'K Rd' show on road

We southerners may not be familiar with Auckland's Karangahape Rd but we've probably heard of its reputation as a red-light district: its prostitutes, drag queens, drug lords, drunks, bars and nightclubs.

The Okareka Dance Company is touring a show exploring the nightlife of this notorious street, K Rd Strip: A Place to Stand, which visits the Regent Theatre in Dunedin, its only South Island venue, tomorrow and Saturday. Taane Mete, choreographer of the show and with Taiaroa Royal founding artistic director of Okareka, says true stories are woven into the work though drama, music and dance.

Mete and his team have researched the history of ''K Rd'' and its nightlife, interviewing many people who have lived and worked there. They have even included the story about the naming of the place. Hape, a character in Maori mythology, arrived on a stingray before his family, who were coming in the Tainui waka. He stood on a hill to call his brothers.

''Karanga'' means call or welcome in Maori, so the hill became Karangahape.

''I've had this show in my mind and my soul for five years now. Every member of the team was hand-picked to showcase not only their talent but also their creativity and their knowledge of K Rd.''

The six male dancers, actors and singers are all part of the culture of the road, the gay scene, the queer scene and the music scene. Mete said he was a drag artist there for three years.

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See it
K Rd Strip (NZ Matariki Tour Under the Stars 2013) by Okareka Dance Company is at the Regent Theatre, Dunedin on June 28 and 29 at 8pm and is R18.

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