Details

Lemi Ponifasio is a Samoan choreographer living in New Zealand. His company MAU is named after the Samoan independence movement - the word MAU means revolution. One of the most distinctive choreographers in the world today, Ponifasio is a fearless creative force whose work provokes attention and debate wherever it is experienced. The choreography is an extraordinary visceral kaleidoscope of ideas and influences that touch on the tensions and politics of race, tradition, mythology, urban consumerism and environmental awareness. Can we ever hope to live in harmony with our environment? Can we aspire to become more than vandals? A species integrated with the planet on which we live? On the smallest of islands in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, shiny, glittering fragments of plastic waste attract the eyes of frigatebirds. These tiny sky mirrors, deadly parcels of pollution which adorn the nests of unsuspecting sea birds, are a dreadful if ironic reminder of the fragile beauty of environmentally degraded, remote islands throughout the Pacific. Inspired by the plight of the small islands of the Pacific, Lemi Ponifasio asks some big questions about our role on the planet. At a time of urgent and anxious debates on global warming, Birds with Skymirrors is a reflection, through beauty and stillness, on our relationship with the Earth. A co-production between Théâtre de la Ville, Theater der Welt 2010, spielzeit'europa I Berliner Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen, KVS Brussels, New Zealand International Arts Festival and Holland Festival. Duration 1hr 30mins