Harrison Cook

Harrison Cook (He/Him) is a takatāpui dancer, choreographer and writer of Māori (Kāi Tahu) and Pākehā descent, born and raised on Ngāti Hauā Whenua in the Waikato of Aotearoa. Currently, Harrison is based on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people in Boorloo (Perth). He is a recent graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, being awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) in 2023 and a Bachelor of Performing Arts First Class Honours degree (2024).

During his time at WAAPA, Harrison was fortunate enough to work with a number of choreographers some of which include Jenni Large, Sam Coren, Didier Théron, Cass Mortimer Eipper and Zee Zunnur. In 2024 Harrison was also selected to be apart of Coalescing Towards, a work by Michele Rizzo which was created and performed as part of the 2024 Perth Moves Program presented by STRUT Dance. During his honours degree in this same year he was fortunate enough to work closely alongside Jo Pollit, crafting a body of written work titled ‘Te Wakahuia: Coming to know lineage through dance improvisation and archival poetics’ and a movement film titled ‘HōtokeWynter ~ ComingToKnow.’ This sparked his passion for his current artistic enquiry which is centred around his connection to whakapapa and ancestral lineages. This unfurling act is currently manifesting through his developing research-based improvisational dance practice. Rooted in the concepts of connection to land and water, ancestral voices and wisdom, and the integration of lineal understandings into the present physical space, Harrison is on a trajectory of rediscovering himself within his artistic practice.

Having had support from PICA and The Blue Room Theatre through dedicated residency opportunities, his current artistic work has manifested through MATA MATA, his first full length solo work. Through additional support from Enneagon Movement, STRUT Dance, The Blue Room Theatre, and Footnote New Zealand Dance, Harrison has been given the opportunity to present MATA MATA to audiences in Boorloo (Perth) and in Pōneke (Wellington). Harrison is excited and grateful to continue developing this mahi and more, to support the unfurling of this sacred experience of coming to know lineage, tīpuna, and mana.