The New Zealand comedy entertainment group, JGeeks, is expected to draw roughly 2,000 spectators to their perormance on May 17 in the Cannon Activities Center. “People are going crazy. I mean we have people from Maui flying out for this concert. We even have a couple people coming over from the mainland,” said Kei Riggens, a junior majoring in vocal performance from California, who contacted the JGeeks for their gig to perform at BYU-Hawaii. When Riggens and the rest of Performance Series reached out to the group, they said the group jumped at the chance to perform in Hawaii. Since Performance Series announced JGeeks was going to come to Hawaii, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, said Riggens. “They are a bunch of Maori boys who are sharing the Maori culture in a very energetic and interesting way,” said Tivarn Tipoki, a freshman majoring in social work from New Zealand. “They also portray the mixing of the Maori culture with the fashion and the trends of today. People need to go and see the talent that they will display and see how ‘geeked’ up they really are,” he added. The New Zealand group adorn themselves in traditional Maori regalia, but perform contemporary and techno songs. Their genre of music is what they call “neoteric Maori moko.” “We want to represent Maori on an international scale,” JGeeks lead, Jermaine Leef said in an online interview. “We want to take all of the history, bring it forward, [and] put it in a mainstream context.” Leef was a former Disney Channel and C4 Select Live presenter. Along with Leef, JGeeks’ other two members are Marino Taiatini and Eru Bennett-Paul. JGeeks claim to fame started at “New Zealand’s Got Talent” where the group performed a haka to dubstep for an opening number while dancing other hit songs like “Gangnam Style” into “Maori Style.” Their performance was done in front of a panel of judges. Rachel Hunter described their number as being “hot” and she was “so proud to be a New Zealander watching this performance.” Their style is a mix of electro-Nintendo pop groove. They are an avant-garde mix of bright colors, suit jackets, ties and high-top kicks, contrasted with neoteric Maori moko. The self-proclaimed “New Zealand’s #1 Entertainers” have been growing a fan base ever since their debut in “New Zealand’s Got Talent.” Supporters of the group say they have raw talent while opponents say their unorthodox way of portraying Maori culture isn’t traditionally correct. Mandy Hee, a freshman majoring in biology from Kula, Maui, said, “I’ve seen some of their clips. I wish they were more serious about their culture because I find the Maori culture very interesting and that isn’t something to kid about. But if that is their way of making their culture popular, then what the heck.” Mitchell Rudolph, a senior majoring in Pacific Island Studies from New Zealand, said, “They’re entertaining. I’m more into traditional stuff. When they do a proper haka, they look good. But it’s more of an entertainment group. They’re not my cup of tea.” Despite what critics say, Riggens said, “They all are really talented at their cultural dances and music. They’re gonna be singing. They’re gonna be dancing. They’re gonna be doing what they did on ‘New Zealand’s Got Talent.’ They’re gonna be telling jokes. They’re gonna be bringing people on stage. It’ll definitely be an audience participation show.” She assures the performance will be family friendly. It’ll have a little bit for everyone. “There’s all sorts of things that will happen that will be really cool,” Riggens added. The group will perform live in concert in the CAC at 9 p.m. on May 17. Tickets for community are $20, faculty tickets are $15, and students are $10.
Writer: Dylan Sage-Wilcox~Multimedia Journalist
