New Zealand's Mau dance company coming to LA in April

LEMI PONIFASIO/MAU: TEMPEST: WITHOUT A BODY
Saturday, April 2, 2011 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 3, 2011 7:00 pm
The Million Dollar Theater on Broadway
307 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tickets: $25-30 [Students $20-25]
213 237-2800 or www.redcat.org

REDCAT ventures to the historic Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles to present the U.S. premiere of the internationally acclaimed performance Tempest: Without a Body by renowned New Zealand director and choreographer Lemi Ponifasio and his company, MAU. This visually ravishing epic has received critical praise worldwide, being heralded as "a mysterious, cataclysmic piece" by Dance Magazine and "an impressive choreographic tour de force" by Le Soir. Now, it comes to Los Angeles for two nights in a special engagement under the auspices of REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater). Performances of Tempest: Without a Body will be held at the historic Million Dollar Theater on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 8:30 pm and Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 7:00 pm.

Born in Samoa, where he is a designated High Priest, Lemi Ponifasio is a fearless creative force whose distinctive visionary works for his company MAU have been performed at prestigious festivals and venues throughout the world. "The grand and historic Million Dollar Theater is a gorgeous setting for the beautiful stagecraft and epic scale of this acclaimed theatrical performance from New Zealand's MAU company, which has thrilled audiences at some of the world's most prestigious festivals, and graced the stages of renowned opera houses," remarks REDCAT Executive Director, Mark Murphy. "We are very happy to contribute to the rich history of the Million Dollar Theater with this internationally acclaimed performance inspired by Shakespearean themes in the context of contemporary and urgent human rights and environmental issues."

Part dance, part theater, part ceremony, Tempest: Without a Body is a ferocious and awe-inspiring reflection on personal liberty and our current world—revealed through a broken angel, its wings crumpled and too small for flight as it wanders a ruinous landscape of shadow and light. From its ominous beginning to its shattered conclusion, Tempest: Without a Body is a visually ravishing performance that invokes a hypnotic vision of heaven and hell, drawing imagery and themes from wide-reaching influences, including Paul Klee's painting Angelus Novus, Shakespeare's Tempest, and political philosopher Giorgio Agamben.

The highly disciplined performers in MAU come from throughout the Pacific region, and Ponifasio's theatrical event powerfully weaves the complex forms of knowledge and ritual of diverse Oceanic cultures. Emerging at the center is Māori activist Tame Iti, who takes the stage to unleash a passionate address on the escalation of state powers. Iti was arrested with 16 other activists in 2007 and Tempest gives the enigmatic and impassioned Iti a ceremonial platform to present his case for social change and his vision for his own people, the Tuhoe iwi.