Indigenous collaboration towards hybrid musical production builds a better community: Taioreore'”Māui, Izanagi and Izanami

Abstract

Indigenous groups have been developing and adopting hybrid identities since colonialism began.
According to Smith (2006), 'With hybrid identity, indigenous communities can maintain independence and integrity. Simultaneously, they develop the ability to communicate across political, linguistic, and cultural boundaries' (p. 2). Art collaboration between indigenous people builds a better community that aims to improve relationships through understanding and appreciating one another's cultural heritage and art forms. Furthermore, every indigenous culture encompasses its own uniqueness, differences and sometimes shares commonalities with one another. This article discusses the processes used to negotiate, compromise and creatively develop a hybrid musical production that integrates Māori and Japanese performing arts, namely music, song and dance. The creation and performance of Taioreore'”Māui, Izanagi and Izanami at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival in 2014 provides an insight into hybrid exploration that not only combined Māori and Japanese traditional and contemporary art forms but explored the creation of a third culture, a third expressive space, a hybrid crossroad. This paper discusses the creative process, the working together and working out of something new, fresh and innovative in performing arts.