Whakaahua-An Approach to Performing

In theatre traditions throughout the world, one can find a variety of approaches to performing. Perhaps the most well know is the use of mimesis in western theatre. In this approach, it is said that an actor dons the mask of a character and for a time acts out that character. Whilst this is not the only kind of approach in western theatre, this is a key aspect of it. As an approach to performing, Ōrotokare has been exploring the concept of whakaahua, which literally means ‘coming to form’. In traditional Māori performance, it appears that excellent performance is achieved when an audience believes that a performer has been transformed in some way. That is, a performer is not merely like or akin to something but has actually been transformed themselves. Usually this means that a performer has become an atua, or a divine presence. We see this idea reflected in the following expression used for a woman who has achieved excellence in dance: ‘Ko Hineruhi koe, nāna i tū te ata hāpara.’ (You are Hineruhi, the one who brings about the dawn). We note in this expression that the performer is not merely like Hineruhi but is Hineruhi herself manifest in the performer. This process of manifestation is what is referred to in the term whakaahua. In the traditional Māori worldview, the expression of mana in the world is of central importance. Whakaahua in performance is a process of expressing mana through performing. It entails asking of performers to undertake a deep process, seeking resources within and bringing them outward in a performance.