Dancing to my own tune

Sefa Enari has been forging a path in contemporary Pacific choreography and theatre over the past four decades.

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Veteran dancer, choreographer, and educator Sefa Enari is the artistic director of Auckland's Pacific Dance Festival, which celebrates its 15th year with this month's event. In between organising the programme, Enari brought a perspective honed from a long dance career - which included work on the recent hit movie Tinā – to our Cultural Attaché questions.

What is your earliest memory?

One of my earliest memories is being part of my Sunday school activities. I was involved with our choir and loved singing with the other kids. I think there are many Pacific people who can trace their journey to performing arts and their talents back to church and Sunday school.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

I know I wanted to be involved in the arts somehow; I always loved dancing and creative activities. I had sung in the Auckland Boys' Choir and toured internationally by the time I was 13. I also learnt to play the piano as a kid. As I grew older, I thought of going to university to possibly study music, but dance school called and off I went.

When were you happiest?

I am always happy when I get to get out of Auckland on breaks. I often use that time to reset and enjoy New Zealand's landscape, fresh air and the people you meet on the road.

What makes you unhappy?

Wars and unrest around the globe. It's always sad to see children in the crossfire of war. I don't think there truly are winners of a war.

What's your greatest fear?

I fear that New Zealand's cost of living impacts on our people in a very negative way. It is sad to see our homeless numbers increase, and that many of our children and young people are caught in this crisis.

What trait in yourself do you least like?