Louise Potiki Bryant
(Kai Tahu)

Louise is one of New Zealand’s most exciting Maori artists. She has been widely praised for her work as a choreographer with Atamira Dance Company, with whom she has created five works since 2000, including Ngai Tahu 32 ('Best contemporary dance production 2004', NZ Listener), and Te aroha me te mamae ('Best New Choreographer 2003', NZ Listener.) Her latest work with Atamira TAONGA, dust, water, wind premiered at Auckland Festival in 2009 and will be seen at other major arts festivals in Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Manukau City during 2010.

Louise’s choreographic practice has included works for companies such as Atamira Dance Company, Orotokare, art story, motion Trust, and Black Grace Dance Company. Alongside her group works, Louise also has a strong body of solo works, which draw on her interdisciplinary practice, her unique movement vocabulary and performance qualities inspired by an integration of both Maori traditional and contemporary performance practices.

Her works draw on mana wahine, whakapapa and history and have a strong interdisciplinary focus. Louise also designs installations and set pieces for her works, and is responsible for the design, production and editing of the projected video elements - an integral part of each performance.

In 2003, Louise was supported by Toi Maori Aotearoa to develop the kaupapa/concept for the signature work Ngai Tahu 32, which premiered at the Tempo Festival in Auckland in 2004 with the support of Creative New Zealand. Atamira Dance Company then went on to tour ‘Ngai Tahu 32’ throughout New Zealand, and in 2008, Atamira Dance Company toured with ‘Ngai Tahu 32’ in Hawaii. ‘Ngai Tahu 32’ was also performed to acclaim at the Ten Days on the Island Festival in Tasmania in April 2009.

In 2003, Louise was a Ngai Tahu artist in residence at The Otago Polytechnic School of Art, where she developed the installation, performance and short film ‘Whakaruruhau - he mihi ki Araiteuru’. The film ‘Whakaruruhau’ was exhibited for one and half years at the Pasifika Styles Festival in Cambridge, U.K. and has also been presented at The Pacific Arts Festival 2004 in Belau, and The Body Festival 2005.

In 2006, Louise was a guest choreographer for Black Grace Dance Company choreographing Night Blooms. In 2007, Louise was awarded a Wild Creations Residency. Living at Aoraki / Mt Cook village for six weeks she created the short dance film and solo dance performance ‘Aoraki’, which premiered at The Body Festival in 2007. The film Aoraki has been screened at the Nelson Festival of the Arts, The Body Festival 2007, Pool 07 International Film Festival, and the International Dance Film Festival in Yokohama Film Festival in Japan, and was exhibited in the ‘Dateline Return’ Exhibition at the Govett Brewster Gallery.

In 2008, Louise collaborated with singer/songwriter Ariana Tikao to develop the video design for Ariana’s live show, TUIA. Louise also produced, directed and edited the music video for Ariana's single TUIA. In 2009, TUIA was awarded ‘Best Music Video’ at the ImagineNATIVE film festival in Toronto, Canada.  Louise’s collaboration with Ariana continued in 2009, with Louise designing video projections for Ariana’s new live show OHAKI, which premiered at the Christchurch Arts Festival 2009.

Also in 2009, Louise was supported by the Creative New Zealand International Programme to undertake a choreographic internship with Santee Smith, the artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, in Toronto and Six Nations reserve, Canada.

Louise’s latest solo work NOHOPUKU – dreams of space shifting, was created in response to her time in Canada, and premiered at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, in ‘Te Ngaru Hou’ at Puketeraki Marae in Karitane near Dunedin. For her performance in ‘NOHOUPUKU – dreams of space shifting’, Louise was awarded ‘Stand–out Performer’ and ‘Te Ngaru Hou’ won the ‘Best Dance’ Award as well as the ‘Best of Fringe’ Award. Louise also presented a group version of ‘Nohopuku - dreams of space shifting’ at the SPLORE 2010 Festival.

Louise’s practice has also included collaborations with other artists, such as ‘Turanga’ with Rachael Rakena, and ‘Kohatu - Art on the Beach’, a collaboration with lighting designer Vanda Karolczak, as part of the Auckland Festival of Arts in 2007.

Louise also has an on-going collaboration with researcher and composer Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal. Their collaboration has spanned five years in which Louise and Charles have facilitated wananga and developed choreography towards a new whare tapere performance 'Te Karohirohi'. A work-in -progress performance of 'Te Karohirohi' was presented in 2010 on Waitangi Day at Waimango. The final work will be presented in February 2011.

Louise has a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts with a major in Contemporary Dance and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Maori Studies. Her teaching experience includes positions at The University of Otago, The University of Auckland, and the Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts teaching courses in video-dance, choreography and Interdisciplinary practice.

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             Ngai Tahu 32


Whakaruruhau - he mihi ki Araiteuru
         (Photo: Nigel Bunn)

                 Night Blooms


                     Aoraki


                    TUIA