For the first time ever, Wellington Pride Festival is getting its own official opening gala.

Held on Saturday, March 13 at the Wellington Opera House, He Tangata will be a grand celebration of the cross-section between queer and indigenous culture, both blessing and kicking off the 2021 festival.

He Tangata is an unveiling of takatāpuitanga, which means an 'intimate companion of the same sex' under Te Ao Māori. The choreography, produced and directed by Jayden Rurawhe and Paris Elwood, is an exchange between "the fluid feminine and masculine energies that bind the very fabric of Te Ao Māori."

Drawing from the lost story of Tiki and Tūtānekai, the dancers move through themes of creation, acceptance, death and remembrance. Performers shapeshift from bodies, whenua and forms of celestial beings, captured within a world of kapa kaka, taonga pūoro, lighting and projection.

Wellington Pride Festival runs from 13–27 March. See the full lineup of events here.

Image: Wellington Pride Festival.