Dancer exploring Rotorua and its surroundings (+ video)

CREATIVE: Roymata Holmes is using his residency at the Arts Village to explore his whakapapa. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

Contemporary dancer Roymata Holmes has been wandering around Rotorua, capturing the ambiance of the city for his residency at the Arts Village.

"I've been capturing the noises of the birds and the buses, the water bubbling, while I am out on my midnight strolls."

Roymata, 24, is one of three artists undertaking the six-week Open Space project residency alongside visual artist Glenys Courtney-Strachan and fashion designer Kharl Wirepa.

He said he submitted the application for the six-week residency with the Arts Village's Open Space project while dancing in China, and was thrilled to be chosen.

"I was so excited to be able to spend a summer in New Zealand and work . . . it's been totally wonderful being here. I'm not creating a finished project but it's a process which I can further develop. I want to come back to Rotorua [eventually] and further develop the piece."

Roymata graduated from the New School of Dance in 2014.

For the residency Roymata extends upon his whakapapa connections to rongo - the Maori and Cook Island god of agriculture and peace, and he said he hopes to bridge the distances between the Cook Islands and New Zealand.

Roymata's mother is Cook Island while his dad is a Kiwi.

"The gods have the same name, the stories have a similar language. I had desire to learn more about my heritage and connection to the Te Arawa people. It has been a culturally rich experience."

He said most people come into his studio expecting him to be dancing. However he has changed his approach, with more reading and research.

There has been a participatory element for those who come to view Roymata's work, with people able to paint what peace means to them.

The showcase for the project will take place on Wednesday, January 25.

Roymata plans to fill the studio with astro turf borrowed from the Rotorua Lakes Council for his performance as the studio floor is concrete.

For the piece Roymata has been collaborating with local artists, photographer Riley Claxton and performance artist Tawhanga Nopera.

"It's a collaborative space. We're creating a story for people to observe."

There will be 15 images displayed at the showcase and Roymata said they will be available for the public through a koha donation.

The money raised will go towards for flights for Roymata to travel to the island of Mangaia, an island off the Cook Islands, to do more research.

"I feel super blessed and excited to show Rotorua locals a new lens of Rotorua. I want people to reach an experience and take their own meaning of what it means to them, to have a voyage."