Ruaumoko, Marama, Tar Baby

Ruaumoko –

was the struggle of light against dark, good against evil in a newly imagined Maori myth.  Heroine Hine Ariki sought to calm the rumblings of Ruaumoko, the earthquake god, by defeating evil forces with the aid of winds, rain, mythical creatures and her own inner strength.

The story was brought to life over four weeks for a single performance  by a hundred Auckland school children, the Atamira Dance Company, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra playing Gareth Farr’s 1997 music, and Paddy Free’s electronic soundscape.

Moss Paterson, the artistic director and choreographer, wove together the physical talent, creativity, discipline and coordination of the dancers, culminating in a thunderous mass haka  – a wonderful performance – so glad we went!

– Marama –

with new Pasifika Women’s Performance group The Conch

Four women from Pacific nations, including Aotearoa, used  dance, ritual, song, chant to immerse us in a visceral experience of deforestation and its impact on the whole fabric of nature and human beings.  A simple stage set transformed by creative changes in lighting and focus, theatre without words, visually powerful .

Clear message – cutting down indigenous forests destroys lives, in Aotearoa, on other Pacific Islands, anywhere.

-Tar Baby-

was a one woman performance at Te Pou Theatre, New Lynn.

Desiree Burch, a black American woman comedian, exposed our subtle and not-so-subtle ways as white people of dealing with issues of race, colour and culture. Her very funny commentary, interactive activities with audience members, and visual impacts, challenged us all to look beyond the comedy to the pain, and to learn.