Neil Ieremia is the artistic director of contemporary dance company Black Grace and the creator/artistic director of The Guerrilla Collection, a Pacific arts festival.
He created two works in the festival: a family show, Elephantic, and an evening performance, Lucky Dip. Neil shares his thoughts about what we can look forward to at the festival.
What's The Guerrilla Collection and how did the festival come about?
The Guerrilla Collection is a free Pacific arts festival that runs from 2 to 4 November and explores the future of Auckland city in 30 years through a uniquely Pacific lens.
It’s a three-day festival of 30-minute movement pieces, uniting Pacific artists from across multiple disciplines to create fresh, engaging and excellent Pacific art in collaboration with Black Grace dancers.
Why was 30 minutes chosen as the performance time for each piece?
With the ever-increasing pressure on people’s time, I think 30-minute performance pieces allow new audiences to experience bite-sized works of art.
We hope that audiences come out of one performance, turn around and head back into the theatre to see another one. In between there’ll be live music, commissioned visual art and food for sale.
What do you think Auckland will look like in 30 years and why is it important to consider this now?
My hope is that Auckland has addressed its infrastructure challenges to create a more equitable society for the growing population and its cultural diversity. And it’s important for us to start thinking about this today, while we still have time to do something about it. Big challenges require time to plan.
There are many talented artists from multiple disciplines taking part in the festival – what are some of your must-see performances?
We’re excited to have amazing artists on board – from writers Victor Rodger and Courtney Sina Meredith, to music legend Anonymouz, and theatre-makers Anapela Polataivao and Vela Mausaute.
The festival features beautiful singers Bella Kalolo and Paul Fagamalo, through to newer talents Justin Haiu’s ‘Jandel Jay and the Funky Friends’ and Leki Jackson-Bourke. There’s something for everyone.
We’re also looking forward to being immersed in visual Pacific art, with Mary Ama creating large-scale ‘ei’s, as well as Gary Silipa and the 312 Hub creating works live in the Festival Village.
Find out more
This weekend don’t miss Black Grace’s The Guerrilla Collection. The three-day festival runs from 2-4 November and is supported by Auckland Council.
Find out more about The Guerrilla Collection, including programme line-up and transport options – there will be free buses running from Manukau and Henderson to the ASB Waterfront Theatre on Saturday 3 November.
