‘I wanted to have a conversation with my mum, through dance. What I was telling her is ‘I’m okay, I’m safe, I’m following my dreams’.
Iatua Felagai Taito is a 2nd year PhD Candidate for the Dance Studies program at the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries, at Waipapa Taumata Rau. He is a skilled artist with experience across multiple disciplines. He has been published as a poet, received training in theatre and acting, and is certified in Pacific dance, also working as a dance reviewer and writer.
Through the movement and fusion of Western and traditional Samoan dance he is exploring ways to express his intersecting identities, the Indigenous, the Christian, the masculine, feminine and queer sides of himself. Through the devastating loss of his Mother, Iatua found healing through dance, particularly Siva Samoa, which eventually became a pillar of strength in his life. The rich and diverse dance traditions of Sāmoa, including various forms of siva Sāmoa, have undergone significant transformations over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of missionaries and the spread of Christianity.
“I’m now in the first year of my PhD, delving into how different dances embodied some of our Indigenous knowledge bases and practices. I’ve had to look critically at the impacts of Christianity and colonisation on our Indigenous dance practices, and understand what that means today. For me, it’s been about learning and acknowledging that history and damage, while keeping faith with who I am and my culture.”