Rongo Whakapā is the debut choreographic work by one of Aotearoa’s most captivating Māori contemporary dance artists Brydie Colquhoun (Ngāpuhi) on from Fri 11 – Sun 13 July at Te Pou Theatre. Presented by Atamira Dance Company this bold and intimate new work invites audiences into a circular, non-traditional space to experience performance in 360 degrees—free to move, enter, and exit the environment as they choose.
With five performances only and limited audience capacity Rongo Whakapā explores themes of connection, presence, and the tension between individualism and collective community. It asks us to slow down and consider new – and perhaps old – ways of gathering and witnessing.
Meaning “sense of touch,” Rongo Whakapā responds to a contemporary world marked by increasing disconnection. This 70-minute work invites people to tune in and be fully present as they share space with six dancers who build an ever-shifting environment through movement in a decolonised performance space.
Choreographer Brydie Colquhoun draws on her extensive embodied knowledge of contact improvisation, durational movement, and score-based practices, supported with sound design by Eden Mulholland and spatial design by Rowan Pierce. Building the foundational shape of this work are conversations, interviews, and wānanga with Mātanga Mātauranga Māori, whānau, colleagues, and friends around intimacy and connection in our contemporary lives.
“Brydie moves through the world with care, integrity, and intention. Rongo Whakapā is a beautiful unfolding of her journey—an offering of presence, intimacy, and reconnection. This work holds us gently while asking powerful questions about how we gather, how we touch, and how we listen.” — Bianca Hyslop (Te Arawa), Kaihautū, Atamira Dance Company
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
RONGO WHAKAPĀ
Choreographed by Brydie Colquhoun
Te Pou Theatre
Fri 11 July – 7.30pm
Sat 12 July – 4.00pm & 7.30pm
Sun 13 July – 2.00pm & 5.00pm
Duration: 70 minutes (no interval)
Tickets
Event: Rongo Whakapā – July 2025
