Organised by the Projekt Team, New Zealand’s leading Hip Hop and Street Dance Freestyle and Battle collective, #TheSoundProjekt is the first competition event of its kind in the country.
Held in celebration of Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa, the month-long hybrid battle competition will highlight New Zealand artists and performers, and acknowledge Māori and Pasifika elements.
Organised by Projekt Team members, producer Mele Ta’e’iloa and director Renee Sharp, the event’s main goal is to allow New Zealanders the opportunity to participate in the arts, especially those within the Māori and Pasifika community.
Renee says, “we’ve made a lot of community events in the past but always on a shoestring budget.”
“With this event we’ve been so honoured to be supported by Creative New Zealand and Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa.”
The competition’s dance component will see some of the best freestyle dancers in the country up for battle including John Vaifale aka Happy Feet, Avneil Mohan aka Avstract, Myke Davis Hoeft, Krump Community Leader Chris Teava, and so many more.
Mele adds, “this is a 1 on 1 freestyle dance battle, so many of the dancers will come from different crews.”
While the group are known for their dance-focused events, Renee and Mele were inspired by the French dance and beat competition Beat Dance Contest, and have introduced a beatmaking element to this event.
Beatmakers are encouraged to submit their tracks via Instagram and the top four finalists will be invited to a live battle showcase in front of an audience.
All the music will be NZ music or created by our very homegrown beatmakers. Classic kiwi bangers will be sampled accompanied with cultural and traditionals compositions, this will allow performers an opportunity to engage with their history and explore their heritage in a contemporary setting. The event will be a celebration of Pasifika and Māori culture and how its traditions continue to have an impact on the music industry, especially Hip hop.
Beatmaker judge, Dujon Cullingford, is excited to be a part of #TheSoundProjekt and is excited to bring together performers from across the country, “what Projekt is doing is taking inclusivity and expression to another level.”
“What sets this competition apart from others in New Zealand, is the curation and care that the Projekt Team facilitates so well… by providing a dance competition that not only welcomes many dance practitioners but also ties in musical elements and amplifies indigenous expression, this will have a profound impact on both the participants and audience”.
Winners will be announced for one beatmaker and one dancer, each receiving a prize package valued at $1,000.
During the competition, public workshops will be made available for the public at no cost. They include freestyle and battle workshops, learning the fundamentals of street dance and a beat-making Talanoa.
The final battle will take place:
Under The Dome
Auckland Museum
28th of May, 7pm
Click here for more information on the competition.
Click here for tickets.
