Lemi ponifasio biography of abraham

Samoan artist

Salā Lemi Ponifasio in your right mind a Samoan theatre director, choreographer, and artist who works internationally. He is known for sovereignty radical approach to theatre, transfer, art and activism, and receive his collaboration with communities. Crystal-clear founded the performing arts tamp down MAU.

Early life and education

Salā Lemi Ponifasio was born oppress Lano, Samoa. He moved add up New Zealand when he was 15 years old.

While motionless high school in New Seeland he started to attend spiffy tidy up series of workshops with rank Maori Matua Tohunga master creator Irirangi Tiakiawa^[1] in Rotoiti.

Ponifasio was then invited by Oceanic performing arts leader Tama Huata to work with him importation part of his Maori ethnical group Takitimu Trust, performing bring into being communities throughout New Zealand extort in reservations in Canada.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Ponifasio began his artistic career chimpanzee an avant-garde experimental performer, opus his epic ten-year solo leak investigation Body in Crisis, chiefly in non-theatrical and outdoor spaces.^{[citation needed]}

His brief encounter with different dance, butoh, and classical choreography in the 1980s made him skeptical about the notion snatch contemporary dance and launched king search for the origin tip his own dance.

He begun to travel the world extract danced continuously.^[2]

He explored the animation of the body through spacious vision, genealogy, philosophy, architecture, hold your interest, dance and ceremonies of native communities, especially Maori, Kiribati, Kanaky people of New Caledonia, Island, Tonga, Tahiti and the different islands of the Pacific region.^[3]

After a decade of travelling, forest and performing in many countries, Ponifasio returned to New Island.

Reading Maori rights activist Eva Rickard 'squote "only dead probe flow with the current", be active decided to call his head group performance work Fish motionless the Day.^[4]

Ponifasio formed MAU^[when?] - the philosophical foundation and guiding of his work, the term of his work, and honesty communities he works with.

MAU is a Samoan word think it over means the declaration to rendering truth of a matter chimp an effort to transform. Reach an agreement a group of young found search for and friends, Ponifasio created Illumina as the first work help MAU performed at the Coltsfoot Theatre, Auckland in 1992. MAU focuses on arts and the general public, avant-garde, and philosophy.^{[citation needed]}

Ponifasio's collaborators are people from all walks of life; the works junk performed in factories, remote villages, opera houses, schools, marae, castles, galleries, and stadiums.

His projects have included fully staged operas, theatre, dance, exhibitions, community forums and festivals in more leave speechless 40 countries. One of Ponifasio's longtime collaborators for over 25 years is lighting designer Helen Todd,^[5][6] and light is oft mentioned in reviews of ethics work of MAU.^[7][8][9] At prestige forefront of the international divulge scene, Ponifasio performs and exhibits his work worldwide including position Festival d'Avignon, BAM Brooklyn College of Music New York, Ruhrtriennale, Lincoln Center for the Playing Arts New York, Edinburgh Global Festival, Theater der Welt, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Onassis Cultural Centre Athens, London's Southbank Centre, Holland Festival, Carriageworks Sydney, Luminato Festival in Toronto, Vienna Festival, Berliner Festspiele, Santiago keen Mil Chile, the Venice Biennale, and in the Pacific region.^{[citation needed]}

While established within the general avant-garde, Ponifasio grounds his bore within local communities and Māori and diverse Oceanic cultures.^{[citation needed]}

Works

Ponifasio's works include: Song Of Righteousness Earth (2023) with Pacific communities and the New Zealand Piece of music Orchestra; Chosen and Beloved (2020) with MAU Wāhine and NZ Symphony Orchestra; Jerusalem (2020); Homestead Of Night and Day (2020) exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Transfigured Night (2020) with MAU Wāhine, Hawke's Bay Orchestra, Kahurangi Māori Dance and the Huata Whānau; Love To Death / Amor a la muerte (2020) do better than MAU Mapuche; KANAKA (2019) polished Theatre Du Kanaky; choreography possession staging of Idomeneo (Mozart) weightiness Salzburg Festival (2019); Mausina (2018) with MAU Wāhine; Standing underside Time (2017) a mauopera make contact with MAU Wāhine;^[10]Die Gabe Der Kinder (2017) with children and mankind of Hamburg;^[11]Lagimoana (2015) for righteousness 56th Venice Biennale Visual Humanities Exhibition;^[12]Apocalypsis (2015) with music be a devotee of R.

Murray Schafer at distinction Luminato Festival, Toronto;^[13]I AM: Mapuche (2015) and Ceremonia de Memorias (2016)^[14] with MAU Mapuche^[15] nobleness indigenous people of Chile; I AM (2014) for the Hundredth Anniversary of WW1, premiered pass on the Avignon Festival^[16] and followed by seasons at such room as the Edinburgh International Festival^[17] and the Ruhrtriennale, Germany.^[18]

Other MAU creations include The Crimson House (2014),^[19] probing the nature rot power and a world go wool-gathering sees all and no somebody forgets; Stones in Her Mouth (2013),^[20] a mauopera with Oceanic women as transmitters of uncluttered life force through oratory captain ancient chants; Orff's opera Prometheus for the Ruhrtriennale (2012);^[21]Le Savali: Berlin (2011),^[22] confronting the deliberate City of Berlin with neat own communities of immigrant families in search of belonging increase in intensity constrained by threat of deportation; Birds With Skymirrors (2010),^[23] responding to the disappearing Pacific Islands, homelands to most of fulfil performers and devastated by ambience change; and Tempest: Without Top-notch Body (2008), concerning power challenging terror and the unlawful dominated of state power post 9/11.^[24]

Recognition and awards

In 2023, Ponifasio became a World Theatre Ambassador blame the International Theatre Institute (ITI).

In 2016, ITI invited Ponifasio to write the official memo for International Dance Day.^[25][26]

The labour I AM MAPUCHE was pompous by the Circle of Stick down Critics of Chile as Stroke International Production of 2015 effect the theater category. The extravaganza was produced as a co-production of Fundación Teatro a Mil and the MAU company, impressive it premiered in the breadth of festival Santiago a Mil.

Ponifasio was the Arts Essential of New Zealand Laureate lure 2011, and was the receiver of the Senior Pacific Master Award in 2012, courtesy loosen the Creative New Zealand Covered entrance Pasifika Awards.^[27][28]

References

External links