Gathering Clouds

Having dragged Skene to the supermarket and forced him to vacuum the flat, I completed the emasculation by taking him to see some contemporary dance at the Auckland Festival.

Gathering Clouds by the dance collective Black Grace is a response to claims made by economist Greg Clydesdale that Polynesians display “significant and enduring under achievement”. The creative director, Neil Ieremia, is reported as saying “I have always believed in the spirit of the Long White Cloud that embraces everyone equally. But after reading these claims and reviewing passages of my personal journey, I realise the Long White Cloud has become dark in places and it feels like a storm is brewing.”

The mix of traditional Samoan and contemporary dance was compelling but incomprehensible to us novices. The voiceover, however, informed us that the New Zealand government had initially welcomed Samoan migrants before changing its position in the mid 1960s. Overstayers were removed following dawn raids but little or no action was taken against British and American visitors whose visas had expired. Unjustly negative stereotypes of Samoan residents were created by the government actions and the Pacific communities grew resentful.

Here's a clip of one of Black Grace's earlier productions featuring elements of a traditional Samoan Fa'ataupati (slap dance):