Black Grace presents triumphant celebration of 30 years of dance

The Auckland Town Hall was alive with vibrant sounds, colours, and movements for the grand finale of the Auckland Arts Festival on Saturday night.

‘This Is Not a Retrospective’ by the contemporary dance company Black Grace is a tribute to the group’s three-decade history, spearheaded by founder and artistic director Neil Ieremia.

The celebration is an energetic collaboration of Pacific and artistic talent, with Anonymouz (Faiumu Matthew Salapu) getting the crowd moving before the show begins.

Hooded sāsā dancers bound on stage to The Feelstyle's Ain't Mad at You. Photo/PMN News

The dancers shine as they leap and roll across the runway stage. They embody the spirit of celebration, making it clear that this is a party to themselves and a resilient response to the “haters” and challenges they faced as an all-male dance group in the 90s.

Speaking to PMN News, Ieremia says the last 30 years have been “full of colour, more highs than lows, more laughter than tears”.

“I just thought, if I was going to have a party, what better way to celebrate than having artists and performers I respect and love.”

Twin screens project a mesmerising kaleidoscope of hand movements alongside sweeping light choreography by JAX Messenger.

Sāmoan hip-hop artist Tha Feelstyle takes the stage for the opening act, accompanied by hooded sāsā dancers. Following him, a lineup of artists, including Che Fu, drag queen royalty Buckwheat, and the NZ Trio, delivers a rocking rendition of Jimmi Hendrix's Purple Haze.

Ieremia’s work has been described as embodying ‘terror and beauty in equal measure’. It combines grating colonisation references with the flowing grace of Pacific dance.

A balaclava-clad choir performs a Sāmoan hymn, and a woman emerges in a white puletasi, her face covered in lace. As the hymn transitions into KRS-One’s Sound of da Police, she wields a nifo’oti (cane knife), spinning gracefully yet menacingly.

Dancers from Black Grace perform siva Sāmoa to the tune of Blue Bayou. Photo/PMN News

Three women dressed in Victorian attire enchant the audience with a siva Sāmoa to Linda Ronstasdt’s Blue Bayou. Three men join them for a slow duet as the crowd sings along.

The choir returns, wielding machetes while performing an acapella version of The Housemartins’ The Caravan of Love. Ieremia’s emoji-avatar bobs across the onscreen lyrics.

Ieremia appears for the grand finale in white, surrounded by fluttering fans on stage and in the crowd.

Black Grace's performances offer a taunting, jarring view of Pacific issues. Photo/PMN News

Ieremia believes the time has come for original indigenous voices to be heard and appreciated globally, envisioning the establishment of an academy to continue supporting Pacific dancers and creatives.

“There have been some great artists working really hard to lay a foundation for many to benefit from,” he says.

He dances, and they all join in the boogie, stepping confidently into the future and beyond.