Troupe emerged out of a culture ‘not accepting of men dancing’
After years of suffering from rheumatic fever, Neil Ieremia began studying dance in his native country of New Zealand. It wasn’t the physical activity of choice for most boys of Samoan descent, but it ended up being the right one for him. Upon graduating from the Auckland Performing Arts School, Ieremia joined the New Zealand-based Douglas Wright Dance Company. He worked with a number of choreographers before founding his own company, Black Grace, in 1995.
“It’s very interesting that it’s an all-male company,” said Jean-Philippe Malaty, executive director of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, which will co-present Black Grace’s April 1 performance with the Lensic Performing Arts Center. “What’s also really interesting is that it emerged out of a culture that has not been accepting of men dancing.”
Most of Black Grace’s dancers are of Pacific Island and Maori heritage. Tupua Tigafua, of Samoan descent, began his training at the age of 19 after participating in a Pacific Performing Arts Programme at Auckland University. He studied contemporary dance full time at Unitec in Auckland before joining the company.
Massey Tohilima, who is of Niuean and Cook Island heritage, grew up in a culture where dance is an integral part of everyday life. He studied contemporary dance in high school and became a member of Black Grace last year.
A dancer of Atiawa/Ngati Apa descent, Brent Dockary started dancing at the age of 13 at the Hutt City Dance Centre, where he learned American jazz and hip-hop.
“Besides dance ability, I place an extremely high priority on attitude and personality,” said Ieremia via e-mail from New Zealand. “Black Grace is built on three Samoan principles, which include integrity, pride, honesty, humility and respect. These qualities are essential when working for me.”
Black Grace’s program at the Lensic will feature dances probing cultural ideas, experiences and traditions. “Deep Far” is a work based on the cyclic nature of weather patterns and was inspired by the New Zealand droughts in 1998. “Fa’a Ulutao,” which is the Samoan word for spearhead, is a dance that represents courage and bravery and the young warrior’s ability to fight for and protect his family and cultural values.
“Minoi” is about the fusion of a traditional Samoan dance style known as Fa’ataupati (slap dance) and western contemporary dance as a means of exploring cultural identity issues. Along with the movements, the dancers sing a traditional Samoan song. “This song is called ‘Minoi,’ a Samoan nursery rhyme that my mother used to sing to me,” said Ieremia.
“Human Language” is a kinetic response to an exploration into the relationship between men and women.
“I welcome artistic challenges therefore, after working with men in Black Grace for seven years, I decided to expand my creativity and include women in ‘Human Language,’ a piece about the physical language between men and women when they are romantically interested in each other,” Ieremia said.
Music accompanying the dances will range from traditional Samoan tunes to “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G” by J.S. Bach.
If You Go
WHAT: Black Grace
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday April 1
WHERE: Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St.
COST: $20-$58
CONTACT: 988-1234
