Local dancer part of festival line-up
Jared Hemopo is directing NZ youth to the big festival stage with Te Ahu Taiohi production
Waih¯ı Beach choreographer and dancer Jared Hemopo is revelling in his role helping to empower Ma¯ori youth — all expressed in his favourite medium, dance.
He’s on the choreographic team for production Te Ahu Taiohi, which is on the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts lineup this year.
This is Jared’s proudest moment in 11 years as a contemporary freelance dancer.
“Just to see the growth of these kids from where they started to where they are now is so amazing,” he says.
Te Ahu Taiohi is a movement, dance and storytelling production centred on the thoughts, feelings and experiences of youth in Porirua.
Senior producer Sasha Gibb (Wellington) came up with the concept. She wanted to create an opportunity for local youth to express themselves.
The show incorporates personal stories, world issues such as climate change, racism, identity and abuse. Mediums include dance, movement, poetry, song and even rap.
The students had no previous stage experience and were recruited from local high schools. They underwent workshops with
choreographers and playwrights, which helped to hone a narrative.
Jared’s strength is contemporary dance.
“Watching these guys share and grow from this experience . . . to be vulnerable is one of the most difficult things to achieve for teenagers. It’s intimate and challenging and we helped to create that safe space for them.”
Sasha says what is often not taught to young people is how to identify what is going on within them, how emotions work, how to build selfesteem, to question the world and how to have difficult conversations.
“I wanted to create a space where young people could have robust and honest conversations, and then build the confidence to share those thoughts and ideas with the world.
This programme is about supporting that growth; it’s about creating space for those discussions and then using our creativity to express ourselves through our movement, through our words and through song.”
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the show is online.
Jared studied dance at Auckland’s Unitec before starting his career as a core company dancer at Footnote
Mahuta
New Zealand Dance. He’s been involved in many productions for dance companies such as Black Grace, Okareka Dance Company, Atamira Dance Company, Taki Rua Productions and Auckland Theatre Company.
He was once assistant choreographer for the World Of Wearable Art Awards and was part of dance opera Juniper Passio in Monte Cassino, in commemoration of the Ma¯ori battalion.