A group of Tauranga schoolgirls has breathed new life into a historic battle with modern dance.
Four small groups of Tauranga Girls' College students performed dances they choreographed to Gate Pa School last week. .
Each dance was created based on a particular aspect of the Battle of Gate Pa that the students felt they could express. Loren Wilson-Innes, 16, said she and the others in her group, Michaela Bowen, Brittany Spencer and Tyler Nitschke, tried to convey how the Maori warriors were feeling during the battle.
There were moments in their dance when they focused on the anger of the Maori people and the contrast of sad and sorrowful moments. "We chose instrumental, tribal-type music which kind of mimics the Maori powhiri (welcome)."
She said some of the movements mimicked the motions of the warriors.