Whitireia Express hits town

Vamos! Whitireia Express hits town in June en route to festivals in Spain. This is the first time the Whitireia Performing Arts have performed a season in Wellington and it comes hot on the heels of sell-out performances in Sydney.

The Whitireia Bachelor of Applied Arts (Performing Arts) students moved to their new home at the Wellington Performing Arts Centre in February and they are looking forward to wowing the Wellington public with their vibrant cultural dance.

“It’s great to be in a new place performing to new faces,” says third year student John-Matai Ferguson.

Students of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Performing Arts) study Maori, Cook Islands, Samoan and Contemporary dance traditions as well as creative enterprise and contextual theory.

“The programme really pushes the boundaries of cultural traditions. We develop a contemporary feel to a number of different cultural traditions; it’s quite unlike other dance qualifications that focus on a single genre,” says Luana Tafeamaalii.

The June shows are a yearly tradition as the students perform a farewell season ahead of their appearance at international arts festivals. This year will see the students travel to Segovia, Burgos and Portugalete in Spain.

“It’s a really great experience, we learn a lot from all the other cultures that perform at the festivals. There isn’t any other performing arts group quite like us,” says another third year student Stephen Kira. “We often find people are amazed that we dance in bare feet.”

The students have become a must see event at the Blacktown annual festival in Sydney. In March they performed for Prime Minister John Key and in February at the Rugby World Sevens. Whitireia Performing Arts is often seen at corporate events at Te Papa. The students are proud of their hard work and excited to share it with a fresh audience in Wellington.

“This course is not just dancing. It’s a comprehensive study of choreography, dance industries and arts management,” says Luana Tafeamaalii.  “The third years take on the challenge of managing the overseas tour each year. Whitireia tutors always make sure we are looking towards our future,” she says.