Moss Te Ururangi Patterson is a NZ Arts Laureate, recipient of Creative New Zealand’s Tup Lang Dance scholarship and the Te Whakahaungia Choreographic Award from Toi Māori Aotearoa. Moss is the proud director of TOHU Productions established in 2019 and he is developing a series of new dance installation art works. Born in Turangi Moss’s proud ancestry comes from both the central north island and northern tribes of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Moss has been a professional dance artist in Aotearoa for the past 21 years. Moss has worked with Footnote Dance, Black Grace, Touch Compass, Atamira Dance Company, and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Moss has developed a significant body of distinctive choreographic work presented on New Zealand’s largest and most prestigious platforms for dance as well as a series of international festival presentations in Asia, Australasia and the USA. “That’s what really fires me up, being able to work on something that has ancient roots but at the same time is fresh and new.
Organisation/Company
Name: TOHU Productions
My Role: Director
TOHU’s vison is ‘indigenous knowledge and the pursuit of excellence in Maori choreographic design’. The founding vison aims to reimagine Maori symbology by carefully fusing traditional forms and contemporary dance within a traditional framework and value system. Moss and his whanau team are supported strongly by their whanau base in Turangi and West Auckland.
Three works in development “Vibrations, Wiri, Remember Songs”
Artform: Dance
Development Status: In Development
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Synopsis
TOHU is excited to be developing three new works titled ‘Vibrations, Wiri and Remember Songs’. All three works have received funding through CNZ programmes. ‘Vibrations’ is a new art installation work for an art gallery space fusing traditional taonga puoro, audio visual projection and dance. The work aims to visualise vibrational frequencies from traditional māori instruments using video projection and contemporary dance movement inside a small wharenui structure made of gauze. The work is approximately 45 minutes long and made for small audience size of up to 50 people.
‘Wiri’ is a dance installation work for a gallery space. Three TV screens showing three solo works being performed simultaneously by three female dancers; two from Aotearoa and oe from South Korea. The solo works are inspired by traditional maramataka lunar calendar stories from both countries. Remember Songs is a dance work fusing aural traditions from the Paiwan tribe in southern Taiwan and moteatea from the central north island Tuwharetoa area. This work will be largely performed acapella with some live instrumentation.
Creative Team and Crew
Vibrations: Moss, Louise Potiki Bryant, Robin Rawstorne, James Webster, Shayne Carter
Wiri: Moss, Louise Potiki Bryant, Justine Hohaia, Kim Jiyoung (South Korea), James Webster, Ariana Tikao, Shayne Carter
Remember Songs: Moss, Sean McDonald, Jared Hemopo, Toa Paranihi, Bulareyaung Dance Company (Taiwan)
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