Dance Company) is a work that explores energy as it shifts between the ancestral and the contemporary space. Through Aboriginal songline and lineage, we encounter memory in body, spirit, and place as we restore cultural continuum to our contemporary lives. This NZ premiere with Atamira is a true milestone, bringing together Australian First Nations and Māori contemporary dance legacies.

Book for both Kotahi I and Kotahi II to get the full experience of KOTAHI.