By Kite Pareti
Local dance company MATA is “bringing energy and power” to this year’s Dance Fest.
Formed in 2019, the Suva-based dance crew includes 15 young performing artists who specialise in hip-hop.
“We love that style, we love the modern aggressiveness that it has, in terms of music, expression, and movement,” says founder of MATA and lead organiser of Dance Fest, Tevita Tobeyaweni.
An established Fijian dancer, Tobeyaweni says his passion has gone from being a dancer/choreographer to now ensuring that there’s space available for people to nurture their creative talents.
“Every day, it’s always a new thing for me. I come to work with so many people from different backgrounds. It’s a melting pot of culture within our company. Our creativity and our creations are inspired from that,” he says.
While pursuing their passion for dancing, MATA members also prioritise their school and work commitments.
Recent University of the South Pacific graduate, Lekima Waqavuki joined MATA when it debuted and is currently employed in the communications field.
The 24-year-old noted: “If the passion is there, you can work it out. You can manage your time wisely. By day, I’m a communications officer and by night, I’m here rehearsing and we finish at like 10 pm. So yeah, anything is possible.”
Waqavuki says his love of dance has been fueled by local and international performing artists such as Navi Fong and Kirsten Dodgen, who’ve inspired him to “grow as an artist”.
“Through them, I was able to master my skills as a dancer,” he says.
In 2018, while attending Rishikul Sanatan College, Waqavuki and his team competed and won the Kula Dance Competition. He also took third place in the Fiji K-Pop Competition in 2019.
“I’m very thankful for all these workshops and competitions that I did. It boosted my confidence and helped me grow as a person,” he adds.
Former VOU dance member Maureen Angelee Mortel will be showcasing ‘Femme’, a hip-hop dance that embraces femininity, at this week’s Dance Fest at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
“I naturally gravitate more towards that kind of [dance] style,” says the 22-year-old performing artist with ethnic links to the Philippines. “MATA is going to be bringing its energy and power on stage. You can expect a diversity in genres for our set,” she adds.
Audiences can also expect an array of performances from ten other dance groups at Dance Fest.
“Every year, we always challenge ourselves with how we run and operate the festival, making sure that it’s always innovative, fun, creative and new,” says Tobeyaweni.
“There’s more variety, more cultural representation, more awareness of who is exactly doing what in the dance community,” he says.
A free dance workshop will be held a day before the main event at Moana Loa dance studio in Lami.
Tickets to the show are now available via TicketMax.
