What's On: Poetry, ballet and te reo Māori theatre in Northland

Comic ballet comes north

A comic ballet featuring more than 100 Northern Dance Academy students, local actors and guest dancers from Christchurch and Wellington is on this weekend.

Coppelia was first performed in 1850, originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon to the music of Leo Delibes, and has since been performed all over the world.

It received rave reviews when it was performed by the Northern Dance Academy in 2010.

Coppelia kicked off at Kerikeri's Turner Centre on Wednesday and will be performed again tomorrow at 11am and 6.30pm, and Sunday at 2pm.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students and children under 16, and $65 for a family with two adults and two children.

Visit www.turnercentre.co.nz/whats-on/coppelia for more information.

Soul expanding wonderment or just free speech

The language will probably not all be filthy when people are invited to say a Dirty Word to celebrate World Poetry Day.

Dirty Word, live spoken poetry and prose by local artists, is at the Old Stone Butter Factory in Whangārei tonight from 7pm, hosted by Slam finalist Vincent Nathan.

The open invitation says: ''Bring your own words to share in an evening of soul expanding wonderment or just lend your ears to the free speech from these free minds. Inspiration guaranteed!''

Northland poetry book Fast Fibres Poetry Five will feature on August 26 at an open mic afternoon at Kings Theatre Creative Kawakawa, 1pm to 3pm ($5 entry).

Māori theatre for the whole whānau

A theatre show which is entirely in te reo Māori but performed in a way that everyone can follow, is in Whangārei this weekend.

Hine Kihāwai follows the story of a woman who may have left the world of the living, but lives on in the memories of her children Tama and Te Aniwa.

Against all odds, her tamariki fight to hold on to her teachings, her wisdom, her songs – everything they knew and loved about her. Only through retaining all that she gave them can they truly face the challenges of their turbulent world.

The Hine Kihāwai team will be performing live at Whangārei Terenga Paraoa Marae at 1pm.

The show is entirely in te reo Māori, but uses gestures and movement so that even non-speakers can follow along.

The 2018 Te Reo Māori Season is a retelling of the 2003 children's play Āwhina.

Written by the highly regarded composer, teacher and Māori leader Hone Hurihanganui, Hine Kihāwai has been redeveloped for a new generation of tamariki.