May 19, 2026
6:30 pm

Presented by STRUT Dance and Harrison Cook

From 19 to 30 May 2026, Harrison Cook presented MATA MATA, a solo dance offering honouring whakapapa, identity and reclamation. The work invited audiences into a sacred journey of returning, awakening ancestral memory carried through body, land and water.

As the taniwha stirred beneath the surface of the awa, memory flowed from skin into whenua. Cook approached the physical body as a vessel through which spirit, mana and memory could be summoned, creating space to witness an intimate act of ancestral connection and cultural reclamation.

Lead Artist: Harrison Cook
Composer and Sound Designer: W. Sze Tsang
Lighting Designer: Matthew Erren
Mentor: Zee Zunnur
Costume Designer: Tia Tokić (BOSA)
Stage Manager: Jake Battle

MATA MATA was presented by STRUT Dance and Harrison Cook at The Blue Room Theatre.

Acknowledgement of Country

Strut Dance acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have passed away.

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