WOMAD New Zealand 2011: New Artists and Initiatives

*17 Hippies (GERMANY) *

With a band history that reads like a chronicle of Berlin’s music scene – from Krautrock to punk, jazz and classical music – 17 Hippies embraces everything from French chanson, to American folk, to Eastern European dirges. Through its history, band numbers have fluctuated from three to 20, with the touring ensemble numbering 13 players, with a groove foundation built around bass, banjo, guitar and ukulele, sometimes accordion and tenor horn, then embellished with cello, violins, clarinets, trumpet, trombone – and no percussion.

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*Better World Art Flags**(AUSTRALIA/UK)*

The result of a long term cultural exchange between Aboriginal artists from South Australia’s remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands and Angus Watt, the UK visual artist whose flags have flown at WOMAD NZ since 1999. Twenty original paintings telling the stories of Ngintaka (the Perentie Lizard Man) dreaming will be exhibited alongside 20 Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) in the Sky flags.

*Lawrence Arabia (NZ)*

Lyrical pop, indie rock or new folk? It’s hard to define the music of Lawrence Arabia but it is clear that he is one of New Zealand's best emerging songwriters with a unique voice and sound. Lawrence Arabia is the pseudonym of Christchurch-born James Milne, also singer-songwriter of The Reduction Agents and former member of the Brunettes and the Ruby Suns. James has produced music for television, film and theatre and his songs appeared in Taika Waititi's film /Eagle vs Shark/. In the past year Lawrence Arabia has toured extensively around Europe and the UK with Feist and Okkervil River including performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Lawrence Arabia’s album ‘Chant Darling’ released in March last year receive critical acclaim around the world. At WOMAD New Zealand 2011, the APRA Silver Scroll and Taite Music award-winner will perform songs from his much anticipated new album alongside his internationally acclaimed older material in a lively and entertaining Saturday afternoon trio set.

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*Mana Maoli (HAWAI’I, UNITED STATES)*

The Mana Maoli Collective (MMC) is a synergy of voices defining the new generation of music in Hawai‘i. MMC refers to the hundreds of artists who donate their time and talent to Mana Maoli live and recorded performances, in support of keiki, ‘aina, and pono. These artists span the range of seasoned veterans and living legends, to underground and adolescent prodigies, blurring the notions of age and time in a harmonious chorus of innovative, /Maoli Music/. Representing the Mana Maoli Collective in the upcoming tour and cultural exchange in Aotearoa (New Zealand) will be Kumu Hula Mehanaokala Hind and dancers, and an all-star band that includes Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter John Cruz, Anuhea, many members of Natural Vibrations, Kiliona Young and Lopaka Colon. They will be the largest Hawaiian group to perform at WOMAD, and the first to present Hawaiian music and hula workshops and performances there.

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*Sidestepper (COLOMBIA)*

Spontaneity, joy and Colombian passion erupt as Sidestepper entices Latin rhythms to slide alongside dub and electronic music. This is a band taking a forceful new line in dance music, uniting electronic trance with a Caribbean pulse for a timeless collective party, where drum and bass, dancehall and hip-hop shimmy in close proximity with their Latin cousins. From their original fusion of classic salsa and club beats, Sidestepper now takes in everything from deep Colombian folk influences to hip hop via cumbia, dancehall reggae, dub and Afrobeat, layering infectious melodies and crisp harmonies on top of rock solid beats. **

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*The Patea Maori Club (NZ)*

Taranaki group, Patea Maori Club is a household name. Their smash hit /Poi E/ was the biggest selling single in Aotearoa (New Zealand), peaking at No.1 for four weeks. The group has won award after award, including best group in the New Zealand Entertainer of the Year Award. In 1994 the first original soundtrack to /Poi E/ went gold and the group were awarded the Golden Scroll Award in the 1994 Entertainer of the Year Awards. Their iconic waiata /Poi E /again climbed the New Zealand music charts after featuring in /Boy/ the internationally acclaimed New Zealand movie. For WOMAD , The Patea Maori Club will undertake poi-making workshops at the WOMAD Te Pae Pae, before taking to the stage to perform and workshop an interactive poi extravaganza.

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*Tiki Taane and the Dub Soldiers, with Te Pou O Mangataawhiri (NZ)*

Ex-Samonella Dub, Tiki Taane embarked on his solo artist career in 2007 and has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of New Zealand’s most popular and diverse award-winning artists renowned as much for his powerful live performances as he is for his anthems. In November 2007, he released his debut LP /Past Present Future/ which achieved double platinum sales and saw his beautiful acoustic love ballad /Always On My Mind/ rise to No. 1. This tune broke two all-time NZ records - it sat in the charts for a record 54 weeks and was also the first-ever digital single to achieve platinum sales. Along with his band The Dub Soldiers, Tiki will be joined on stage by Te Pou o Mangataawhiri, the kapa haka group formed in 1921 by Te Puea Herangi.

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*TRAY SO: Three Sounds (CAMBODIA)*

Cambodian music, like its cuisine, has its own special flavour. Recent decades have seen numerous passionate moves to recapture the former richness of Cambodian music, theatre and dance, and to educate the young in traditions that were almost lost. The group TRAY SO, has been especially formed for WOMAD 2011, to bring to an international audience some of the endangered treasures of Cambodian music, including love songs, lullabies, songs of loss, songs of meditation, and well as the sounds of exotic instruments such as the evocative sneng, made out of an animal horn, and which was traditionally used to call elephants.

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*Whitireia Performing Arts Group (NZ/PACIFIC ISLANDS)*

The Whitireia Performing Arts Group will bring a show that mixes the challenge of the Maori Haka, the joy and energy of Samoa and sensual rhythms and drums of the Cook Islands to the festival this year. This dynamic contemporary cultural group is drawn from students and graduates at Whitireia NZ, a tertiary training institute just north of Wellington City.

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*Will Crummer & The Rarotongans (COOK ISLANDS/RAROTONGA)*

Will Crummer is a living Pacific treasure: a master singer and encyclopaedia of Polynesian song. The father of New Zealand singing star Annie Crummer, Will was born in the small village of Turangi in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, where he grew up surrounded by music: the singing of his mother, his grandfather’s wind-up gramophone, the ukuleles and handmade percussion of the local string bands. And there was the radio, which brought him exotic voices from across the seas: Nat ‘King’ Cole, Jim Reeves, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley were a few of his favourites. From these various sources Will Crummer forged his personal singing style, blending the crooning of the pop stars with the rich and romantic tradition of Rarotongan song. In the 60s, Crummer came to New Zealand and performed, recorded and toured the Pacific, travelling as far as Tahiti and Hawaii. In late 2010 Will Crummer went into Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios to record his first album in four decades, accompanied by a group including Annie on harmonies and pa’u (traditional Rarotongan bass drum) and son Pat on guitar and ukulele.

*WOMAD Community Project*

WOMAD heads into the community in the lead-up to the festival with activities from Monday 14 March.

• Sudanese ensemble *Rango* will be working with students at Tikorangi School. Year 5 and 6 students will participate in the workshop on Thursday17 March and following the workshop, the students and Rango will perform at the Jury Garden to invited guests. Supported by Todd Energy.

• *Mana Maoli*from Hawaii will stay at Aotearoa Marae in Okaiawa and will do workshops with South Taranaki school students, including students from Auroa, Kaponga Primary, St Patricks Kaponga and the Kura Kaupapa Maori O Nga Ruahinerangi, and conduct workshops with students from Hawera Intermediate at TSB Hub in Hawera. All students who take part in the three days of workshops will join with Mana Maoli for a performance. Sponsored by Shell New Zealand and supported by TSB Community Trust.

• Costume making will take place from 16-17 March with *Tarja Parbbruwe* at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery. Tarja was a member of Empress Stiltdance and was a finalist at WOW in 2010. Sponsored by New Plymouth District Council

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*Dance Zone*

Putting the “D” for Dance into WOMAD, a brand new element of WOMAD New Zealand 2011 is the development of the Dance Zone in the Kunming Garden. The Dance Zone will include interactive dance workshops and demonstrations with live music, for all ages, featuring Brazilian workshops in samba, maculele and capoeira; hula from Hawai’i, and Chinese dragon and lion dancing. Maori and Pasifika dance workshops will also be offered in the Te Pae Pae area, and Columbian group Sidestepper will present workshops onstage.

* Wellington-based performers and teachers, from *Zamba Bem* and *Capoeira Arunde* will teach dances of Brazil including samba, maculele and capoeira. Maculelê is an Afro-Brazilian dance and a martial art where a number of people gather in a circle called a roda and use sticks. Samba is the national dance of Brazil and is perhaps one of the most energetic and exhilarating of Latin dances! Originally created by slaves brought to Brazil from Africa, Capoeira is an art form that encompasses dance, martial arts, acrobatics, music and philosophy. * The Wellington Sports and Cultural Centre *Dragon Dance Team* was the first New Zealand group to compete in the World Dragon Dance Championships in Hong in 2010. Their spectacular and acrobatic performance involves a team of 13 highly synchronised dancers with live music. Learn some fun moves at the Dance Zone. For all ages with some baby dragons available for kids. * *Whitireia Performing Arts Group*mix the challenge of the Maori haka, the joy and energy of Samoa and sensual rhythms and drums of the Cook Islands. Graduates and students from Whitireia Polytechnic in Porirua will lead a workshop exploring Pasifika dance. * Learn the authentic hula moves from *Mana Maoli* hula expert Kumu Hula Mehanaokala Hindand dancers from Hawai’i. Experience the unique culture of Hawai’i and get those hips moving in a fun and energetic workshop at Te Pae Pae.

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*Village of Wellness*

A new initiative for 2011: WOMAD festival goers can revive their bodies, minds and souls with massages from experts who use different techniques from many cultures. Festival-goers will also have access to various kinds of spiritual readings from experienced practitioners in the field and will be able to experience Reiki and other forms of energy and spiritual healing. Plus, foot spas for those tired dancing feet.

ENDS

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