Pacific Dance Festival Open Rehearsals 2025

Join us as emerging and established Pacific dance artists take the floor in an open rehearsal. Experience a glimpse of their exciting contemporary choreography in the lead-up to their performances at the Pacific Dance Festival.

Following the final open rehearsal on 14 June, we’ll continue to celebrate the Pacific Dance Festival with Cook Island dance and flower crown making workshops, before finishing the day with a screening of Pacific Dance OnScreen. 

Pacific Dance New Zealand was formed in 2010 and is a development organisation delivering a wide range of services for the Pacific dance sector of New Zealand.

 

Saturday 24 May, 12–12.30pm
Viliamu Yandell – Dance Studies student at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau
Iatua Richard Felagai Taito – Dance Studies student at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau 

Iatua Richard Felagai Taito is in his second year as a PhD candidate for the Dance Studies programme in the Faculty of Arts & Education at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau. Iatua's work will be shown in MOANA as part of the Pacific Dance Festival on 17 June 2025, 7pm at Māngere Arts Centre. Tickets available at Eventfinda.

Photo credit: Sarah McLean-Orsborn

Saturday 31 May, 12–12.30pm
Leilani Grace Tonu'u, Lily-Mae Baird, Komai Waqalevu and Nate Gacusan -  Dance students at Unitec, whose works will be shown in MOANA as part of the Pacific Dance Festival on 17 June 2025, 7pm at Māngere Arts Centre. Tickets available at Eventfinda.

Photo credit: Jinki Cambronero

Saturday 14 June, 11–11.30am
Aruna Po-Ching – The Hula Journey
An open rehearsal led by Aruna Po-Ching of The Hula Journey for her show Pele – The Goddess of Fire, a story  about the legendary Hawaiian deity Pele, who falls asleep and dreams of Prince Lohiau‘ipo of Kaua‘i.

Photo credit: Zechariah Soakai