Fatu na Toto: Planted Seeds, a Samoan Immigrant Story

Tempo Dance Festival

Saturday 12^th October

6:30pm

One Night Only

Following on from a sold out premiere season at Wellington's Fringe Festival and playing to the local Porirua community earlier in the year – Fatu na Toto finally comes to Auckland in a one night only bash that promises to blow the roof off Auckland's Q-Theatre during Tempo Fest 2013.

Fatu na Toto (Planted Seeds) is a lyrical tale, a Samoan musical that lays out an immigrant story of a young couple moving to Niu Sila (New Zealand) with dreams of finding a “land of milk and honey.”

But life in a new land and working the factory floor offers up new challenges and the dream soon falls into the reality of facing these challenges as this young couple try to sew the seeds of a New Zealand born generation.

Renowned dance writer and lecturer Jennifer Shennan in her review of the premiere show says that it is “heartfelt” and that Tupe Lualua “has triumphed by finding a way to harness the old dances of her heritage with the forces operating in the new land.”

This tale brings together three lines of generation, an orator narrator who speaks of ancient Samoan values, the young couple, and the next generation; the tale of a young girl brought up with New Zealand values and trying to find a connection with the cultural heritage of her parents.

Fatu na Toto is devised and directed by Tupe Lualua, who brings together contemporised Samoan heritage dance and song in an uplifting emotional story that reflects her own experience growing up in Porirua, Wellington.

The show being dedicated to her late mother and having her father fill the role as the orator brings it home that this story is close to the bone and reflects much of Tupe's real experiences.

Shennan again describes this, “The imagery of gardening in the title, with the notion of one generation composting another, rings true. Inside us the dead.”

Fatu na Toto is one of the must see shows in this year's Tempo Dance Festival especially for those who may fully appreciate the Samoan dialogue and oratory throughout the show. But even without a knowledge of Samoan language you will appreciate the dance and a story that intertwines song and musical elements with live musicians and a large cast that will fill the stage in a visual and aural feast.

On at Tempo, Q-Theatre, Saturday 12^th October, 630pm

Book at Ticketek or go to www.tempo.co.nz/home/fatu-na-toto/ for more details.

Fatu na Toto is presented by Pacific Dance NZ & Tempo Fest in association with Le Moana Productions.

For media enquiries email marketing@pacificdance.co.nz

Or call 022 123 1050