Kuini & Shapes in the Clouds

Performed at the Pacific Dance Festival 2025

Double Bill: KUINI by Lyncia Muller & Shapes in the Clouds by Tauveve Andy Tilo-Faiaoga. Experience two powerful works — celebrating ancestral wisdom, intergenerational connection, and bold Pacific storytelling through dance.

In a night of layered storytelling and vivid movement, the double bill of Shapes in the Clouds and Kuini offered a dynamic window into how Pacific narratives are being reimagined on the contemporary stage. Both performances stand as powerful testaments to the evolving expressions of cultural identity in Aotearoa, with each work taking a distinct yet interconnected path.

Shapes in the Clouds opened the evening with a blend of dance and theatre created by Tauveve Andy Tilo-Faiaoga. This family-focused work mixes playful humour with deeper emotional threads. At its centre is the relationship between a young boy and his father, explored through childhood imagination and parental hope.

The show begins with a burst of street life. A group of lively youth drift through the space, play-fighting, vaping, and competing for attention. The initial chaos recalls the ensemble energy of West Side Story, shaped through the rhythms of urban Pasifika life. The momentum soon shifts into more intimate storytelling that moves between fantasy and grounded cultural reality.

Movement drives the piece, supported by spoken word, music, and clever digital media. English dialogue sits alongside songs in Pacific languages, creating accessibility while staying true to cultural roots. Humour appears throughout the work, from inventive props like underwear masks and spinning clotheslines to cheeky stagehand appearances and intentional fourth-wall breaks. The performance is visually rich, though some staging choices made certain scenes harder to view from raised seating. A small spatial adjustment could strengthen future presentations.

The energy remains infectious. The piece celebrates imagination, not only for the young protagonist but for the performers themselves. With a cast that spans body types and dance backgrounds, Shapes in the Clouds feels inclusive, joyful, and proudly local. It honours dreaming, family bonds, and the journeys shared across generations.

After a short interlude, Kuini shifts the tone entirely. This work by Lyncia Muller is grounded, contemplative, and filled with reverence. It serves as an artistic tribute to Her Majesty Queen Sālote Tupou III, one of Tonga’s most influential cultural and political figures. Where Shapes is youthful and energetic, Kuini moves with regal calm. Its choreography blends the traditional tau‘olunga with contemporary movement in a way that feels like a conversation across time.

The staging is classical and composed. Black bodysuits and minimal monochrome garments create cohesion and poise. Transitions are accompanied by the sound of rain and storms, signalling emotional and spiritual shifts that reflect the Queen’s journey as a leader, poet, and cultural guardian. A standout moment arrives during a costume transition supported by projected visuals. Rather than acting as filler, this sequence offers insight into Queen Sālote’s life and philosophy, deepening the narrative while keeping the performance moving.

Live vocals elevate the work even further. Four singers deliver harmonised Tongan music that fills the room with cultural pride and spiritual continuity. Combined with the choreography, the soundscape creates a complete sensory experience. Kuini becomes more than a biographical tribute. It invites the audience to consider the responsibilities of cultural leadership and the ways tradition can evolve while maintaining integrity. These questions linger long after the final bow.

Together, Shapes in the Clouds and Kuini form a compelling dialogue about how tradition and modernity intersect in Pacific storytelling. Shapes places cultural values within a familiar Western performance structure, enriched by humour, digital storytelling, and youthful energy. Kuini takes traditional forms and lifts them through polished contemporary refinement, creating something that resembles Pacific ballet.

Each approach is valid and each reveals a different facet of how Pasifika artists engage with heritage. Shapes highlights imagination, connection, and the joy of play. Kuini brings weight and reflection, reminding audiences of the role art and leadership play in preserving cultural identity. Combined, they create a rich and textured evening of performance. They honour the past, speak to the present, and imagine futures still forming. Whether audiences come for humour and heart or poetry and precision, this double bill offers something rare and necessary. It provides a platform for Pacific voices to share their stories in their own way.

For audiences in Aotearoa, both Pasifika and non-Pasifika, these works offer entertainment and a meaningful invitation to listen, reflect, and imagine new shapes in the cultural clouds above us.

Experience KUINI & Shapes in the Clouds from 10th-11th June, 7pm

Review written by Alex Moulton