LOCAL REFUGEE AND MIGRANT COMMUNITIES CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF MIXIT
Mixit presents
MiXit TEN
A celebration of 10 years refugee and migrant creative community work
An inspirational mini-festival MiXit TEN celebrates the tenth anniversary of Mixit though photography, film, performance and a world picnic from 8th-16th January at TAPAC. Celebrate diversity and creativity when MiXit TEN showcases talented youth from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The climax of this exciting festival is A Gala Cabaret Performance on Saturday 16th Jan, featuring a wild evening of dance, music, theatre and laughter!
Mixit is a community project that supports young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds through creativity, and has
been providing a safe and inspiring platform for new young Aucklanders since 2006. Free and accessible workshops are
offered every weekend, along with annual summer performance intensives. For over a decade Mixit has supported hundreds
of young people gain core life skills and increase their capacity to negotiate a pathway into a new and culturally
unfamiliar environment. A Youth Leadership programme has evolved with an underpinning commitment to mentor youth who in
turn support those coming up behind them.
At the heart of the MiXit TEN celebrations is a multi-cultural team of 25 young people aged between 14 to 24 years from an extraordinary range of
backgrounds and experiences – refugee, migrant and local. They will have their hands full creating, organising, hosting
and of course performing! Collaborating on this project is a team of professional artists including theatre directors Ben Crowder and Margaret-Mary Hollins, choreographers Moss Patterson and Jahra Wasasala, and theatre allrounders Ahi Karunaharan, Tawanda Manyimo and Rina Patel. Bringing this all together is the dedicated and enthusiastic producer and project director Wendy Preston, who helped found MiXit ten years ago, and has been leading the project since.
MiXit TEN kicks off on Friday 8th Jan. with the opening of a photographic exhibition(8th – 16th) featuring images from Mixit in action both in studio workshops and public performances spanning the ten
year period, and followed by a screening of compiled archival video footage at 6.30pm and 7pm. An inspiring selection of
still and moving images that capture the colour and dynamics of Mixit and the river of people who have passed through
the project.
Bring a rug and all the crew to the world picnic on Tuesday 12th Jan. and enjoy an evening of food, games and entertainment. Indulge your tastebuds with international cuisine by the refugee
women of the WISE Collective, alongside a good old school style Kiwi BBQ. This welcoming and family orientated event
includes a 4-square tournament, lip sync competition and teaser glimpses from the Gala Cabaret. Come down for a relaxing
and joyful evening!
Next up is a studio discussion and presentation on Thursday 14th Jan, featuring a panel of past and present Mixit participants, regular guest artists and the leadership team. Be inspired
by the Mixit programme as you learn about the values and philosophical cornerstones, milestones, discoveries and amazing
stories of the past and creative dreams for the future. Looking towards global connections Mixit will be streaming this
content live online.
To top off this colourful and engaging festival Mixit presents MiXit TEN: A Gala Cabaret Performance on Saturday 16th Jan. An extravagant night of laughter, dance, music, theatre, disruptive cabaret and surprising treasures. Expect the
unexpected in this exceptional celebration of Mixit’s people, stories and spirit performed by an energetic group of
young Mixit personalities! With cabaret style seating, food and wine, and a true plethora of performing arts, this
evening will be an incredibly special occasion not to miss. Bookings are essential.
Follow us and find out more at www.mixit.co.nz
MiXit TEN
TAPAC, 100 Motions Road, Western Srpings
Photographic Exhibition and screenings
Friday 8th Jan. 6pm. Screenings: 6.30pm, 7pm.
International Picnic
Tuesday 12th Jan. 6pm.
Studio Discussion and Presentation
Thursday 14th Jan. 6pm.
MiXit TEN: A Gala Cabaret Performance
Saturday 16th Jan. 8pm.
Bookings at: www.tapac.org.nz, (09) 845 0295
ENDS