June 02, 2016
Whare Matoro a Matariki dance revival
Te Papa in Wellington kicks off Matariki this weekend with an event that gives rangatahi from round the country a chance to merge their kapa haka moves with modern and street dance styles.
Matariki programme organiser Mere Boynton has been working with Kereama Te Ua from Whitireia Polytech on Te Whare Matoro: The house of entertainment, which includes poi and haka workshops as well as two concerts.
She says Te Whare Matoro was where young people would gather to perform in the dark days of winter, and that’s the spirit they’re trying to revive.
"Most of them have got a group of about 12 together and they do six minutes of hard out kapa haka fused with contemporary dance and performance so we are looking to see some amazing performances. It's going to be pretty exciting," Ms Boynton says.
Later in the month 500 kaumatua are converging on Te Papa for what has become a Matariki highlight, the kaumatua kapa haka.
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