Ten Summers Of Pacific Arts Ends In Celebration

Ten Summers Of Pacific Arts Ends In Final Celebration

After presenting 10 festivals in Christchurch, Pacific Underground will cease delivering the annual Pacific Arts Festival as it prepares for the final time ‘Ten - Pacific Arts’ that will be held from 3 - 6 February, 2010. For the first time ever the popular Family Day that is the biggest celebration of the festival falls on Waitangi Day marking a significant change of direction for performing arts collective Pacific Underground (PU).

“It’s a good fit. As a group, we have traveled as far as Dunedin for Waitangi Day to join hands with our family in solidarity as Pasifika supporting Maori. Like Waitangi Day, the Family Day is our opportunity to celebrate who we are as Pasifika people living in Christchurch” says Festival and music director Pos Mavaega.

Pacific Underground members, who are all part of the festival team, will continue leading creative projects in theatre and music and with skills gained from the past 10 festivals continue working on events around the country.

“Some of us at PU work for Auckland’s Pasifika Festival and this year already, members have worked at the Parihaka Peace Festival, and the Big Day Out, and after Ten-Pacific Arts we’re working on production for a winery tour,” says Pos.

“We’ll replace the festival with a music gig called Pacific Roots South. We’ll still be supporting musicians and artists, but in a different setting,” says Pos. “It’s been a tough call for us, but 2009 was a big year with two new theatre shows - “Angels” and “Rangi and Mau’s Amazing Race”, a CD near completion, and bringing everything we could in a short time for the tsunami benefit concert ‘I Love The Islands’ as part of the national series. It reaffirmed for us where we are as a group and how far we have come with events. Our music and theatre shows still reflect very much who we are in New Zealand.”.

Te Kotahitanga Kapa Haka will once again open the Family Day as they have for the past 5 years, and bands the Te Hae Whanau, Sista Loops, Lincoln Drive, K.T.O, Norman Vaele, Restoration, cultural performances and more will spread throughout the day for a day of the city's best Pasifika and Maori entertainment. Siliga David Setoga and his Popo Hardwear T-shirt label, the most popular in Pacific t-shirts and straight out of South Auckland's Otara Markets will sell his merchandise at the Family Day for the first time. "It's only taken us around 10 years to get his merchandise down here" says Pos Mavaega. "We invited him to come down the last time we were at the markets because out the many t-shirt sellers we've seen over the years in Otara, Siliga remains to be the longest standing there.

J Williams, New Zealand rising star in R&B and Hip Hop headlines Ten-Pacific Arts as Pacific Roots South presents J Williams featuring Erekah, from the Illegal Music label. The all ages gig at The Bedford on Waitangi Day evening from 7.00pm welcomes kids and adults to see Christchurch’s break-dance icons Common Ground with Swarm as support acts for J Williams. Tickets are only $10 at Real Groovy, and for group bookings contact Pacific Underground

A brand new event to the programme is a Pecha Kucha ™ Night held at the Dux de Lux on Thursday 4 February at 7.00pm. The Special Edition night will feature significant Pasifika artists whose origins are in Christchurch, such as - Anton Carter also known as Antsman of Rhombus and The Nomad, Pacific Art historian Stephanie O’berg, Writer and Poet Tusiata Avia, Actor and filmmaker Barbara Carpenter, and playwright Victor Rodger with moret to be confirmed.

Mark Vanilau will play a concert at the Dux de Lux after the Pecha Kucha ™ Night. Mark’s long history with the festival started with Tribalincs, a 5 piece soul jazz fusion group. In 2006 when Mark embarked on a solo career, he toured as Dave Dobbyn’s keyboardist, vocalist, and still tours with him today. Mark will also join Anton Carter on Friday 4 February at 6pm for a Songmakers and Creative NZ workshop, before local reggae band D’sendantz and jazz artists K.T.O take to the stage from 8.30pm until late.

Art exhibition “Island Summers - Needlework, art, photography, music and dance” by Stephanie O’berg at Our City O-Tautahi is an exhibition that pays homage to 10 summers of Pacific Arts Festivals with historical photos of the event, and footage from TV1’s Tangata Pasifika. The exhibition also highlights work from the Cook Islands community - Tivaevae and new work from emerging artists. “Island Summers” is open until 9 February.

Canterbury Museum will once again host workshops, now an annual part of their summer programme: - Master Weaver with Misa Emma Kesha and Rokahurihia Ngarimu-Cameron; Pacific Adornment with Maria Godinet Watts and Traditional Poi Making by weaving collective Korowai Tahi held on Sunday 7 February.

There is other surrounding Waitangi Day events at The Arts Centre with the Tamaki Heritage Village presenting a re-enactment of NZ’s 150-year history and the Parihaka Exhibition - an exhibition and story of the peaceful resistance of the Parihaka Maoris to the taking of their land in the 1880’s to the fore.

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ENDS

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