Tautua Dance School bringing Siva Samoa to Whanganui

Jayden Luapo (right) and Sophia Uele founded the Tautua dance school four years ago. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui people will soon have the chance to learn Siva Samoa - the traditional dance of Samoa.

Wellington's Tautua Dance School is bringing a team of 20 to the city in October to hold workshops, and founder Jayden Luapo says the school's aim is to keep Siva Samoa as traditional as possible.

"It's how our grandparents would dance, that's how we teach it," Luapo said.

"Recently Siva Samoa has turned quite contemporary and modernised, but we are trying to stick to its roots. The one thing we tell our students is that Siva Samoa, or any indigenous cultural dance, is so healing. It's a different connection.

"We are trying to get that across to our students to connect to their identity. Some of the transformations in our students is mindblowing.

"We want that for Whanganui as well, we want that for everyone."

As well as running dance workshops, Luapo will offer classes on how to make a traditional Samoan headpiece - the tuiga.

"I'll be explaining its history as well, who wears it and how it's changed," Luapo said.

"That goes from pre-colonisation through to the more recent tuiga that's evolved since coming to New Zealand.

"The people will get to leave with something they've made themselves."

Luapo said he founded the school with his partner Sophia Uele four years ago.

"We're graduates from the Whitireia Performing Arts programme in Wellington, and when we left we knew that dance was our gift.

"We really wanted to start something that nobody else who graduated was doing, and we wanted to create opportunities for young kids, because we never had that opportunity.

"It started off by going into schools, and from there we thought we were capable enough to run a dance school of our own.

"We went off into the unknown and we're still going strong."

The school will also bring traditional Samoan attire for people to try on and be photographed wearing.

"We started doing photo shoots and family portraits, and it has become another part of our business," Luapo said.

"Groups of up to five will have the chance to wear Samoan outfits from head to toe."

Tautua Dance School will be in Whanganui over Labour Weekend (October 23-25) at a venue to be confirmed.

People of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend.

"My auntie lives there and she's been hassling me and hassling me to come up. She's been wanting this to happen for years," Luapo said.

"At this stage we'll come up on the Friday, have workshops on the Saturday and Sunday, then a massive performance on the Monday night, Labour Day itself."

• For more information, email tautuadance@yahoo.com