A group of rangatahi have gone viral for their “perfect” poi performance.
Autaia haka theatre group posted a video of their Waiōrea students’ flawless skills on Instagram. The footge was picked up and reposted by Māori Worldwide and has racked up 163k views in just 24 hours.
The clip shows five young wāhine showing off their talents as they nail their synchronised poi and beautiful vocals, supported by two fellas and a larger waiata happening off-camera.
“Ātaahua ❤️🌀,” Māori Worldwide captioned the post.
Commenters were blown away, with one writing: “The coordination is amazing. I'd screw up my hands focusing on my feet while doing this. I love the practice put into this to look this great.”
Another agreed: “Ya’ll must practice a lot! It was perfect!”
While a third added: “White tee at the front left no crumbs!”
Others have taken to the original post to share their amazement.
“Incredible youth talent and dedication ✨✨✨,” wrote one user.
Another said: “So powerful and beautiful to watch 😍👏.”
Autaia is a theatre group all about celebrating Ngā Toi Māori (performing arts), especially for the upcoming generation.
It’s all about students from 10 kura around the motu coming together and performing their stories through haka in a full-blown stage show.
And these students are hands-on with everything behind the scenes. From performing, directing, choreography, costume and set design, sound - you name it, they’re getting stuck in.
Last week, the students put on an incredible show, proving all their hard mahi was worth it - and it shows!
The 10 kura came together for the beautiful closing waiata of ‘Tōku Reo’, where their voices blended beautifully.
“Let this be a constant reminder that we are stronger together,” Autaia wrote congratulating their performers
Great stuff. A huge pakipaki to everyone involved!
