Who are Hī Hā school productions for?

All our shows are created especially for New Zealand primary and intermediate schools. They are graded as most suitable for junior or senior syndicates, or can be performed by the whole school.

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What makes Hī Hā school productions different?

They are movement-based and include choreographed dance videos. Our shows are all-Kiwi and NZ curriculum-friendly, with easy Māori language, culture and history interwoven throughout. 

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Who makes your productions?

Hī Hā is a collaboration between kids’ dance teacher/choreographer Lleuarne Panoho and children’s author Sally Sutton.

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What do we get?

Purchasing a school production gives you access to fully choreographed dance videos tailored to your show, a pdf copy of the script and instructions and/or videos for simple costume ideas. 

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What do you mean by ‘movement-based’? 

Not just our dances, but our scripts too are designed to get tamariki moving. This may be anything from physical action in the script, to action-based rhymes, to StoryDances.

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What is a StoryDance?

Some of our productions use pre-recorded audio where kids move freely to the story. This technique is especially good for engaging younger tamariki and allows for a more detailed script, while cutting down on rehearsal time and line-learning. It’s also great fun!

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Do we have to sing?

As our shows are movement-based, singing is not usually required. However, some of the songs are easy to sing along to if desired. Some shows also have options for songs and/or your own kapa haka item. 

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How do I find out more about your shows? 

Just click on each production on our home page.

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I can’t decide which production to choose – what should I do? 

Please contact us to discuss which show would work best for you – we’re happy to help!

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Are music rights for public performance included?

No, schools should hold the standard One Music School’s Licence. Most schools already have this.

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How do we play the songs for performances? 

Songs can be streamed directly from our website – however, to avoid any internet connection issues, we highly recommend downloading the songs on Spotify or similar (just search the song title or artist.) 

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We are a small/rural school. Can we still do a show?

Yes! We have discounts for small/rural schools. Please contact us with roll numbers.

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Is cast size flexible? 

Yes. Our plays consist of dance groups plus main characters. Numbers within dance groups can be scaled up or down, or groups can be combined as desired. For details on main characters, see demos on our Productions page.  

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Are the productions hard/expensive to stage?

No. Costumes are easy, there are minimal props and no fancy backdrops are required. You can make your show as simple or elaborate as you wish! 

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​What is the run time?

Run times vary from show to show and depend on cast size, staging etc. Most should be around an hour – some a little shorter, some a little longer.

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How long does it take to rehearse a production?

It depends entirely on you! Some schools begin a year in advance for a highly polished show; others rehearse and perform within the same term. The more you practise, the better you’ll be!

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Our school has signed up. How do our teachers log in?

We will contact you with your password. For school productions, click on the name of your production under ‘Productions’ on the menu bar. You will be directed to a ‘Guest Area’. Enter the password for your production.  For Assembly Items, you will be sent an email with password.

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What if our school wants to repeat a production we’ve done previously?

Access to your production is valid for one year after purchase. If you would like to do the same production in a different year, we ask that you re-purchase.  Access to Assembly Items is valid for six months.

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I still have questions! Who do I ask?

Please contact Sally: sally@hiha.co.nz We would love to hear from you!

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