Tama Ma

Two of New Zealand's most acclaimed contemporary dancers are taking their celebrated dance work Tama Ma on the road.

Taane Mete and Taiaroa Royal premiered Tama Ma at Tempo Dance Festival (Auckland) in 2008, they performed to sell out crowds and rave reviews. Metro Magazine announced that Tama Ma was the 'Best Dance' in Auckland in 2008, and the duo won four awards at the official Tempo Dance Award ceremony. Now due to popular demand they are taking their award winning show to audiences all around New Zealand.

"A sustained standing ovation greeted dancers Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete...The applause honoured the breadth and depth of their richly satisfying performance, their extraordinary artistry, and the excellence of all aspects." Raewyn Whyte, NZ Herald.

Tama Ma tells the story of two men who travel from boyhood, to manhood, and the real life tale of love, life, joy and sorrow. The five part act moves from a short dance film projected on stage to a drag queen's journey to femininity and the return back to masculinity. A young boy's connection to his Whanau (family) and Iwi (tribe) and a mature man's ideas of identity are also deeply explored. Presented as a five act autobiographical dance journey; Tama Ma is powerfully performed by Taane Mete and Taiaroa Royal; the distinguished Douglas Wright choreographs Act 2 while the extraordinary talents of Michael Parmenter shape Act 4. This is the first time that the celebrated choreography skills of Douglas Wright and Michael Parmenter have ever been presented in the same show.

Mark Summerville - Director, and Heather Lee - Producer, from Zoomslide Films also collaborated on Tama Ma; they produced a short film that plays in Act 1 of the performance while also creating a documentary about the process of making of the dance. Eden Mulholland is also on board as musical director, using his vast talents to create a magical soundscape.

Event listed by bberryman

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