The Chronicles
Hawkins Theatre, Papakura, Auckland
21/10/2008 - 22/10/2008
Production Details
"This is the legacy we intend to leave behind…"
Tempo° NZ’s Festival of Dance is proud to bring as part of the 2008 season one of the most dynamic, world leading Pacific Island dance groups to emanate from Aotearoa – Wellington’s Legacy Urban Hip Hop Dance Crew.
Finalists in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships at Los Angeles in 2006, a recent stellar performance in Las Vegas and defenders of New Zealand’s Hip Hop dance scene, Legacy have fast become renowned for their innovative and ground breaking work in their field which has stemmed from a passion to grow the art form to new and existing audiences around the world.
The Chronicles is a scintillating dance production showcasing the different styles of dance that make up hip hop: break dancing, krumping, popping, locking and raw urban street dance. Legacy combine the energy and explosiveness of hip hop dancing with creative theatre, lighting and audio visual techniques to tell Legacy’s interpretation of the timeline of hip hop dance in NZ.
Taking audiences on a thrilling ride back to the 80’s and 90’s through to the present, and also exploring the movement vocabulary of dances from their Pacific Island ethnicities (Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Māori) they tell(or show?) the beginnings of their story as dancers. The dynamic dance sequences will leave audiences highly entertained, making this more than just another hip hop dance show.
Dates: Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 October, 8pm (60 minutes)
Venue: Hawkins Theatre, Papakura
Tickets: $25 Adults/ $22 DANZ Members and Groups of 8+/ $18 Concessions
Booking: Bookings available through iTicket – 09 361 1000 www.iticket.co.nz
Or through walk-in cash and EFTPOS at Papakura Paper Power (Booking fees may apply)
To view a map of the Hawkins Theatre, visit www.papakuraarts.co.nz
Colourful, hilarious, informative and real
Review by Cat Gwynne 24th Oct 2008
Fresh from Las Vegas where they competed in the World Hip Hop Championships, Legacy Dance Crew live up to their ‘Go Hard or Go Home’ maxim and ardently present an informative AND highly entertaining show for their community.
The Chronicles is a comedic choreographic investigation into the myriad cultures that the Legacy dancers are a part of, giving huge insight into what it is like to be a first or second generation young Pasifika man born in an urban Aotearoa. Throughout the piece we learn that the Legacy dancers (all of whom are male) are mostly born from parents who migrated from the Pacific to New Zealand for work or academic education in the 70s and 80s.
Through the dance forms of sa sa, break-dance, siva ili, movement theatre, electric boogaloo, funk, popping, locking, kapa haka, krump, and of course, contemporary hip hop, we are presented with an amusing and fresh demonstration of the cultural intersections that the migration phenomenon creates. All of these dance styles are shared with a sense of real connection, and it is obvious that each form is integral to the identity of these young men, who are the first of their line of descendants to be born in this country.
There is a high level of challenging movement within the choreography of the group numbers, which gives us a reminder of what the young male body is capable of. And it is moving to see such a group of fit individuals dancing as one strong collective with a clear kaupapa (motive), and that kaupapa is to serve their community by educating, entertaining and transforming through the medium of dance.
We are also given the chance to see similarities in dynamic and performance intention between indigenous dance forms and the more popular, globally recognized forms of dance such as hip hop and krumping. This is a fascinating point of research, and is an example of a practise that has the potential to generate interesting theoretical inquiry.
Performatively, it took the group a couple of numbers to warm into presence, but once they were there, there was no turning back. By the end of the show I was reminded of the early Black Grace days, and the distinctly male performance quality that set them apart from other companies. Perhaps Legacy Dance Crew is a continuation of the Pasifika male voice in dance that Black Grace originally identified a need for.
The Chronicles is a show that proves it is possible to maintain the original function of a dance form – in this instance it is the social commentary and collectiveness of hip hop – whilst simultaneously promoting the form to evolve, advance and entertain. For this reason I would like to whole-heartedly commend Legacy on their new show.
The Chronicles is colourful, hilarious, informative and real, and has much to offer to a wide range of people including youth, choreographers, researchers and those who just want to be entertained. I look forward to following the progress of this group and encourage dancers from other genres to do the same. Kia ora.
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