Reviews of Mapunpuna
TEMPO '08 Dance Festival
Mapunpuna - short works by ATAMIRA Dance Company
TAPAC at WEstern Springs, 1-3 October 2008
Reviewed by Raewyn Whyte for NZ Herald (excerpt)
Popular with opening week audiences were two works in progress presented by Atamira. Maaka Pepene's darkly lit duet, Te Kore, beautifully danced by himself and Justine Pepene-Hohaia, at once explored the Creation realm of Maori tradition and the intimacy of procreation and birth. With a subtle ambient score by Tapua Heydon Hohaia, the dancers entwined and continually shifted their positions against the floor, drawing the audience into their tender embrace without any sense of voyeurism.
In utter contrast, Moana Nepia's brightly lit Waiata Poi had the dancers dressed in alternating layers of bitter orange and bright pink netting attached to laced-up bodices for the women and bare chests for the men, suggesting at once postmodern ballet tutus, candy floss cones, fire poi, and a flock of chattering parrots.
This wickedly deconstructive dance intermixed the dynamics and formal proprieties of ballet and poi performance to produce a richly eccentric vocabulary and syntax which can be further extended and fully mastered as the work continues to develop. The dancers also playfully engaged with each other, at times almost clowning around, and there were humorous moments before the final calming port de bras drew the work to a close.
Reviewed by Felicity Molloy for Theatreview 02 Oct 2008
Some artists can make a dark thing light; dark, not as in lack of light, nor light as in superfluous humour but more about shades. In this performance of ATAMIRA Dance Company it seemed more about the shades of time.
The opening section of tonight’s programme was barely lit. Lighting designer, Vanda Karolczak, has a knack of lighting dance darkly and this sensuous, dancing loving between couple, Maaka Pepene and Justine Pepene-Hohaia unfolded as the night makes way to day. This dance similarly released us into an eclectic programme. Each dance, opportunity for a different choreographic exposure not seamless but decidedly richly entertaining.
Atamira dancers, like many of this country’s job and independent dancers lack some of the finesse and movement ranges that I associate with high end contemporary dance theatre, but their exploration of Maoriness, of gesture and history has an integrity which pulls their work back into excellence. Subtle, gestural reminders of ritualised movements remains at the forefront of their work and promotes opportunity after opportunity to dip deeply into the expressive realms of expression that have made this dancing troupe what they are.
According to the programme notes, Jack Gray’s Maapuna, was inspired by a recent trip to Hawaii, instead the work last night revealed a different journey, as though Gray had reached into a cellular self to find the traces of much older movement memories.
Louise Potiki Bryant’s most successful film so far again dipped into the unconscious. The textures between natural forms and body shifting between shades of beauty provoked rhythms as timeless as wind.
Dolina Wehipeihana’s work, though an uneasy fit with last night’s show, suggested a desire for a more (or less?) visceral response too. Pepene’s acute sensitivity in his soulful singing and diatribes held a question for me, about the nature of their work, their message and about the opportunity for this performance vehicle to allow Atamira to most fully explore their artistic voices.
Moana Nepia has works in two different programmes at the tempo dance Festival. Both well worth watching. It is really refreshing to see his work back out of the box. Waiata Poi is deliciously faulty, not that subtle, droll and fun, lovely, lovely costumes - a crowd pleaser. I think so.
These dancers and choreographers have sent us a great show. It is deep, not so deep, dark but not dark. It's great – a great tempo start for me anyway.
