Atamira Dance Company choreographer Louise Potiki-Bryant reveals her own family history in Taonga: Dust, Water, Wind.
And it is a story that arrives on the wings of a fantail and the cry of an owl.
The contemporary Maori dance and traditional music work is based on the life of Potiki-Bryant's great-aunt, Ngai Tahu kuia Rona Williamson, who has lived at Kaka Point for the past 82 years.
"She's my grandfather's cousin, so she's my auntie in the Maori sense," Potiki-Bryant says.
"I read her memoirs a few years ago and there was a line that really sparked my interest.
"It was about her mother's powerful intuition and how she would know things that had just happened, without anyone telling her.
"Her brother had just died and she knew about his death before she was told about it.
"Auntie Rona wrote that `The message came to her on the wings of a fantail and the cry of an owl'.
"I thought that was beautiful and something I could work with. It reveals what is precious in our contemporary lives, how we cope with change and the role of intuition."
The dance is set in 1934 and weaves Mrs Williamson's childhood memories with the Maori myth Rona and the Moon.
Mrs Williamson (84) will be travelling from Kaka Point for the Dunedin premiere tonight with more than a dozen friends and family.
"I'm from Dunedin, so it will be bringing it home, really," Potiki-Bryant says.
"There's quite a few family and friends from Dunedin and Kaka Point coming to see it.
"It will be very special to show it to Auntie Rona and the community."
"We flew her up to Auckland for the first run, so she's seen it once before, but we've changed it quite a bit since then.
"We've put in a recording of her talking about her family and living in Kaka Point during the Depression and how they lived off the sea."
The dance work also features a live score performed by musician Richard Nunns on traditional Maori instruments, taonga puoro.
The Atamira Dance Company was established to create performances inspired by Aotearoa history, legends and contemporary issues.
Taonga: Dust, Water, Wind is on at 8pm in the Kings and Queens Performing Arts Centre today and tomorrow.
