TMSDA was founded by Albany and Lesieli Peseta four years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, to address the lack of Pacific performing arts opportunities in Christchurch, which has now grown into the South Island’s only family-owned Pacific performing arts academy, fostering cultural pride and connection across the region. 

Programme Coordinator, Taunoa Filimoehala, reflected on the success of their recent Sau Ia festival, supported by PFL, which saw 600 youth performing and around 2000 people attending. 

“Being part of something great and grounding is essential for our young people. With 17 primary schools performing this year and 21 already locked in for next year, it’s a lot of work, but the positive outcomes make it worth it. We love helping our young people feel rooted in their identity.”

For Peseta, her highlight was the Au Siva programme, where she leads as the dance instructor. This initiative focuses on developing performers’ skills in both siva and vocals, while teaching cultural customs and traditions. A standout achievement was traveling to Hawaii, where TMSDA became the first Christchurch-based group to perform on the Samoan stage at the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

“This was a major highlight for us. Nobody in Christchurch has done this before, and we travelled with our Au Siva members."

She also revealed that a Hawaiian group they connected with will visit Christchurch in May next year to host workshops and performances. 

For Creative Director Albany Peseta, the highlight was the Lota Nu’u project – a community programme that shared his personal story through performance. The production ran at Christchurch’s Court Theatre and South Auckland’s Māngere Arts Centre. 

“Being able to share my story and bringing it to life through a community programme was incredible," he said. 

The academy committee expressed their gratitude to PFL for their support.  

“Pasifika Futures have allowed us to alleviate stress by offering consistent support. They have shown us that we can trust them and have shown up when we’ve needed them the most. 

“Dance is a part of well-being and it's about expression; sometimes it can be really difficult to find organisations to support that so we are thankful for Pasifika Futures and hope that in someway we can help where we can as our outreach and connection to our community here in the South Island is huge,” says Mr Peseta. 

As Filimoehala concluded, “For major events like the Sau Ia festival, support is critical. PFL has championed the well-being and success of our children, who performed so proudly on stage.”

TMSDA is active on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Follow them to stay updated, get involved, or book elite performances for your next event.