Latest news with #WairuaPaani
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Indian and Māori cultures come together on stage
The cast of 'Wairua Paani', a production by the Hawke's Bay Indian Cultural Centre. Photo: Sajith Photography The Hawke's Bay Indian Cultural Centre (HBICC) is marking its 10th anniversary with a special performance that fuses Indian and Māori cultural traditions. Titled Wairua Paani, the show blends Indian classical and Bollywood dance with te ao Māori storytelling. The performance will take place at the Toitoi Opera House in Hastings on Saturday, 26 April. This comes after a 2024 Māori and Tamil waiata, Whanaungatanga, about kinship that blends Tamil, English and te reo Māori, which forged a new cross-cultural connection between Indian and Māori communities in New Zealand. Wairua Paani is a collaboration between HBICC and Wahanui Productions, led by Kristyl Neho and co-director Eunice August-Smith. It reflects a shared artistic vision of cultural connection and respect. "I really wanted something that has a connection to New Zealand for our tenth anniversary," said Deepthi Krishna, co-founder and artistic director of HBICC, speaking on RNZ's Afternoons. Krishna, who co-founded the centre in 2015 to teach and promote Indian classical dance, arts and cultural activities in the region, draws on her rich background in the art form. In 2017, HBICC started the annual Music and Dance Event (MADE) for a cause and raised money for organisations such as Cancer Society, Kidney Kids, Heart Kids and Resource HB. Two years later, the centre launched Krishni Productions and produced a dance drama titled Shakuntala in collaboration with Cook Place Production. It was followed by two more theatrical productions titled Sita Unsung and Takshaka-King of the Snakes. "I learned dance for ten years in India, and in 2018 I was also a contestant on TV3's The Great NZ Dance Masala," she said. Over the past decade, HBICC has staged six major productions and four community dance dramas. But Wairua Paani is its most ambitious work yet. "The title blends two languages - wairua in te reo Māori means 'spirit', and paani in Hindi means 'water', so together the title speaks to the spiritual and emotional depth of the show," Krishna explained. "In both cultures, water is sacred, so it heals and cleanses and that's where Wairua Paani comes from," Krishna added. Bringing together two rich cultural worlds wasn't without its challenges. "The challenge was doing it together not just mixing things but to create something that is respected by both sides… we wanted both cultures to shine," she said. "So it wasn't easy, but it was honest. The strength of the show comes from deep respect, spiritually, emotionally and artistically and that's what make Wairua Paani different," Krishna noted. She said the creative process required deep respect, collaboration, and a willingness to learn from one another. "It was important to do it right - to listen, learn, and work together to create something meaningful," Krishna said. The show will feature Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, alongside kapa haka and waiata, offering audiences a unique experience of cultural unity through performance. "Together we created something that honours both cultures with care and integrity," she said.
RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
India and te ao Maori storytelling merge
te ao Maori culture 32 minutes ago The Hawke's Bay Indian Cultural Centre is celebrating their 10th birthday with a brand-new show, 'Wairua Paani'. The production brings together Indian classical and Bollywood dance with te ao Maori storytelling. Tickets are available now for the performance this Saturday at the Toitoi Opera House in Hastings.
NZ Herald
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Wairua Paani: Māori and Indian communities blend cultures on stage
'Wairua means spirit. Paani is water in Hindi,' August-Smith explains. 'We're bringing to the stage a spiritual journey through water.' 'In both cultures, the water is sacred. That's the thread of the story,' Krishna told Hawke's Bay Today. She said the production mixed a classic Indian story based on redemption through the sacred River Ganges with a contemporary Māori narrative of loss, memory and ancestral connection. Bringing the two worlds together hasn't been without challenges, though. 'The creative side can be hysterical,' August-Smith said with a laugh. She said there were moments when everything seemed to fall into place – until it didn't. 'When you get so excited about something and then you hit the wall ... but I was taught by a mana wāhine, there are no walls except the ones you refuse to climb over. There is always a way around it.' August-Smith said the experience of this collaboration was an example of what is possible beyond the performance space. 'How well would it be if we could do that out in the world? Instead of having gigantic hīkoi because one people disrespect other people so much, and yet we can show that different people can work together and achieve gigantic strides on stage.' The show will feature elegant dancing, stage combat kapa haka, waiata and te reo, with live music by Anton Wuts and his Bollywood Band. The full programme will run for about two hours and is a result of years of creativity and community effort. 'We started HBICC in 2015 with just seven students,' Krishna recalled. 'I had a science background, worked in food quality, but dancing was always my passion.' Over the years, HBICC has hosted annual dance shows under the banner 'made for a cause', donating portions of ticket proceeds ranging from $1500 to $2500 to local charities. This year, however, the focus has shifted because the HBICC was hit by a cyberattack last year. 'We have spent a lot of money to get all the things back because they hacked our devices, our Wi-Fi, social media, everything.' Wairua Paani will be held at Toitoi, Hastings, on Friday at 6.30pm. Tickets are available through Eventfinda. 'It will be a magical experience,' Krishna said. 'That's the story about two different worlds.' August-Smith said it was not only for Indian or Māori communities.
