Culture Moves
2005
The Center for Pacific Islands
Studies at the University of Hawai'i, in collaboration with
Pacific Studies at Victoria University of
Wellington, devoted its 9-12 November 2005 conference to
dance in Oceania. This was the first international conference on the topic
that brought together choreographers, scholars, and performers of
traditional, contemporary, and hip hop music and dance. This was also the
first time that the annual Pacific Islands Studies conference was held
overseas, and for this we chose the venue of Wellington, Aotearoa New
Zealand, a creative, vibrant and active center of Pacific arts. The
gathering was convened at and co-hosted by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa and included a dance costumes exhibition.
Dance and music have always been central forms of spiritual, political,
artistic, physical and intellectual expression throughout Oceania. It is
through dance in particular that those living in or connected to this
ocean engage and reflect both their lived and ancestral worlds from
Wellington, Los Angeles, and Sydney to Apia, Suva, and Tarawa. Yet the
current scholarship on dance is often marginalized in the academy and more
work needs to be done that recognizes the importance of dance to the
creative survival of Pacific peoples. This conference brought together
choreographers, dancers, composers, curators, costume makers, scholars,
writers, musicians, and artists to participate in a discussion on the
knowledge and practice of dance in Oceania across cultural, national,
academic, and aesthetic boundaries.
The conference was co-convened by Dr. Katerina Teaiwa of the UHM Center
for Pacific Islands Studies, Ms. April K. Henderson of Victoria University
of Wellington and Mr. Sean Mallon of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa. The co-conveners' background information can be found under the
gallery
.
Culture Moves: Pacific Dance Studies Resources
This website will continue to serve as a record of Culture Moves! and
provide information, resources and images for the promotion and
development of Pacific Dance Studies and dance practices across Oceania.
Please submit postings, contact lists, images, bibliographies, events, and
articles for this website to katerina.teaiwa@anu.edu.au
[1] From "Between our islands: dancing
connections," by Katerina
Teaiwa 2002.
Hula image by Michael Harada ©2004,
dancers: Michael Lanakila Casupang and Kaohi Yojo, Mid-Pacific Institute
of the Arts. Contemporary dance image by Tania Harris ©2004, dancer:
Travis Khan, The New Zealand School of Dance.
