Playful, enchanting dance, full of mischief.
What do you get when trees, ghosts and deer combine in a mischievous mix by one of Aotearoa's most ingenious dancers, storytellers and award-winning choreographers? You'll find yourself in the offbeat, playful world of Shel We by Tupua Tigafua.
The spark of Shel We springs from the works of American writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein — the quirky mind most famously known for the children’s book The Giving Tree and the lyrics of Johnny Cash’s A Boy Named Sue.
On a personal level, Shel We is a playful tribute to Tupua’s parents, his family and the environment that inspires him. Set against an evocative classical score, the work is a joyful blend of laughter, strangeness, love, memory and the natural world.
Tupua Tigafua is an award-winning Sāmoan choreographer and dancer based in Aotearoa New Zealand. He has worked with the country’s premier contemporary dance companies Black Grace, Mau, The New Zealand Dance Company and Atamira Dance Company, and won both the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Award for Emerging Artist and the Wellington Theatre Awards Excellence Award for Choreography and Movement for his original work Ciggy Butts in the Sand.
Off-beat, upbeat and heartwarming, Shel We has delighted audiences of all ages from New Zealand to Sweden.
Dates & Times
10 - 13 Sep
Duration: 55 mins, no interval
Venue
Cremorne Theatre
Prices & Ticket Info
Adult $49.90 Concession $39.90 Mobtix $29.90
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Access
- Assistive Listening
Credits
Creator - Tupua Tigafua
Cast - Sean MacDonald, Andy Tilo, Aloali'i Tapu, Chris Ofanoa, Villa Lemanu and Tupua Tigafua Image by Stagebox Photography
Funding received from:
PANNZ - Performing Arts Network New Zealand
Bondi Pavillion received funds from:
Creative New Zealand
Reviews
Theatreview
Artists
Tupua Tigafua
Award winning choreographer Tupua Tigafua has danced internationally for Black Grace, MAU and The New Zealand Dance Company. He created dance works for Footnote Dance Company, Unitec Institute of Technology, Alofagia Le Opera by TAPA (feat Sole Mio) and Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and New Zealand Dance Company. His work, Ciggy Butts In The Sand was created in collaboration with award-winning composer David Long (The Muttonbirds, The Hobbit) and saw Tupua win the Best Choreography award at the Wellington Theatre Awards in 2022.
His most recent work 14 Malone Road, premiered at the Measina Festival in 2023 and that same year, he created choreography for theatre works The Savage Coloniser Show by Tusiata Avia and O Le Pepelo, Le Gaoi Ma Le Pala’ai by IKenSo Productions. He has recently returned from the VASARTS FESTIVAL in Taiwan where he was an artist in residence in collaboration with Paiwan Artist Ljalje’elan Patadalj.