Everything To Do In Auckland This Summer
Afrique en Cirque
Gravity-defying acrobatics and the sounds of afro-jazz are coming to shake The Civic with an incredible tribute to African culture.
Inspired by daily life in Guinea, Afrique en Cirque transports the beauty, youth and artistry of Africa to the big stage. It’s an irrepressible, heart-filled spectacle that’s regularly sold-out around the world.
With a swagger that’s genuinely infectious, these charismatic performers encourage participation and draw energy from the audience – a huge part of the show’s appeal – while getting you to groove to pulsating percussion and dance, gasp at impossible human pyramids, laugh at inventive comic skits, and be gobsmacked at the outrageous talents of star contortionist, Geofrey Mongela.
14 – 17 March aaf.co.nz
Diptych: The Missing Door & The Lost Room
One does not expect horror, illusion and noir to mix so harmoniously with dance and theatre. But here we are with Diptych: The Missing Door & The Lost Room by the Belgian company Peeping Tom. It’s an intensely atmospheric, wildly suspenseful thriller that will pull you in and refuse to let go. Various characters wander in a trance between fiction and reality, their memories, desires, dreams and nightmares flashing before their eyes. The question is, can they escape?
Fri 22 & Sat 23 March, 7.30pm
Sun 24 March, 5.00pm
Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre
DakhaBrakha
It seems that everyone has an opinion about Ukraine these days, although little understanding of its actual culture. Direct from Kyiv are the “Ethno-chaos” superstars, Dakha Brakha bringing along with them their incredible trans-national folk-pop-punk music. Their name means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language and you’ll definitely come away with something after taking in this band’s performances. The quartet’s powerful vocals add to an unexpected style of music that’s at once intimate, theatrical (with bold visuals to match), soulful and anarchically modern – all of it stoked by chants of cultural and artistic liberation.
Thu 14 March, 8.00pm, Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
aaf.co.nz
Hyperspace
Are you in the mood for a ’90s homage to all the dance movies ever made? Hyperspace by Albert Belz takes place in 90’s New Zealand where small-town girl Natalie Te Rehua is trying to make it in the big smoke, teaching aerobics while she dreams of dancing. Entries are open for the New Zealand Aerobics Championships and the first prize is $10,000. If she’s to make it, she has to team up with Haka queen Tāwhai Pātai for the mixed doubles. Their chemistry and their clash of dancing ambitions create something we’ve never seen before. Prepare for a fun ride.
7 – 24 February, ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland. atc.co.nz
