Beast Introduction is a showcase launching the debut of Corbyn Taulealea-Huch’s latest street dance collective, Beast. The show offers us refreshing, mature and considered choreography that celebrates authenticity, connection, and individuality from experienced dancers and movers who each have a distinctive take on Corbyn’s choreography.

Corbyn opens the space acknowledging her village, the people who built her and the whakapapa of her dance career, having been involved in Aotearoa’s street dance scene for over 21 years. Beast is amplified as a safe space for her to explore her identity as a choreographer and artist, and for Aotearoa’s street dance leaders to become students again under Corbyn’s wing. They aim to inspire their wider community through their craft with homegrown, hood vibes distinct from Corbyn’s artistic flavour and passion.

A blended audience of artists, creatives, students and community advocates: leaders from Brown Pride, Vain Creative, Nappyboyz Dance Company, Saintz Dance Company, The Collective, Period 7, University of Auckland Dance Studies students, Duffy Books in Homes, FRANCMARIE Fashion, Lalaga, many high school students and beyond – gather to witness the introduction of ‘Beast’ as a collective. The crowd reflects the reach of how Corbyn’s work inspires audiences beyond just the dance community, but appeals to creatives and business owners in every field.

Opening the show with pumping red lights reflecting police sirens, the space transports us into the streets with dancers wearing durags, oversized baseball tees and baggy pants. An opening cypher of solos, duets and trios highlights the collective’s individuality and points of strength in movement and character. Each dancer gets their turn in the spotlight, a consistent recurring theme throughout the show. It is refreshing to see our street dance leaders in a new light – sitting in styles outside their comfort zone. Still, their commitment to the movement shows that Corbyn has created a space that instils confidence in each dancer to embody her choreography in empowering ways. This was a highlight of the show, as we see unique solos that showcase their flavour and choreographic style. A mix of Afro, gangster, feminine, hood vibes, and some smooth Chris Brown mirrors the team’s versatility and ability to shift between different pockets of energy.

I want to give kudos to the female performers in the team who demonstrated ways to shift between feminine and masculine movements and energy with ease, particularly Fia Taualai and Emma Huch, who embody both dynamics with high energy and charismatic performance. This is something that Corbyn has locked into – being able to showcase both styles, more so the masculine energy for females that shifts how women, particularly Pasifika women, can represent themselves, feel empowered and be confident in their skin without oversexualising/romanticising/exoticising the brown female body: challenging the colonial idea/narrative of the ‘Pasifika dusky maiden’. 

Another highlight was seeing the Huch cousins—Chantelle Huch, Emma Huch, and Corbyn Taulealea-Huch-Paselio—move together. They are powerhouse movers as individuals, but a freak of nature as a trio. These three grew up dancing together, having started Saintz Dance Academy back in the early 2000s. There is an undeniable chemistry between them that left the audience wanting more.

The most enjoyable aspect of this show is watching the cohort move together as a team. Despite coming from very distinct dance backgrounds: Saintz Dance Company, The Collective, Nappyboyz Dance Company, Royal Family, Society Dance Company – the chemistry, connection and synergy as a team is prominent in the group sections and shows up in the ways they acknowledge each other both on and off stage. 

In Aoteaora, where street dance competitions, and crew-based dynamics have dug deep foundations for street dance culture within our country; it is important to acknowledge that Corbyn breaks those linear ideas of team and community, where collaboration can extend past the walls of the dance crews we come from, and building sustainable, thriving communities through collaboration is vitally integral for street dance to thrive. Beast breaks down those walls, allows various communities to come together to celebrate the pillars of our spaces, and acknowledges/respects one another’s craft(s). 

Corbyn has redefined herself as an artist, pushing boundaries and setting an example for Pasifika artists. In a political climate where street dance and dance artists alike rely heavily on competitive funding rounds to motivate the creation of works, Corbyn creates art for the sake of artistry and inspires communities for the sake of inspiration. Fa’amalo, malo le taumafai to Corbyn for your heart and service to your communities through your craft. Congratulations to the Beast team for producing inspiring work where Pasifika youth can see themselves reflected in what is current and happening in the street dance space within Aotearoa today, and what they might be able to achieve because of the mahi you are all doing.

I look forward to seeing this work be supported and toured.

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