Join us for an inspiring three-day workshop series tailored for Pasifika performers, guided by industry professionals.

These immersive sessions are designed to celebrate and strengthen Pasifika voices in the performing arts, offering advanced training in acting, storytelling, movement, and cultural expression.

Connect with mentors who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of being a Pasifika performer, while gaining valuable tools to enhance your craft, as you prepare to shine on local and international stages. Thanks to generous support from Palmerston North City Council Community-Led Initiatives Fund and Arts Heart Grant, these workshops are FREE.

These workshops are intended for students aged between 13-18 years.

Spend a day learning a mixture of songs from the pacific, with a focus on how to care for your voice, how to safely warm your voice up, and to learn the importance of how to sing in a group. We will also touch on how to quickfire song write, with a chance to write a song as a collective. We would love to see the students come together at the end of the day with a showcase for the parents/caregivers of the work accomplished from the day.

Bella Kalolo, a Samoan, Tongan, and Māori (Ngāti Porou) actor and singer, has worked with renowned artists such as Ciara, Mos Def, Chaka Khan, John Mayer, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and Dave Dobbyn. She has performed at international festivals, including Glastonbury, Sydney Festival, and Java Jazz, as well as major local events like Tauranga Jazz Fest and Parachute Festival. Her acclaimed releases Without the Paper (2011) and Time and Space (2013) earned her Best Pacific Female Artist at the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards in 2012 and 2014. She was also named New Zealand Television Personality of the Year. On screen, Bella is currently appearing in Shortland St, and has appeared in Sione’s Wedding, After the Party, and The Orator. Her theatre credits include The Lion King, Hair, Rocky Horror, and Dawn Raids.

Lijah Mavaega is a multi-instrumentalist and composer who has performed on major stages from a young age. He began his performing arts career with Pacific Underground as a musician and actor, later working with Mangere Arts Centre, Black Friars, and Odd Family as a musical director. At just 11, he toured with Pacific Underground in New Caledonia, participating in a week-long music residency and Pasifikana Soundz concert. By 13, he was performing alongside Ladi6, Parks, Mark Vanilau, and Dallas Tamaira at Pacific Underground’s Lifetime Achievement tribute. Lijah won the SUSO (Stand Up Stand Out) Dance Category, the first to accompany dancers with live music, and later joined Dawn Raids with Auckland Theatre Company as Assistant Music Director. A founding member of No.3 Roskill Theatre, he has composed and performed for Love to Say Goodbye, Welcome Home, and Kalapu Friday.

Sign up here: https://www.centrepoint.co.nz/pasifika-on-stage
Location: TBC