Congratulations Keneti Muaiava!

The final event in the 2011 South Auckland Pacific Arts Summit was the launch of the 2011 Pacific Dance Artist in Residence programme, delivered by Pacific Dance New Zealand with support from DANZ and Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Arts Committee.

BIG congratulations to Keneti Muaiava, the recipient of this year’s residency!

• Read more about Keneti’s residency project
• Keneti and Mau Maiava’s company, Vision Cultural Movement

MP Su’a William Sio, Filoi Vaila’au (Pacific Dance New Zealand) and Keneti Muaiava

Guest speaker, Mangere MP Su’a William Sio

Makerita Urale, Senior Programme Adviser – Pacific Arts Portfolio, Creative New Zealand

Makerita Urale (Creative New Zealand), MP Su’a William Sio, Keneti Muaiava and Susan Jordan (DANZ)

The PDNZ documentary team, Aaron Taouma + Popo Lilo

Ema Tavola (Auckland Council) and Mangere MP Su’a William Sio

Pacific Dance New Zealand in association with DANZ, Auckland Council and Creative New Zealand are calling for dancers to take part in the Pacific Dance Artist in Residence programme 2011.

This exciting eight-week dance residency is offered to an established New Zealand based dancer, dance choreographer or a director of Pacific Island descent with a proven track record of working in a community and or professional theatre context.

This year’s Pacific Dance Artist in Residence, Keneti Muaiava, is a master dancer specialising in Samoan dance. He is the co-founder for Vision Cultural Movement; an organisation that specialises in the maintenance of Samoan heritage arts & culture in Aotearoa.

The residency programme runs between Saturday 4June and Saturday 30 July 2011.

Keneti’s residency project is called “Past, Present and Future” and is centred around the teaching and development of three distinct Samoan dance styles whereby community dancers will have the opportunity to imbue themselves in the concepts and culture behind the movements while also exploring contextual elements making the dances both “authentic and relevant.”

This is a great opportunity for dancers from a variety of backgrounds to learn the Samoan dance styles of the Sasa, Fa’ataupati (slap dance) and ma’ulu’ulu (action dance) from a master teacher (tofuga) such as Keneti.

The residency will also allow for experimentation in the dance forms once the basic heritage form is learnt and will culminate in a final showing at the Metro Theatre on Saturday 30 July.

Dancers will partake in workshops for three days a week (three hours per day) but are not expected to have any prior knowledge of the dance forms, although this would help in the learning phases.

For registration and enquiries please email auckland@pacificdance.co.nz or phone Filoi Vaila’au on 09 370 0487.

Pacific Dance Residency LAUNCH!

The 2011 South Auckland Pacific Arts Summit will host the launch of the second Pacific Dance Artist Residency, an exciting initiative of Pacific Dance New Zealand!

In 2010, Justin Haiu was selected as the inaugural Manukau Pacific Dance Artist in Residence. Working with the youth within the Manukau community for 8 weeks, Justin presented ‘ID-me’ at the Mangere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, which explored youth identity as Pacific Islanders living and growing-up in Aotearoa.

Justin says about his experience, “I attained more knowledge and insight from the different roles that bring modern Theatre together. Being in a position where I was able to try out and expand on some of the creative thoughts brought about. It was a good experience to work from scratch and see how the whole process would come together.”

The inaugural eight week long Manukau Pacific Dance Artist in Residence was also listed as a ‘significant dance event’ by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) critic’s survey 2010.

Pacific Dance New Zealand in partnership with Auckland Council, DANZ and supported by Creative New Zealand, is now inviting submissions for the Auckland-based ‘Pacific Dance Artist in Residence 2011.’

This exciting new dance residency is offered to an established New Zealand based dancer, dance choreographer or a director of Pacific Island descent with a proven track record of working in a community and or professional theatre context.

The residency will be carried out in South Auckland for 8 weeks starting 4^th June 2011.

The successful applicant will be given the opportunity to create a dance work with participants from the community culminating in a public showing at the Metro Theatre (Mangere East Hall) on the 31^st July.

Applications close Friday 29^th April, 3.00pm.

For more details about the Pacific Dance Artist in Residence, please click on the following link http://www.pacificdance.co.nz/residency_2011.php

For enquires, you can contact us on (09) 3700487 or email auckland@pacificdance.co.nz

Meet the new Artist in Residence and learn more about Pacific Dance New Zealand at the Official Launch celebrations!

When: Saturday 4 June
Time: 1-4pm
Where: Metro Theatre, 362 Massey Road, Mangere East

All welcome!