KAHURANGI- "A cloak from heaven" presents a collection of vibrant traditional Maori culture, music and dance styles dating back to 900 AD, when their first migration through Polynesia took them from Hawaiki to New Zealand.

The heritage of the Maori is rich in tradition and cultural value. Kahurangi's vibrant presentation breathes life into that legacy through dance, music and song in both traditional and contemporary ways in a repertoire of proven broad audience appeal that is uniquely New Zealand.

Kahurangi is the only professional Maori dance company touring North America. The Ensemble performers in North America are graduates of Te Wananga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, the first accredited institution in New Zealand to specialize in the instruction and preservation of the Maori Performing Arts. Founded in 1983 by Tama Huata— a Maori composer, educator, authority on Maori arts, "Takitimu" is supported by a dynamic team of Maori religious leaders, elected officials and educators. It was the first in New Zealand to offer performing arts training through government programs in the early 1980's.

Thanks to support from the California Arts Council, Plumas County Office of Education and individual school sites Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre will provide an artist residency in Plumas County April 23rd & 24th, visiting local elementary schools as well as providing this public performance.