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The Pacific Dance Festival [June 2nd – 23rd] will offer audiences a fresh and
diverse showcase of works by Pacific choreographers in a season
celebrating New Zealand’s vibrant Pacific dance scene. The festival
is now in its third year and has expanded to a month of events
including live performances, workshops, a film screening, and a
Pacific dance costume exhibition.

Headlining the programme is the return of Aloali’i Tapu, the #SonofOtara,
who has been based in Germany in recent years. After winning
Germany’s national prestigious Faust Award for best dancer in 2016,
Aloali’i returns to premiere his brand-new solo and full-length
work, Goodbye Naughton.

The performance programme of the festival launches with the diversity programme Moana featuring works by Tia Sagapolutele, Lyncia Muller, Rikki Tofi and an ensemble piece by New Zealand School of Dance graduates.
The evening performances of the festival include a debut from artist
Jacob Tamata of leading arts collective COVEN, who will
premiere his brand-new work Bionica, produced by
FAFSWAG. A showcase double-bill (Pou and Anga)
features Aue Dance’s Vivian Aue and Manu
Collective’s Xavier Muao Breed while Blueprint presented by S.U.B. and lead Tū Move choreographers
Connor Masseurs and Toa Paranihi promises an eclectic
mix of hip hop, contemporary and the theatrical.

Marking the first international show to be programmed in the Pacific Dance Festival,
Fijian based Rotuman performing arts group Rako Pasefika will be making
their debut visit to Aotearoa. Rako Pasefika have performed across
the globe to critical acclaim and will perform five festival shows
(Thursday 21 – Saturday 23 June), following their appearance in the
2018 Commonwealth Games in April.

“We’ve travelled almost everywhere else in the world, but never to the
capital of the Pacific – Auckland!” said Rako director Paul
Dominiko. “It’s an exciting moment for us to finally share our
story with our Aotearoa family, and hopefully hear some stories
ourselves.”

Being the world’s largest ‘Polynesian City’, Auckland has long led the Global
Pacific arts scene. The Festival provides a platform to express
Pacific dance across genre and format; this year across medium too.

Co-presented by the Auckland Museum and Pacific Dance New Zealand, the Mangere Arts
Centre gallery will be adorned by a unique dance costuming
exhibition, Fa’aaliga: Beyond The Grass Skirt.
Fa’aliga in Sāmoan means to ‘reveal something’ or a
‘revelation’ and this exhibition, along with the performance
programme, promises to be exactly that. A number of precious Pacific
dance costumes, on loan from Auckland Museum’s collections, will be
displayed in public for the first time, offering an eye-opening view
of the diversity of Pacific cultural costumes. Co-curated by new
vision artist Rosanna Raymond and festival director Sefa
Enari the exhibition also includes items contributed by the
artists included in the festival; offering another view of the
diverse modern urban Pacific diaspora.

In another first, the Festival is also heading into the central city, with the Auckland
Art Gallery playing host to Pacific Dance On Screen on
Sunday 10 June. A joint venture between Pacific Dance New Zealand,
Auckland Art Gallery, Pollywood Pasifika Film and Pacific
Islanders in Film & TV, the curated programme will be a free
screening of short films themed around dance from across the Pacific.

A number of dance and professional development workshops will also be held at various
locations throughout the city by Dione Joseph, Rako Pasefika, NZ
School of Dance and Tahiti Ia Ora. A new work will also be
created during the festival by Wellington’s leading Pacific dance
troupe - Le Moana at Te Oro Arts Centre.

Hon. Carmel Sepuloni MP will officially open the festival along with the
official opening of the costume exhibition on Saturday 2 June, 10am
at Mangere Arts Centre.

Born out of the Pacific Dance Choreographic Laboratory (since 2009),
the festival provides an opportunity for Pacific choreographers to
create, develop, and perform original dance works in a celebration of
Pacific cultures.

PACIFIC DANCE FESTIVAL 2018

Saturday
2 – Saturday 23 June
https://www.pacificdance.co.nz/

#PACDANCEFEST2018
#PACIFICDANCEFESTIVAL

Tickets:

Waged adult - $25.00

Unwaged adult - $20.00

Student, senior & industry - $18.00

Children (3-14yrs) - $12.00

Polypass (4 shows) - $60.00

Available on Eventfinda
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2018/pacific-dance-festival-2018/auckland/mangere

PERFORMANCE
PROGRAMME:

Exhibition and Festival Launch

Saturday 
2 June, 10am; Mangere Arts Centre

Hon. Carmel Sepuloni MP, will launch the festival with the official
opening of Fa’aliga: Beyond The Grass Skirt costume exhibition,
followed by short snippets of works from the festival programme, and
a performance by Tahiti Ia Ora. An industry invited event – please
contact marketing@pacificdance.co.nz if you would like to attend

Moana

Tuesday
12 – Wednesday 13 June, 7pm; Mangere Arts Centre

A collection of short works by upcoming performers, featuring Ufitia
Sagapolutele, Lyncia Muller, Rikki Tofi, and the New Zealand School
of Dance third year students

Blueprint

Thursday
14 June, 7pm; Mangere Arts Centre

Combining an experience of hip hop, contemporary dance, and theatre, S.U.B
presents a web of moments that have an effect on how we live our
lives.

Goodbye Naughton

Friday
15 – Saturday 16 June, 8pm; Mangere Arts Centre

PREMIERE:
A dance-theatre performance which pays homage to the experiences that
have shaped the life of the Otara grown artist, Aloalii Tapu.

Double-bill:
ANGA + POU

Tuesday
19 – Wednesday 20 June, 7pm; Mangere Arts Centre

Double-bill performance, featuring Vivian Aue’s 'ANGA' and Xavier Muao Breed’s
'POU'

BIONICA

Thursday
21 June, 7pm; Mangere Arts Centre

PREMIERE:
Jacob Tamata and the COVEN collective present BIONICA to take
“living” beyond the futuristic plain into a universe narrated and
moved by Brown Pasifika Queer / Trans artists.

Rako Pasefika presents Cloaks of Protection

Thursday 21 – Saturday 23 June; Mangere Arts Centre

INTERNATIONAL:
Fijian based Rotuman international dance troupe Rako Pasefika presents Cloaks of
Protection, an introductory work to a large series of multi media,
multi form, performance installation to be opened at the end of 2018
called MamaHanua.

Matinee shows: Thu 21 & Fri 22, 11am; Thu 21, 1pm

Evening
shows: Fri 22 & Sat 23, 8pm

WORKSHOPS
AND FILM SCREENING:

Producers
Workshop (20
places available)

Tuesday
5th June, 6pm - 9pm; The Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn

Topics covered in the workshop: funding projects, finance, project
management, budgeting and insights into the industry from arts
stakeholders such as Creative New Zealand, DANZ Aotearoa and other
industry players.

To register for this workshop, please contact
auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

Writers Workshop (12
places available)

Thursday
7th June; 6pm - 9pm TBC; The Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey
Lynn

Facilitated by Dione Joseph this is the first of a series of three experiential
parts of the developmental ‘review writing process. At the end of
this workshop you will have produced a publishable review and
understood the challenges and highlights that go with it.

To register for this workshop, please contact
auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

Le Moana

Wednesday
6 – Saturday 9 June, 10am-3pm; Te Oro Arts Centre

Le Moana, Wellington’s premiere Pacific dance group, presents a series
of Pacific dance workshops in creation of an original work.

FREE:
To register for this workshop, please contact
auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

Tahiti Ia Ora

Saturday
9 June, 4-6pm; Metro Theatre, Mangere East

Tahiti
Ia Ora presents a workshop of Tahitian drum and dance.

FREE:
To register for this workshop, please contact
auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

Pacific Dance On Screen – film screening

Sunday
10 June, 3pm; Auckland Art Gallery

Pacific
Dance New Zealand and Pollywood Pasifika Film supported by Auckland
Art Gallery and Pacific Islanders in Film & TV, present a public
screening of short films and archival footage.

FREE EVENT: To register for this workshop, please contact
auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

For media enquiries please contact:

Kelly Geater at Elephant Publicity | 09 368 4180 | 027 245 4094 |
kelly@elephantpublicity.co.nz

For festival enquiries, please contact
Aaron Taouma at Pacific Dance Festival | (09) 376 0060 |

marketing@pacificdance.co.nz