A large-scale aerial dance theatre work based on Te Arawa iwi kōrero about Hatupatu and part-woman, part-bird Kurungaituku will premiere at the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington in February.
Boundary-pushing kaupapa Māori theatre company Taki Rua Productions will tour Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: a forbidden love - which it describes as “a thrilling immersive experience which evokes the towering bird realm, forests, and geo-thermal forces of Rotorua” - across the motu in February and March 2024.
The tour will start with the arts festival performances at Tāwhiri Warehouse in the capital, before moving to Tāmaki Makaurau and Ōtautahi, and then ultimately closing in the home of the eminent iwi kōrero, Rotorua.
Taki Rua said the theatre work is an example of “next-level” contemporary Māori performance.
The story follows the journey of young warrior Hatupatu as the mythological part-woman, part-bird – the guardian of the forest – ensnares him in her cave.
“An extraordinary story of love, betrayal, and sacrifice follows as Hatupatu struggles to fulfil his destiny,” Taki Rua said.
“Combining breathtaking aerial work by award-winning artistic director and aerialist Tānemahuta Gray (Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne, Waikato (whāngai)) and kapa haka developed in collaboration with Wētini Mītai-Ngātai (Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao), leader of two-time Te Mataini-winning kapa haka rōpū Te Mararae i o Rehu, this is next-level contemporary Māori performance.”
Inspired by his experience with world-leading Argentine aerial theatre company De La Guarda, Gray recreated an immersive world for the omnipresent Kurungaituku.
“This unique experience elevates, quite literally, a beautiful Māori story which so many in Aotearoa have read from a young age and inserts the audience right inside it,” Gray, who is also Taki Rua’s chief executive, said.
“The forests, geysers, and the bird realm are visceral for the audience – the story unfolds above and around them. It is an experience we hope sheds new light on this legendary love story and secures its place in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders long into the future.”
The FNZ season of Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: a forbidden love opens the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, in the festival’s new Tāwhiri Warehouse space, on Tuesday 20 February, and closes in Rotorua on Sunday 17 March.
While some seating is available for those who require it, this is a standing experience, Taki Rua said.
Tickets are on sale now.