A major performance by New Zealand's most prestigious dance company's Mau will debut in Sydney tomorrow.
The highly lauded show 'Birds with Skymirrors' has performed for the past two years at major festivals and theatres in Europe.
The Auckland based Mau company of dancers come from around the Pacific region, New Zealand, Kiribti, Tarawa, Tuvalu and Samoa. It's headed by Samoan founder and choreographer Lemi Ponifasio.
“I think the theatre is a ceremonial space where we activate the space and invite the people to come and be part of the space, and in that they can sense their own existence and their own truth,” said Mr Ponifasio.
Mr Ponifasio's work has been cited as genius, powerful and frightening. He says he sees theatres as ceremonial spaces that need to be activated, and there's an urgent need for artists to make truly profound and deep reflections of what the world is doing.
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"I make work about and because of the people around me and that is why we get the urgency to do anything for people who are close to you,” he said.
“Most of the boys in this company are from the island of Kiribati and Tuvalu and these islands are already experiencing the climate change so much.
“So I was always imagining what it is like to lose your island. These could be the last dances or the last voices or the songs they're ever gonna sing.”
'Birds with Skymirrors' will be performed at Carriageworks in Redfern for five days.
