Creative Voices, Local Stories - Emerging Leaders in Performing Arts
Over 6 days in January 2025, Whangārei’s young leaders in performing arts gathered in our whare to upskill, collaborate and explore a range of processes to create contemporary performances, in our first event of the Emerging Leaders series.
Our facilitators—Lutz Hamm (Actor), Gaby Thomas (Dancer), and Jase Taylor (Film Producer)—led the discussions with insight and passion, supported by Ngāriki Ngatae and Vincent Nathan. The content was inspiring, and the feedback we received was both thoughtful and encouraging. It was truly a space of learning, sharing, and growing together as a creative community.
Lutz captured our imagination, creating a trusting space to explore and experiment. From crafting intimate, emotion-filled scenes to drawing on real-life experiences, he shared his unique techniques in acting, writing, and leadership to help build confidence across diverse contexts. Drawing from his extensive experience, Lutz offered valuable insights into directing for the performing arts, screenwriting, and theatre.
While film is a prominent pillar of the Aotearoa arts industry, young artists in Northland don’t always have access to screen acting or film production opportunities. Jase Taylor (Tai Huri Films) guided the group in a hands-on, collaborative process—building worlds, characters, scripts, and camera skills. Each participant took part in a filmed scene, with young people handling the filming and editing while being coached through the nuances of on-camera acting.
Gaby, a practicing dancer and choreographer, began each day with “Muscle and Bone,” a series of movements designed to warm our tinana for the day ahead. Throughout the week, Gaby explored different themes, encouraging us to draw inspiration from the environment around us. Improvising through provocations sparked creativity, with each person contributing to the process in their own unique way. Gaby also introduced clay for taonga pūoro creation, grounding us in beautiful sounds that guided our movement.
Lutz, Gaby, and Jase each tell stories in their own unique way, yet they connected diverse concepts, themes, and processes to create a cohesive and inspiring learning experience. It was truly special to have local, professional, practicing artists lead our talanoa. Over six days, we were constantly reminded of their deep passion for both their craft and the development of emerging artists. Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce that another Talanoa is planned for April. We can’t wait to continue these important conversations, build on the ideas shared, and further strengthen the connections within our creative whānau.
