Marama Lloydd : Profile @ Arts Front

Marama Lloydd

She/her

Go To > PANNZ ARTS MARKET

Kaiwhakaputa Auaha | Creative Producer @ Atamira Dance Company

Connect at :-

www.atamiradance.co.nz

Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, New Zealand

Dance Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland

Marama Lloydd (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa) is currently the Kaiwhakaputa Auaha | Creative Producer of Atamira Dance Company stepping into a supporting role after co - leading the company as Executive Director of Atamira from June 2018 - January 2025.
Marama has been part of the Māori contemporary dance, and wider arts sector for 38 years including being a dancer, costumier, secondary school dance teacher, arts manager, Execiutive director and producer.

Her dance career began in training with Te Kanikani o Te Rangatahi in 1987 then she became an original company member of Taiao Dance Theatre, the company which pioneered the indigenous expression of the art form of Māori Contemporary Dance in Aotearoa.
Internationally Marama attended 3 residencies in the Aboriginal Arts Programme at the Banff Centre for the Arts in from 2000 - 2002.

Marama also brings a strong understanding of the wider dance industry and governance in the arts sector following 13 years on the board of the NZ Dance Festival Trust (Tempo Dance Festival) including serving as Chair from 2011 – 2016. She was a core member of the Auckland Arts Festival Programme Team from 2012-2018 as Education and Community Programme Manager.

In her time at Atamira Marama has produced and toured the company works Pango, Onēpu, Ngā Wai, Tomo, TOMO VR film, the legacy work Te Wheke which toured the USA in 2023 and Ka Mua Ka Muri.

Marama is a member of the First Nations Tri Nations Cohort, committed to serving and sustaining the artform of contemporary Māori dance in Aotearoa and the indigenous dance network globally.

Organisation/Company

Name: Atamira Dance Company

My Role: Kaiwhakaputa Auaha | Creative Producer

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Atamira Dance Company is a leading force in Māori contemporary dance, a platform where te ao Māori and dance converge, and creativity brings mātauranga Māori, whakapapa, and stories to life. Over its 25-year history, Atamira has firmly established itself as a foundational pou, shaping and defining the landscape of Māori contemporary dance, with impacts that extend far beyond the stage. The company fosters artistic excellence, nurtures talent, and creates transformative experiences that resonate both nationally and globally. Atamira uplifts, inspires, and celebrates the richness of te ao Māori through its powerful performances, collaborations, and advocacy. It is also a dynamic community where tradition meets innovation, pushing boundaries and enriching Māori cultural identities and traditions of thought. Atamira honours mātauranga Māori through storytelling that connects celestial wisdom with earthly expression, elevating the cultural landscape both in Aotearoa and on the world stage.

Iwi affiliation

Ngāpuhi, Te Tahawai, Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa

Rohe

Tāmaki Makaurau born and bred but raised eating the sands and drinking the salt waters of the 90 mile beach in Ahipara

How I got where I am today

Dancer - Taiao Dance Theatre (1987-1991), Banff Centre for the Arts 2000 -2001
Fashion Designer - MARAMA, Moa Unlimited
Costumier - Taiao Dance Theatre, Dancing Earth, Atamira Dance Company
Governance - Tempo Dance Festival
Teacher - Waitakere College Curriculum Dance, junior te reo Māori
Arts Manager - Auckland Arts Festival Education and Community Programming
Executive Director - Atamira Dance Company 2018-2024
Creative Producer -Atamira Dance Company 2025

Whānau

My 2 Leo sons aged 32 and 30
My besties from way back with whom I have danced, played in bands, ran a fashion collective and raised our children
My close colleagues from the arts
My tupuna from here and around the world

What grounds me?

Yoga, tarot, astrology, gardening and keeping house.
Spending time in nature, with my cat and in Ahipara and Tai Tokerau with my ancestors.

Ka Mua Ka Muri

Artform: Dance theatre

Development Status: Tour Ready

Media Uploads

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Trailer

Full Length

Click the following link to view the full length video. If the video requires a password, you can contact the artist here.

View/Access Full Length Video

(The link is https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/g4zvigvid3hmbwqgsh45ru/Ka-Mua-Ka-Muri-2024-full-length-show_multicam.mp4?rlkey=g406keffszst4n1jhwt1st7t4&e=1&st=or8y2hr6&dl=0)

Synopsis

Atamira Dance Company encompasses and uplifts the voices of acclaimed choreographers and long -time collaborators, Bianca Hyslop and Eddie Elliott in the unique and seamless double bill, Ka Mua Ka Muri

Derived from and inspired by, the whakataukī ‘Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua’, Ka Mua Ka Muri relates to Māori perspectives of time where the past, present and the future are intertwined, offering a contemporary dance experience that explores both the significance of whakapapa while defining new aspirations for the future.

Remain by Eddie Elliott (Ngāti Maniapoto) explores the continuity and vitality of whakapapa, tikanga, and a deep connection to Tūpuna, emphasising the importance of preserving these cultural foundations to honour the past, understand the present, and shape a promising future for rangatahi.

Whakamaheahea by Bianca Hyslop (Te Arawa) showcases urban Māori experiences by transcending loss-based narratives, embracing multifaceted identities that encompass divine, ancestral, and human elements, weaving stories of empowerment, transformation, and resilience to inspire a brighter collective future.

Bound together by a stellar design team, a cast of dynamic Māori dance artists and the high-quality production values that Atamira is known for, this dynamic double bill, full of energy and heart, invites audiences to experience a transformative hour where tradition collides with innovation, and past, present, and future converge on stage.

Creative Team and Crew

Choreographers: Bianca Hyslop, Eddie Elliott
Collaborative Dance Artists: Abbie Rogers, Caleb Heke, Madi Tumataroa, Oli Mathiesen, Tai Taranui Hemana, Toalei Roycroft
Sound Composition: Eden Mulholland
Set and Costume Design: Rona Ngahuia Osborne
Lighting Design: Owen McCarthy
Projection Design - Remain: Owen McCarthy
Projection Design - Whakamaheahea: Dan Mace
Creative Writing Support - Whakamaheahea: Francis Legg

Executive Producer 2024: Marama Lloydd

Creative Campaign: Osborne Shiwan
Videography: Matt Gillanders
Show Photography: Andi Crown

Number of People in the Touring Party

13- 6 dancers, rehearsal director, 4 crew, company director, tour manager

Previous Seasons

Premiere Q Theatre July 25 -27 2024
Forum North Whāngrei August 22 -23 2024.
Wellington Opera House – Kia Mau Festival: June 5 2025
Sir Owen Glenn Theatre, Sir Howard Morrison Centre, Rotorua: June 12 2025

Link to Tech Rider as could not upload - "Hmmmm "Error uploading file"
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/01wkpdqqcz2nkvr8v7eqn/ABIbdFxTZzbmKlibvrPrNmw

Reviews and Quotes

"a high-energy, emotionally resonant exploration of Mātauranga Māori blending cultural storytelling with dynamic choreography."
"culturally profound and visually captivating"

Cilla Brown, Theatreview, 27th Jul 2024
https://www.theatreview.org.nz/production/ka-mua-ka-muri/

'slick, extremely contemporary and entirely captivating"

Malcolm Calder NZ Arts Review, 25 July 2024
https://nzartsreview.org/2024/07/27/ka-mua-ka-muri-backwards-to-the-future/

'Fast sequences are incredibly well-choreographed, and the level of athletic ability and sheer physical strength seem close to Olympic gymnastics level "

Rev Orange Peel, Red Raven News July 2024
https://redraven.news/2024/08/02/ka-mua-ka-muri-q-theatre-25-july-2024-review/

“Tender and connected narratives are woven together with realism and moments of comedy …… the audience taken on an absorbing journey of moods and mysteries”
Perena Quinlivan (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), DANZ 2024