YMCĀ

Hot off the heels of the Venice Biennale Danza and The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave, acclaimed choreographer Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu) brings his distinctive voice in this first full-length commission by Atamira Dance Company — the tuakana platform for Māori contemporary dance.

A bold takatāpui rebirth of the Village People, YMCĀ parallels the pop culture icons through a cast caught between character and confession; a discography of performed identities that interrogate the archetypes, the macho men, and the staging of queerness and indigeneity. 1970s luxe meets 18th-century bloodshed — a disco interior with a cultural inferior.

Alluring, camp-soaked, and unapologetically original, YMCĀ invites audiences into a world where appropriation has never looked so good.
 

CREDITS:

Kaitito Nekehanga | Choreographer: Oli Mathiesen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu)

Kaikanikani | Dance Artists: Abbie Rogers (Kāi Tahu, Te Arawa), Caleb Heke (Ngāpuhi), Madison Tumataroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera), Sharvon Mortimer (Ngāti Porou), Tai Taranui Hemana (Te Arawa), Toalei Pearl (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kauwhata)

Kaihoahoa, Kaiwhakahaere Hanga Hotaka | Production Design & Management: Filament Eleven 11

Whakatairanga | Campaign

Creative Direction: Kaan Hiini (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa)

Photography: Sophie Miya-Smith

Videography: Benj Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tamanuhiri)

Te Kāhui o Atamira | Atamira Management

Kaihautū | Director: Bianca Hyslop (Te Arawa)

Kaiwhakahaere | General Manager: Ashley M. David

Kaiwhakaputa Auaha | Creative Producer: Marama Lloydd (Ngāpuhi, Te Tahawai, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu)

Kaiwhakaputa Tairanga, Ako | Marketing and Education Producer: Abbie Rogers (Kāi Tahu, Te Arawa)