About hakaworkshop.nl

Haka Workshops: The Story

Haka (literally: dance) is a ritual dance of the Maori, a tribe originally from New Zealand. During this ritual, a story is told using voice and body. Nowadays, you don’t need to travel abroad to get acquainted with this unique phenomenon. Brothers Robert and Frank Bouman have been offering Haka workshops for several years now.

A few years ago, Robert and Frank went on a journey together. During this journey, they had the privilege of meeting Whaia Wai Turoa. “Wai Turoa, along with her family, came to Europe to teach people about her New Zealand culture. We had the opportunity to learn Haka from her and Klaus Wintersteller,” said Robert.

The Beginning of Hakaworkshop.nl

At a three-day festival, Robert and Frank shared their experiences with Haka together with the festival attendees. The enthusiasm of the two brothers didn’t go unnoticed by their two mentors. Robert explains, “Wai Turoa and Klaus Wintersteller asked us: ‘Do you want to go further than this?’ And we certainly did!”

Subsequently, they were able to assist in delivering workshops for two years. After these two years, Wai Turoa and Klaus Wintersteller granted the brothers permission to bring Haka to the people. Robert and Frank were grateful for this permission, as they wanted to share their passion with the rest of the world.

“At one point, we were asked to conduct a workshop within a company. This seemed like a great challenge to us, so we visited the company. The participants in the workshop were so positive afterward that we thought: let’s set up a website and see what happens,” Robert explains.

This is a Haka Workshop

What Robert and Frank considered impossible became real. There turned out to be a great interest in Haka. By now, the two brothers have been organizing Haka workshops for several years.

Robert: “The beauty lies in the fact that there are so many themes to distinguish within Haka. This allows us to tailor a Haka workshop to the specific request someone presents to us. Is a company looking for a workshop focused on the topic of ‘trust’? We can make that happen!”

Anyone thinking that the workshop merely involves learning ‘a little dance’ is mistaken. Robert proudly explains, “During a Haka workshop, we’re not just teaching participants a dance. It’s more than that. Throughout the workshop, we encourage participants to step out of their comfort zones. Participants are asked to show the world who they are and what their strengths are.”