Pacific Dance Fest 2016

Pacific Dance Fest 2016

It's been talked about for years. But, Pacific Dance NZ has made a step to setup the inaugural Contemporary Pacific Dance Festival. We're starting small with an Auckland base but that's not to say we haven't got a great little programme on offer.

The Pacific Dance Festival 2016 brings together some of Aotearoa/New Zealand's finest contemporary Pacific dance talent in one place and over one week at the Mangere Arts Centre, Mangere, Auckland between June 13 and June 18.

If you want to see the range of creative talent in the contemporary Pacific dance scene, get yourself to this dance gathering.

Besides just a dance festival an exhibition of Pacific dance costumes, head dresses and adornments will add flavour to an already exciting offering of arts and culture.

The festival is based on the bringing together of previous Pacific Dance Choreographic Labs (2009 - 2015), giving artists the opportunity to re-present developed forms of their original works. The Lab, is an annual programme where Pacific choreographers have the opportunity to devise and develop brand new original works and perform these to what has been enthusiastic audiences.

Along with an array of talent from 'The Lab', a special performance of 'Fatu na Toto' by Le Moana Dance led by Tupe Lualua is a must see. In its previous run, Fatu na Toto sold out in Auckland and Wellington. It is also about to leave our shores and will be off to the San Diego International Fringe Fest following this season. Catch it while you can.

A special addition to the festival is the welcoming back of Julia Mage'au Gray, who was the original mentor of the Pacific Dance Choreographic Lab in 2009. Julia offers a Melanesian bent to the festival with her work 'Wearing My Map', an exciting mix of dance and video narrative not to be missed.

Private school matinees will run during the day showing off Leki Bourke's work 'Behold the Coconut', while Justin Haiu will also feature in matinee programming with his seminal work 'Call to Wallis'.

For booking information go to Eventfinder.co.nz

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