From heartache to hope: Tautua Dance keeps the fire burning

Wellington’s Tautua Dance group has faced major challenges this year, including cancelled competitions and the loss of loved ones.

But through the grief and disappointments, the siva afi (fire dance) troupe has found new stages, fresh opportunities, and a renewed sense of purpose - proving that their fire cannot be extinguished.

This year was meant to be a defining moment for the group. After a year of training, countless fundraising efforts, and strong community support, Tautua Dance was ready to compete on an international stage. But just days before their departure for the Toa o le Afi Pati Levasa competition in Brisbane, the event was called off, leaving the group in shock.

On 12 September, Tautua Dance received an email from the Toa o le Afi Pati Levasa organisers explaining that the cancellation was due to new permit requirements, notified to them on 5 September, with a three-week processing time.

“It was a heavy blow, a hard pill to swallow,” Jayden Luapo, the group’s co-director, told Tofiga Fepulea’i on 531pi Island Time.

With 14 competitors and more than 30 supporters, Tautua Dance was set to represent one of the largest teams in the lineup.

“This one just really hit home because of the hard work our parents have been doing…slaving it out in their kitchens to bake, posting up countless posts to help get their kids over to Brisbane for this competition,” Luapo says.

For the young siva afi performers, the cancellation was more than a logistical setback, it stripped away months of mental, spiritual, and physical preparation.

The disappointment was compounded by personal grief. Co-directors and partners Luapo and Sophia Uele had recently lost family members, making 2025 an especially challenging year.

“We've lost a lot of our loved ones this year. At the beginning of the year, Sophia lost her nana and then two days after we had buried her, she had lost her mum's twin sister, Ruta, over in Sāmoa,” Luapo says.

“Then I lost my brother two months ago and then my grandfather's sister, literally a month later. So it's been hard, but what keeps us going is our kids, our own kids, and then our Tautua kids.”

Tautua Dance with Miss Sāmoa and Miss Pacific Islands 2025 Litara Ieremia-Allan. Photo/Facebook

Finding a new stage

Instead of giving up, the group rallied together, receiving support from friends and family in Aotearoa and beyond. A new event, Si’o i le Afi, has been organised in Brisbane.

“We’ve got our awesome sisters Ainsley and Salote who have put on an event…so most of the competitors will still travel over, and we’ll just showcase all our gifts and talents and all our hard work,” Uele, who is returning to the craft post-natally, says.

The showcase will take place on 27 September at 4pm at Kanteen Venue and Events in Brisbane.

While it won’t be a competition, Luapo says the chance to connect and engage with the global fire-dancing community will make the trip worthwhile.

“It’s a blessing in disguise,” he says. Uele added that, “If one door closes that’s fine, There’ll be plenty more doors to open - or we create our own door.”

Watch the full interview with Jayden Luapo and Sophia Uele below.

Teaching history through fire

Back home, Tautua Dance is also preparing for their end-of-year show on 13 December, which will focus on the Mau Movement - the nonviolent resistance movement in the 1920s and '30s that aimed for Sāmoan independence from New Zealand colonial administration.

“It’s about teaching our kids a lot about Sāmoa and New Zealand history, which is really important,” Uele tells Fepulea’i.

The duo are still working through the details of their show, but for Luapo, the project is about respect and identity. “It’s not a fairytale. This happened to your people…the blood, the sweat and the tears that went into that flag that we wear on our tops.

“We think of our grandparents and all the sacrifices that allow us to stand on stage today.”

More than dance

Beyond fire dancing, the group is branching into sports, having formed volleyball, netball, and a new Tautua Tag club with more than 80 registrations. Luapo, who previously represented Aotearoa New Zealand in tag rugby, sees this as a long-held dream come true.

“It’s been hard,” he says. “But what keeps us going is our kids, our own kids and then our Tautua kids. That’s our happy place.”

The drummers of Tautua Dance at the Wellington's ASB Theatre. Photo/Facebook

Finding strength in community

Despite the obstacles, Tautua Dance has refused to let the fire go out. They openly acknowledge how their supportive community has kept them going during overwhelming times.

Much of their resilience comes from the meaning of their name. Tautua means “to serve” in Sāmoan. For the group, every performance is an offering to their culture, families, and the next generation of Pacific youth watching them.

Luapo and Uele embrace the responsibility with pride, that the art of siva afi is not just entertainment, but a means of cultural preservation.

As the troupe prepares for their trip to Brisbane next week, Luapo says they are determined to make the most of the opportunity.