Introducing HE TANGATA — Wellington Pride’s first official opening gala! Join us on March 13th at the Wellington Opera House for a grand celebration of the cross-section between queer and indigenous culture; blessing and beginning the festival.

He Tangata is an unveiling of takatāpuitanga. A search for the forgotten taonga of Te Ao Māori. A reminder of oneness, this work dances through the realms of ira tanga and ira atua, exploring whakapapa and stories of takatāpui existence, to remember, mourn and heal from generational trauma. In an act to weave takātapui and Māoritanga back together, He Tangata travels within the past, present, and future of Takatāpuitanga.

Inspired by Takarangi - the celestial origin pattern of Māori, the choreography is an exchange between the fluid feminine and masculine energies that bind the very fabric of Te Ao Māori. Drawing from the lost story of Tiki and Tūtānekai, the dancers move through themes of creation, acceptance, death, and remembrance. Performers shapeshift from bodies, whenua, and forms of celestial beings, captured within a world of Kapa Haka, Taonga Pūoro, lighting, and projection. He Tangata reveals the richness of Tikanga Māori and ancient storytelling to reimagine the lives of Takatāpui through dance.

For more information, please visit our website https://www.wellingtonpridefestival.com/