Mana Wahine: A Story of Woman’s Strength

A Story of Woman’s Strength

The Regent Theatre is delighted to have the only South Island showing of Okareka Dance Company’s new work, Mana Wahine.

There are three performances over two days, on 11 and 12 July, in the last weekend of the Puaka Matariki Festival, helping to round out an exciting Festival calendar.

Sarah Anderson, General Manager of the Regent Theatre, says “If Dunedin residents choose one show to go to this season, Mana Wahineis the one to choose. It will be exquisite and uplifting and will appeal to men and women of all ages.

“As the Puaka Matariki Festival continues to grow here and with the well-established and vibrant dance community in Dunedin, we are looking forward to showing many more works of this calibre.”

Artistic directors Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete lead a high calibre creative team to present this powerful new performance that personifies the strength of women.

Royaland Mete share the choreographic floor with World of Wearable Art (WOW) artistic director Malia Johnston to ignite the stage with a unique movement vocabulary drawn from the tale of Te Aokapurangi and ancient mythology.

The true story of Te Aokapurangi, a young maiden from Rotorua has been the pivotal inspiration behind this work. She was captured in battle by a tribe from the Far North and many years later she returned and single-handedly saved her people from slaughter. Her courage, determination and fearlessness fuels the choreographic style explored in this exciting new piece.

The basket of ideas accumulated over the past two years comes to fruition as the all-female cast carves the stage with dance, waiata and mesmerising imagery. Performers Bianca Hyslop, Maria Munkowits, Nancy Wijohn, Chrissy Kokiri and Jana Castillo were selected for this work both for their experience as dancers and for their experience as women.

Okareka Dance Company proved itself as one of New Zealand’s most dynamic companies with their critically acclaimed tours of Tama Ma(2009), Nga Hau E Wha(2012) and K Rd Strip(2013). Okarekahas also successfully demonstrated its mould-breaking and powerful work internationally with tours in America, Australia and China and, most recently, in The Netherlands during the Holland Dance Festival.

Mana WahineTimes: Friday11 July –7.30pm, Saturday12 July –2pm & 7.30pmVenue: Regent Theatre, 17 The Octagon, DunedinTickets: $25-$40(booking fees apply)Bookings:Regent Theatre box office, 477 8597 or atwww.ticketdirect.co.nz

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