‘Making every minute count’: Dynamic theatre show highlights women in Krump

This ground-breaking dance work showcases an all-wāhine cast, bringing to the theatre stage a tapestry of stories through the powerful art of Krump.

World of Watch:MIN invites audiences to engage with mana wahine - the spirit of women - in narratives of “endurance and evolution” conveyed through their art.

Seidah Tuaoi and Ennaolla Paea-Vaega spoke on NiuFM’s The Rush about their upcoming Krump theatre show held at Ngā Tohu o Uenuku | Māngere Arts Centre from 16-18 January.

Director and choreographer Paea-Vaega says the show emphasises authentic lived experiences as women in Krump.

“So you're (going to) see an all-female Krump team perform a Krump-foundational theatre work. So it's very unique.

“We're all freestylers and battlers, we've done the street stuff, we've got the reputation on the street, and we love our community and our battle scenes.

“But this space, we felt, let's bring it into a theatre space where we can tell our stories, personal stories, creative stories, and bring something very real, but also in an artistic way.”

The Watch:MIN crew was established in 2017 to amplify women in Krump.

Over the years, they have gained recognition in Aotearoa and Australia as a platform to nurture and empower female street dancers.

Paea-Vaega describes the group as a sisterhood.

“In that journey, we've created this [imaginary] world where we pull from creatively, but we've never properly shown it to anyone in those years.

“We're inviting you into our Watch:MIN world, but it has some very powerful resiliency, identity, and sisterhood narratives that's all authentic to who we are, just presented in maybe a way that would be surprising to others.”

Krump, born out of poverty and violence in California’s urban neighbourhoods of the 1990s, was an artistic form of escapism and self-expression.

Known for its explosive, fast-paced, free, and highly exaggerated movements that involve the entire body, Krump has evolved over the last 20 years, giving rise to many stylised renditions of the art form.

Tuaoi, another choreographer for the crew, believes that their shared passion for Krump has unified them as women with diverse dance backgrounds.

“Our main connector is Krump. We've had girls join from 2017 all the way to now, and so it's great to see their journeys as Krump dancers and battlers.

“But I think the theatre context gives us a fresh new perspective of the art as well.”

During their appearance on The Rush, hosts Sia Petelo and Henry Hohenberger asked the Krump queens to assign them Krump dance names.

However, they learned that a Krump name is earned, not given without purpose.

Paea-Vaega and Tuaoi challenged the hosts to a Krump battle to earn their names and street credit; whether they accept this challenge remains to be seen.

Tickets for World of Watch:MIN can be found here.