June 2006 Manaia performs at Australian and New Zealand Contemporary Arts Exhibition, CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania

In June this year, Manaia were invited by the New Zealand High Commission in Warsaw to perform in a number of cities in Eastern Europe. First stop was Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, one of the Baltic countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, where the Australian and New Zealand Contemporary Arts Exhibition was being held, curated by New Zealander Simon Rees.

Following a brief performance and interview on morning national television, the performance was an unexpected success with a packed out Lithuanian crowd there to experience Maori dance and culture. The next day Manaia travelled to Warsaw, Poland, performing at Warsaw University and in the New Town square as part of the Stzuka Ulicy, Warsaw’s international street theatre festival.