Chrissy Kokiri
Performer, Tutor & Choreographer

TAPUIKA IWI

Chrissy’s (Tapuika) interest in contemporary dance began after working with Unitec contemporary dance tutor Katie Burton in her final year of high school dance. From then she studied full-time at Unitec, completing her final year of the Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts degree in 2013.

In 2014 Chrissy was a secondee with The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) and went on to help develop and perform with the Company in the premiere of Rotunda in Auckland. She was thrilled to be part of the tour to the Holland Dance Festival followed by the Language of Living New Zealand tour. Prior to her time with NZDC, Chrissy worked with Ōkāreka Dance Company on Mana Wahine, which toured New Zealand in 2014.

Chrissy has since dedicated her career to performing with NZDC in premieres and tours of: Rotunda as part of an Australasian tour; Lumina in its premiere and in its tours across New Zealand and Europe; The Absurdity of Humanity in its premiere and tour across New Zealand; Trolleys in its premiere; Kiss The Sky in its premiere and tour across New Zealand; performed in the role of Eurydice in the premiere of Michael Parmenter’s OrphEus – a dance opera; and finally Matariki for Tamariki in its premiere. In 2018 Chrissy also performed in World of Wearable Art and flexed her muscles as a choreographer with a commission through NZDC’s Kani Kani Hou programme for her work Blue Ink, which toured Auckland schools as a part of NZDC’s Tāmaki Tour and premiered internationally at the Night/Shift Festival in Toronto. 2020 is Chrissy’s seventh year with NZDC, which began with the premiere of This Fragile Planet.