Ruaumoko

Overview

Atamira Dance Company collaborate with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to create Ruaumoko. Presented in association with the Auckland Arts Festival, Ruaumoko is a newly imagined Maori myth that follows fairy heroine Hine Ariki on her quest to reconcile peace after a shifting force has disturbed Ruaumoko, god of earthquakes and influencer of seasons. She’ll have to draw on the winds and rain to restore balance to the land.

The production is a unique partnership between 100 young performers and professional mentors, as Ruaumoko showcases the creative potential of fledging dancers between the ages of 5 to 25 alongside the Atamira dancers. With the production and the choreography drawing on the natural elements and destructive forces of nature in Maori mythology, audiences can expect contemporary dance that interprets and represents the intensity and energy of the gods and their wielded influence.

Choreographed by Atamira Dance Company’s Artistic Director Moss Patterson, the soaring dancers will meet their aural match with earth-shattering original music composed by Gareth Farr, 2010 Arts Laureate, and four-time winner of the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Outstanding Composer of Original Music, with additional soundscapes by renowned electronic composer Paddy Free (Pitch Black). Following the performance, a post show talk is scheduled for those interested in an insiders perspective on the creative process.