What do you get when trees, ghosts and deer combine in a mischievous mix by one of Aotearoa’s most ingenious dancers, storytellers and award-winning choreographers? You’ll find yourself in the offbeat, playful world of Shel We by Tupua Tigafua.

The spark of Shel We springs from the works of American writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein — the quirky mind most famously known for the children’s book The Giving Tree and the lyrics of Johnny Cash’s A Boy Named Sue.

On a personal level, Shel We is a playful tribute to Tupua’s parents, his family and the environment that inspires him.  Set against an evocative classical score, the work is a joyful blend of laughter, strangeness, love, memory and the natural world.

Tupua Tigafua is an award-winning Sāmoan choreographer and dancer based in Aotearoa New Zealand. He has worked with the country’s premier contemporary dance companies Black Grace, Mau, The New Zealand Dance Company and Atamira Dance Company, and won both the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Award for Emerging Artist and the Wellington Theatre Awards Excellence Award for Choreography and Movement for his original work Ciggy Butts in the Sand.

Off-beat, upbeat and heartwarming, Shel We has delighted audiences of all ages from New Zealand to Sweden.