Louise Pōtiki Bryant is a New Zealand Arts Laureate, an award-winning choreographer, Māori contemporary dancer and a multi-media artist. She weaves dance, video, animation and film to create immersive multi-layered performances and artworks. Guided by Kaitiakitanga, and Mātauranga Māori, she aims to embody these values into every creative expression, to inspire the care, protection, and regeneration of the whenua, moana, and awa.

Louise was awarded the prestigious Harriet Friedlander Residency by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which saw her based in New York City in 2016. Her other residencies include the Ngāi Tahu Artist Residency at the Dunedin School of Art, a Wild Creations Residency, and the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance at the University of Otago in 2014.

A founding member of Atamira Dance Company, Louise has choreographed six major works for the company, including Ngāi Tahu 32 (Best Contemporary Dance Production, NZ Listener, 2004), Te Aroha me te mamae (Best New Choreographer, NZ Listener, 2003), and TAONGA: Dust Water Wind (Best Production, Best Music, Best Scenography). She has also choreographed for prominent companies such as The New Zealand Dance Company, Black Grace Dance Company, and Ōrotokare, Art, Story, Motion. A key influence on Louise's creative practice has been her long-standing collaboration with Professor Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, whose research into historical whare tapere contributed to the dance work Te Kārohirohi - The Light Dances, the culmination of their eight-year partnership.

In addition to her group choreographic works, Louise has developed a significant body of solo and collaborative performance pieces. Notably, Kiri, a critically acclaimed collaboration with clay artist Paerau Corneal, explores the whakapapa of uku (clay) and its integrity in a pre-ceramic state. Kiri has been presented both nationally and internationally, including at the Matriarch’s Uprising Programme at the Talking Stick Festival in Vancouver, Canada. Louise’s performances frequently integrate various disciplines, and she designs, animates and edits the projected video elements - an integral part of each performance.

Louise is also known for her innovative video and digital dance installations. Te Taki o te Ua / The Sound of Rain, a collaboration with Ariana Tikao and Paddy Free, addresses the impacts of climate change, particularly extreme weather patterns. Te Taki o te Ua was exhibited at the Māori Moving Image ki te Puna o Waiwhetū exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery. Her digital dance installation Blood Water Earth, a collaboration with multimedia artist Santee Smith, explores the reawakening of the sacred feminine and the cultural healing of Indigenous women from colonial impacts.

Other recent video installations include Te Korowai a Kahukura, a site-specific work commissioned for the 30-metre video wall at Te Ara Ātea for the Herbarium Exhibition, Te Au o Te Moana, commissioned for Te Rā: The Māori Sail exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery, and Te Hā o Papatūānuku, a work commissioned and acquired by the Christchurch Art Gallery. As a video designer, Louise has contributed to a variety of opera, music, and dance productions. Her most recent work includes a one-hour video piece created to accompany Bird Like Men, a performance by the art music quartet Tararua. She has also designed video for three productions by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre and multiple works by Atamira Dance Company, including Te Wheke, a work celebrating the company’s first 20 years.

Louise’s expertise extends to dance films, having created seven films and several music videos. Tuia, a music video for Ariana Tikao, won Best Music Video at the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto. She was commissioned by the Mana Moana Collective to create three dance films as part of a series projected onto water screens at international arts festivals between 2019 and 2024. Louise’s film Tūātea currently screens on the Mana Moana Digital Ocean, an immersive online digital art experience, and was featured as part of the 15th Nuit Blanche in Toronto.
Other notable screenings of her work include Roto, which was presented at the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival 2018, the Wairoa Māori Film Festival 2018, and Matariki Shorts 2018. Her film Whakaruruhau has been showcased at the Pasifika Styles Festival in Cambridge, U.K., and the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts in Palau. Aoraki, another of her films, was part of the Dateline Return exhibition at the Govett Brewster Gallery, with screenings at the Pool 07 International Film Festival and the International Dance Film Festival in Yokohama, Japan.

In 2015, Louise co-directed the dance film Kurawaka in collaboration with Kura Te Ua and Hawaiki TŪ, and in 2022, she co-directed, edited, and created animations for the film Te Mata by Taane Mete.

Photo Credit: Jinki Cabronero