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Let Loose! is a participatory experience that allows people to live out their superstar fantasy in a non-judgmental environment.

Participants will step into the space and have the choice to dress up both themselves and performance artist Tane Te Pakeke-Patterson.

They will then select a song to then sing, dance or lip sync their heart out to.

Let Loose! is open to people of all ages and experiences. It’s for those who love to sing like no one’s listening, dance like no one’s watching or anyone that just wants to have a jam! We spoke to the team behind Let Loose…

Tell us exactly what this is all about!

It’s less a show and more of an experience – first, the participants are greeted by our team and then basically they choose a song they want to perform, put on the headphones and they’re in their superstar fantasy.

Okay, so what’s your role then Tane?

Well, I’m essentially their back up performer. They get to costume me, and I then provide all the back up support as we perform the song.

What if someone chooses a song you don’t know?

We’ve been workshopping this in rehearsal by getting people to play random songs that I don’t know so I’ve definitely been working the muscles of improvisation! But it’s not all about singing, I might play guitar or be a backup dancer – the experience is super adaptable. It’s really about trying to make sure they have as a best a time as possible, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t know the song.

So, the performance itself is not really in front of an audience? It’s in the recording studio setting?

There is the option for having an audience, but our focus isn’t on the audience as such. I mean, it does work for an audience, but the focus here is on the person having the experience. It’s all about them.

Where did this concept come from?

I have music playing almost all the time – I’m usually always lip synching or dancing to it – whether it’s at the supermarket or in my car, and people over the years have really resonated with this – I think a lot of people have this fantasy where they’re performing something they in a way that’s unique to them. So, I thought, ‘Well, what if I made a space for people to just go hard and give them the space to act out this fantasy?”

How have the rehearsals gone?

So far in what we’ve workshopped, people have tended to lip synch but they’re kind of whispering it – some people have sung but most people lip synch. We think that by being in a recording studio doing this, it will give them the freedom to make the noise they want.

What do you want people to experience with this?

I was very inspired by the ‘Dance o Mat’ – I used to go as a teenager and use it for as long as the coin lasted. I loved it. And it’s a bit like that really, having the freedom to just have a dance, a lip synch or just perform, I hope people will be brave enough to do that. We know that the artsy types love this stuff, but we also really want people who haven’t done this kind of thing to give it a go – it’s for anyone who wants to experience what it’s like to let loose.

What do you think the best songs to perform are?

Some of the best songs I have done as a performance artist are ones that have backup singers – it’s great to be able to support people.

Anything else people should know?

It’s just a lot of fun with all the technical support you need – plus there’s a good surprise at the end of every performance – but you’ll have to come to find out what it is!