A main-bill (Taumata) Atamira work by Te Rarawa/Ngati Porou choreographer Jack Gray. Mitimiti premiered in Auckland in 2015. Somewhere in the dunes, and on the edges of bloodied dreams, we are called to enter a new realm. The bones of yourself, of an ancestor, a whale, a house are literally fleshed out in a unique multi-level gallery-style presentation. An invitation to move amongst the transformed theatre space, immersed in film, light, reflection and sound, the poetic design layering a provocation to simply ‘be the place’.

This work dances the genealogy of universal mana. It shows the evolution of Te Kore, the realm of potential, called to the Hokianga, the historic landing place of Aotearoa by Kupe the Explorer. Embedded within the choreography are deep medicines of indigenous knowledge, shape shifting elemental beings, psychologies of space and time, invocations of the spirit and restoration of our ancestor, Tumoana. This dance is intentionally made for global audiences, opening spaces for ritualistic gathering and wananga and creating opportunities for connection through online and live participation. Mitimiti is a culminating product of five years of performance development workshops, trips to the Hokianga, a Marae DIY, international residencies and a conscious effort to explore tikanga methodologies, indigenous and Māori world view within global paradigms. Throughout this experience, the journey has always been the most important priority, where we have collectively learnt and unlearnt so much. The work as we know is only possible because of the sheer amount of blood, sweat and tears that rides on the back of all of our shared passions as artists, as humans and as a whanau.

Mitimiti is the departure point to disrupt, reconfigure, and invoke.