Tuia, tui, tuia: A Performance Exercise in Hybridity in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

The research project “Tuia, tui, tuia” posed two questions: “What new and interesting performance works can be created when two or more performance traditions talk to each other?” and “Can these culturally hybrid artistic forms communicate knowledge about the ‘other’?” The project explored alternative ways of approaching classical voice studio practice by including other vocal traditions, by valuing the context and influence of ancestry on studio practice and by sharing creative units through interdisciplinary knowledge transfer with dance students. The project drew on the experiences of degree-level classical voice students and degree-level dance studies students. The paper describes the progression of twelve workshops towards a performance outcome which expressed the story of the class in narrative form and reflected the learning experiences of the participants.