Korana ~ A Celebration of World Music & Dance

Korana is a Malagasy word that expresses the joy and the noise we make when we get together, and we are happy to see each other, especially after not seeing each other for a while. This includes lots of singing and dancing.

Join us for a celebration of Music and Dance! Journey with us, and be entranced by songs and dances from Madagascar, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Guinea. Moringa Dancers, Kubatana Drummers, Ollin Yoliztli, Wellington Community Choir, Flying Jaranas, and Kotaba Voices are joining forces to create a performance full of energy, joy, and community spirit.

About the artists/groups:

Kubatana & the Moringa Dancers are a high-energy Wellington-based drum and dance ensemble. We have come together through a shared passion for the collaboration of live music and expressive movement. The rhythm of life is in the pulse of the drums. We will get you rocking with some uplifting West African rhythms and dance that will make your spirit soar. Kubatana means UNITY in the Shona language. A Moringa is a vessel bringing precious water to dry places. This group comes from all walks of life, but when we play together as a group, we become one, and Unity, for us, is what drumming & dance are all about. We are a multicultural group with members from across the globe including the UK, Brazil, US, Mexico, France, Spain, Chilé, and NZ.

Wellington Community Choir aims to provide all people, whatever their background or ability, with an opportunity to sing together. We believe that singing together joyfully is natural and open to all, regardless of musical ability or previous experience.
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For thousands of years all over the world, people have sung to express joy, celebration, or grief, to accompany work or devotion, or to aid healing. Song has always been a part of life and a way of binding communities together. By sharing the music of different cultures at rehearsals and in performances, Wellington Community Choir celebrates diversity and promotes singing as a liberating and creative experience. We are proud to be a community choir that welcomes anyone at any stage throughout the year. There is no requirement to read music, we do not hold auditions and there are no formal joining procedures. We run the Choir ourselves on a not-for-profit basis. We do not sing competitively, but for the joy of singing.

Kotaba Voices is a fun, inclusive, all-welcome community choir for women of all ages. We offer vocal and rhythmic skills and sing traditional and original community songs from different parts of the world including those that are rooted in justice, empowerment, equality, and freedom. There is no need to read music and we don't hold auditions.

Ollin Yoliztli is a calpulli (community-based group) that draws its roots in Latin American culture, sharing subtle values of it through its traditional dances & music.
Ollin Yoliztli organizes events, workshops, and performances to share collective cultural knowledge, expressing the joy of being alive with movement through time and space, establishing ties with the community and shaping a cultural landscape as a medium to present their cultural identity and build bridges of communication.

Flying Jaranas started as an idea of sharing two main things: the tradition of Son Jarocho, a musical style born in the east coast of Mexico, and one of the instruments that make part of that universe, the jarana. Today formed by humans coming from different parts of the world, Flying Jaranas continues sharing its love for folk, Latin American and acoustic music, bringing together new instruments, repertoires and traditions from our respective backgrounds.