Hope One: Hot Brown Honey

It’s been a ridiculously busy and stressy few weeks and I’m hanging on by my fingernails for the holidays! My camera has stayed stubbornly in my bag most of the time but finally broke free in Manchester today after a show by the phenomenal Australian performers, Hot Brown Honey.

These 6 women of Aboriginal Australian, Samoan, Tongan, Māori and Indonesian heritage address racism and misogyny through song, dance, burlesque, beatboxing, humour, oratory, aerial performance and the most astonishing quick-change wardrobe manoeuvres I’ve ever seen! It’s hard to describe it adequately but watching the trailer for the show might help... www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz5ZFDDEmVc

Today’s Blip is of the company’s ‘token’ New Zealander, Matehaere Hope Haami (aka Hope One), who brings her Māori heritage, beatboxing skills and dance moves to the mix in fine style! www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhWy6oNq5qw

The show quotes Angela Davis, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” And these women do that, for sure.

Inspired by Audre Lorde, they say “We do this for the women who cannot speak. We are taught that silence will save us. But we will make noise!”

The noise they make is impassioned, sometimes painful but also utterly joyous!

(The Extra photo was taken by a kindly fellow audience member and shows me failing spectacularly to blend in amidst the whole Hot Brown Honey crew!!)