Passing by Amrita Hepi & Jahra Wasasala at Next Wave Festival - Review

Passing by Amrita Hepi & Jahra Wasasala at Next Wave Festival - Review

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Posted 2016-05-25 by Mistress of Culture Vulturesfollow

Thu 12 May 2016 - Wed 18 May 2016

Passing is a raw, brave and beautiful work by two strong women, who are extremely talented dancers and storytellers; dancer/choreographer Amrita Hepi (Bundjalung NSW / Ngapuhi NZ) and spoken word poet/contemporary dancer Jahra 'Rager' Wasasal (NZ/Aus/Fiji) featured at the Next Wave Festival 2016 Northcote Town Hall.


Amrita and Jahra explore their experiences of living in contemporary Australia and New Zealand with a diverse cultural heritage, and the struggle to preserve the values, traditions and language of their Indigenous and Pacific Islander identities, and live in the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture.


Washed up on a shoreline, Amrita and Jahra ring out the saltwater from their hair into steel buckets; a ritual cleansing or an act of preservation?

They explore this new world where they have landed; by choice or by force, it is unclear.

What is clearly defined in Passing is the struggle between resistance and autonomy, oppression and self-determination, tradition and evolution of culture. The physical dialogue moves between gracefulness and aggression as Amrita and Jahra explore stages of transition; rites of 'passing' from traditional worlds into contemporary worlds.

Which cultural identity do they preserve? Should they join the dominant culture, or preserve the diversity of their cultural identity? Can they accept and live with their diverse cultural heritage in world that may not understand or accept diversity?


Suspended between worlds, they struggle to reconcile their indigenous and pacific islander heritage and with their Australian and New Zealand Anglo-Saxon heritage.

Amrita sings the Australian Anthem backwards whilst Jahra sings in a traditional language a song about Australia's white colonialism, that denies the existence and contribution of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait and Pacific Islander citizens.

Amid uncertainty Amrita and Jahra continue to pass in and out of both worlds by arguing about racial identification and the 'indigenous' test through the metaphor of milk.

Are you 10%, 20%, 50% or 100%? Are you full cream?

This is reminiscent of the Australian Government policy of declaring whether you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and proving your community connection and bloodline. This connection is difficult to establish after the genocide of your family, ancestors, the loss of thousands of years of cultural diversity, language and traditions. Amrita and Jahra then play with language, pronouncing words in 'mother tongue' and English to emphasise the complexities of learning new and traditional language.

Amrita dances the audience into a 'holiday destination' tour of the Pacific Islands and wears a grass skirt over her eyes, like a veil, either hiding her identity or to shield herself from the dominant culture of Anglo-Saxon tourists. The South Pacific is presented as a tourist paradise to the audience through idyllic digital images of tropical islands, Hawaiian music, and radio advertisements from yesteryear.

What lies beneath this tropical paradise?

Climate change, global warming, rising water temperatures, sinking islands, poisoned fish, tsunamis, earthquakes, poverty, disease, slavery and economic dependence on the tourism industry. The experience of touristic pleasure is weighed against the sacrifice of preserving World Cultural Heritage sites, traditional cultures and the sustainability of the Pacific Islands.


Caught within two worlds and not belonging in one tradition or the other, trapped and displaced, Amrita decides to move forward into the contemporary world by wrapping herself into a contemporary dress, whilst Jahra struggles to stand or move, blocked by depression, anger and stages of grieving.

Amrita assists Jahra to transition into the new world and move towards acceptance of their mixed cultural heritage in the contemporary world.

Both woman stand strong in the midst of their pain, and move forward empowered by their mixed cultural identity.

%%Amrita Hepi is an emerging independent choreographer descending from the Ngapuhi tribe in New Zealand and the Bundjulung people in Australia. Jahra Wasasala is a New Zealand-based spoken word poet and contemporary dancer with Indigenous roots in Aboriginal Australia and Fiji.

Both artists seek to create interdisciplinary works that offer socio-political observation on their roots and sense of identity, particularly honing in on the topics of racial injustice and gender-equality.

Next Wave is the most comprehensive platform in Australia for a new generation of artists taking creative risks. Next Wave produces unparalleled learning programs and a biennial festival which reflect a commitment to social and cultural diversity, environmental sustainability and inclusion.%%

2016.nextwave.org.au

#aboriginal
#cultural_events
#festivals
#north_east
#northcote
#performing_arts
#may
!date 12/05/2016 -- 18/05/2016
%wnmelbourne
171311 - 2023-06-15 08:42:03

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