TUA O TE ARAI: 2015-18
Research and Performance
Tua o Te Arai - beyond the veil, after death
By Charles Koroneho
Shrouded in mystery, the passage of the dead in Maori ancestral stories is relayed as a series of arduous tests to complete on their way to the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. The journey converges at Te Oneroa a Tohe (Ninety Mile Beach), a symbolic vista curving its way to Te Rerenga Wairua - Leaping place of spirits.
A spiritual hiatus, the performance takes place at Te Arai, a resting place for spirits, a site for talismans created by the dead, symbols of a life lived, lamentation artifacts, remembrance objects both real and abstract.
Crawl, walk, run, and dance Te Arai, a world beyond ours, transit of the departed, ephemeral footsteps, relentless journey.
Creative Research
The following provocations and material practices will be explored for conceptual development and choreographic processes.
Hiatus and Repose - movement, spatial, design exploration
Artifact Making - remembrance, talisman, keepsake, memento
Tikiwananga - binding, weaving and lashing
Ataamira - aesthetic preparation and presentation of the dead
Rakau Atua - transit staff (space), earth post (negotiate), sky pillar (conduit)
Hybrid Training
Explore hybrid movement training with MB, MB Rakau and Applied Martial Arts movement and mobility exercises. Learn maori martial arts training methods to develop dexterity with mau rakau (Maori Weaponry Training ). Utilize the rakau (wooden staff) to help define and extend the architecture of the body in space. Move from individual training to spatial activation with MB, dance the space as a communal body and negotiate thresholds to explore movement intensity and difficulty. Bridging communal space, the final stage of the hybrid training is one on one mobility exercises from martial arts that encourage contact, sensory exchange and speed training. Two aspects of the partnering detail attack and defence - agitation and annoyance, as a means to promote spontaneity, sensitivity and new movement patterns.
Tua o Te Arai - beyond the veil, after death
By Charles Koroneho
Shrouded in mystery, the passage of the dead in Maori ancestral stories is relayed as a series of arduous tests to complete on their way to the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. The journey converges at Te Oneroa a Tohe (Ninety Mile Beach), a symbolic vista curving its way to Te Rerenga Wairua - Leaping place of spirits.
A spiritual hiatus, the performance takes place at Te Arai, a resting place for spirits, a site for talismans created by the dead, symbols of a life lived, lamentation artifacts, remembrance objects both real and abstract.
Crawl, walk, run, and dance Te Arai, a world beyond ours, transit of the departed, ephemeral footsteps, relentless journey.
Creative Research
The following provocations and material practices will be explored for conceptual development and choreographic processes.
Hiatus and Repose - movement, spatial, design exploration
Artifact Making - remembrance, talisman, keepsake, memento
Tikiwananga - binding, weaving and lashing
Ataamira - aesthetic preparation and presentation of the dead
Rakau Atua - transit staff (space), earth post (negotiate), sky pillar (conduit)
Hybrid Training
Explore hybrid movement training with MB, MB Rakau and Applied Martial Arts movement and mobility exercises. Learn maori martial arts training methods to develop dexterity with mau rakau (Maori Weaponry Training ). Utilize the rakau (wooden staff) to help define and extend the architecture of the body in space. Move from individual training to spatial activation with MB, dance the space as a communal body and negotiate thresholds to explore movement intensity and difficulty. Bridging communal space, the final stage of the hybrid training is one on one mobility exercises from martial arts that encourage contact, sensory exchange and speed training. Two aspects of the partnering detail attack and defence - agitation and annoyance, as a means to promote spontaneity, sensitivity and new movement patterns.
Tua o Te Arai Performance Workshop: 23 - 27 January 2017, Sydney, Australia
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