Pring It On (All or Nuffing!) is a riotous production of dance routines, super music and comedy built around the original Bring It On movie from 2000, which has been given a total Polynesian make-over.
This is the debut of a new company Strictly Brown, this being their flagship production and world premiere.
Director and producer Leki Jackson-Bourke also wrote the show. The timing of this project was important to us. We wanted young brown leaders to come and see the work and get inspired.
His directing and producing partner is Saale ‘Ilaua.
Polyfest is the long-standing competition amongst schools which is featured. Beginning in 1976 under the sponsorship of the ASB, the first school to host was Hillary College in Otara.
The objective, to demonstrate the pride of cultural identity and to bring schools together.
The Bring It On movie was built around American schools competing for cheer leader honours.
There is a curious synchronicity here. The inspiration for that original story came from Hip-Hop and Breakdance shows. Exclusively Black when they began, until White teens started to copy and emulate them.
South Auckland has the largest Polynesian population in the Pacific, and so it would be a place where the culture is alive and vibrant. That is my sense from living close to the area.
To digress just a little, a big part of growing up for me was spending time with family in Ponsonby. Which was the centre of Polynesian New Zealand in the Sixties and Seventies.
It got gentrified throughout the Eighties and is now Yuppy Central. Trendy eateries and designer clothes, as you know.
The Polynesian population centre moved south to where it resides now.
The new Mangere Arts Centre, Nga Tohu o Uenuku, opened in 2010, resembles a village style meeting house built on a high platform.
We are introduced to a large cast production. There are six actors and an ensemble dance crew of 15. It seems like more, especially when children appear in dance cameo roles.
A live band play traditional Samoan music. Forgive my ignorance here but there could well be Tongan, and others included.
The story revolves around a college girl Penina Toleafoa (Adyhana Urika Filifilia) who wants to join the dance culture crew of her school, as they get ready to contest the upcoming annual Polyfest.
Her mum Mama Tiesi (Joanna Mika) does not approve as she feels it an adulteration of culture.
An interesting link to the original movie. Hip-Hop and Rap got a distinctly cool reception from the African American Blues and R’n’B practitioners. That persists to this day. It has been embraced and swallowed by White America and it outsells Rock music by a magnitude of ten.
Penina is the new girl who wants to break into the clique. She feels the conflict that her mum projects. She is sensitive to the fact she is not fluent in Samoan.
Her rival is the leader of the school group Becky Solomona (Natalie Toevai). Sceptical of the newcomer and resistant to her new ideas.
Her best friend Pauly Afamasaga (Petmal Petelo) is hilarious with the gender-fluid actors comedy timing.
Naisa Schuster (Dimitrius Schuster- Koloamatangi) is the prospective boyfriend love-interest for new girl Penina.
Sosafina (Joyce Salu) is already part of the crew, but she is more introspective, and wants to support the new girl from a sociopolitical perspective.
The conflicts of tradition and breaking boundaries surface. Staying faithful to culture clashing with new innovations.
Papa, he’s doin’ the Jerk/ He’s doin’ the Twist, just like this/ He ain’t no drag/ Papa’s got a brand new bag.
Penina feels her poor language skills in Samoan acutely. Is she guilty of being a coconut? Brown on the outside and white on the inside.
There is a hilarious moment where she coached through this. The writer is debunking the snobbish pettiness of this.
Surrounding all this are well-choreographed ensemble dance routines backed by a particularly fine live band performance.
This may be a stereotype, but I expect great singing from Polynesian groups and this production delivers.
A large part of the dialogue is in Samoan. I miss a lot of the puns and references to the original movie dialogue. The audience doesn’t.
There are huge belly-laughs from the start.
I am brought back to 40 years ago when I worked for four months in Samoa as a junior doctor.
Attending movies and shows was a laugh-fest from start to finish. Most were action or Kung Fu movies. Dialogue was English but the whole audience got intoxicated with laughter from the action. Young boys or girls sitting on the laps of adults was standard. You watch and you are very much part in the party.
This show brought that all back for me. I will stick my neck out any say it is a unique experience of unbridled fun, where you don’t have to understand the language.
Comedy, great music, and dance routines are a universal and bridging experience.