Choreographic Residency 2025/6 - Samara Reweti
The company has had the pleasure over the last two weeks of having Samara Reweti in studio, working with the dancers as part of her Choreographic Residency (postponed from 2025).
“Whakapapa was the overarching aronga and driving force of the nohonga; investigating keepsakes & offerings, time as a spiral, whakapapa as fascia, imprints, inheritance, aho & vā. We wrote, we drew, we wove, we sang, we read, we walked, we talked, we stamped, we shared kai, we freestyle rapped, and then, we danced.
This choreographic residency was an opportunity for experimentation in both crafting and articulating process. It clarified my intuitive approach to art-making, and my desire to reconfigure the way in which we create, share and engage with movement. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experiment freely, without any expectation or pressure. I learnt so much from the experience and from all the incredible artists in the room.
Shout out to Cecilia Wilcox, Airu Matsuda, Levi Siaosi, Helena May, Sefa Tunupopo & Kataraina Poata. Shout out to Ahi Nyx. Shout out to Anita, Brynne & Louise. Shout out to Murphy & Mac. Shout out to The Big Kumara. Shout out to the harmonica man. Shout out to the kaitiaki tree. Shout out to kanikani.”
About Samara
Ko Mauao te Maunga. Ko Tauranga te moana. Ko Tākitimu, ko Mātaatua, ko Te Arawa ngā waka. He uri tēnei nō Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Rangiteaorere, Uenuku-Kopako hoki. Nō Tauranga Moana ahau.
Kia ora! I'm Samara. I am a dancer, dance-maker and dance-teacher currently based in Tauranga Moana.
For the past year, I have taken a break from dance to focus on learning my reo. Reclaiming my ancestral tongue and reconnecting to my taha Māori has been an indescribable experience. Grounding, invigorating, empowering and deeply transformative. Because of these deep shifts, I feel as though I am at the beginning of my choreographic journey in many ways.
Who and what inspires you as an artist?
I currently live with my whānau in the homestead of my great grandfather, on the papakāinga right near the marae and the moana. I live with my Aunty who is a writer and poet, my father who is a gardener and painter and with my cousin who is a multi-disciplinary artist, musician and film-maker. They, along with the rest of my whānau scattered across the motu, are my biggest inspiration. And I often collaborate with them too! All of them are devoted to finding ways to amplify te ao Māori perspectives through their work, to highlight current political realities through art and to generate genuine tangible changes in our communities.
Artistically, I am inspired by the work of Tame Iti, Lemi Ponifasio, Lara Kramer and other indigenous artists who seamlessly weave their political activism into their artistry, in ways that still feel warm, intimate and generous. I am also inspired by Cherish Menzo, Far From The Norm, and other hip-hop theatre companies, who really beautifully integrate street-dance into their contemporary performances.
In terms of performance, I love creating works that involve, interact with and implicate the audience. Fully-immersive performance spaces are my favourite. I always want to try integrate the viewer into the world of the work somehow, blurring the lines between audience and performer; setting up the conditions for an active and honest dialogue to occur between the two. For that reason, I often work with improvisation, freestyle, cyphers, and physical theatre. I also really love building movement from gesture and mundane human interactions - again, blurring the lines between what is considered performance and what is considered "real life".
Lastly, my process as an artist is just as important as my output, most especially when working with others. Firmly rooted in community-building, transformative justice and creative resistance. I believe in rest, in play, in leading with love and in holding radically safe, trauma-informed spaces.
