Hosted with Ta'alili at ETENA FEST
This year the Lab is hosted by Ta'alili as part of ETENA FEST in West Auckland. Devonté is the Lab's third recipient, and his Lab includes mentoring from Ta'alili co-director Aloali'i Tapu, who was our 2025 Artist in Residence in Sāmoa.
"Devonté is an exciting addition to ETENA FEST because of his connection with our first one in 2024, as a part of our good friend Seidah Tuaoi's work. He's a student at Unitec and works and performs with Projekt Team, meaning he's often practising, training and freestyling. It's a busy year for him, so I'm excited to have him this year to create a work that can articulate where he is at during this time, with some support from us all. We believe that he and his collaborators have an important place in the creative arts scene in Aotearoa, and hope this can assist in their journey." — Aloali'i Tapu, co-director, Ta'alili
A message from Devonté
"Talofa lava, my name is Devonté Laifa Tama'ali'i. I am an emerging dance artist from the villages of Vaitele and Vavau in Samoa, born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau. Currently, I am a Year 2 Unitec Dance student working towards a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts, majoring in Contemporary Dance, and I am a member of the street dance collective Projekt Team. Fa'afetai lava to Ta'alili and the team at Pacific Dance New Zealand for entrusting me with the 2026 PDNZ Choreographic Lab. I am deeply honoured to be given this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to grow, explore, and develop my choreographic practice through this experience." — Devonté Laifa Tama'ali'i
What's next
Devonté will premiere his new contemporary hip-hop fusion work, What We Retain / What We Exchange, at ETENA FEST in West Auckland, with two showings on the rooftop at Lopdell House in Titirangi.
