Fabulous Festival

Saturday was a fabulous celebration of our Term 3 and 4 Performing Arts based Inquiry. The weather was on our side and the sun shone down on the incredible performances. First up was the Kapahaka group welcoming our Oranga Community onto the school grounds, showcasing some impressive poi skills, fierce haka and beautiful waiata.
The Niuean group were the first of the Island nations to perform with a medley which included the Niuean drum dance. Next up was the French group with some traditional songs. The New Entrants also joined in our celebration giving the audience a "Hi 5" with their dancing movement skills. Some students donned cowboy hats and bandanas to present two line dances all the way from America. The children in the Fijian group looked amazing while performing a fan dance. A group of junior children were next to entertain the crowd with their Hip Hop moves. They have been tutored by 2 senior students who went on to showcase their own skills.
Following this was a combination of European cultures who make up part of the New Zealand culture. They displayed Celtic, Scottish and English dances finishing on a very Kiwi note with Fred Dagg's gumboot song.
Wearing detailed valataolunga 5 senior girls performed their Tongan dance. The whole group then sang teufakatulou.
Next to appear on the stage were the folk dance group who entertained us with 2 dances, Cumberland Reel and Strip the Willow. Loud music heralded the arrival of the Bollywood Group. Bright costumes swayed and swirled as the children performed a mixture of traditional and modern Indian dance movements. The Samoans then entered with their popo lou tuli. Dressed in fala with kiki and pale adornments the Year 6 children preformed a taolunga with the school principal. Led by their juniors the Samoan group then sang pusi nofo. This was followed by all the group participating in a Samoan medley. Wearing a white ei the Cook Island Group moved onto the stage for the finale. Their first dance was te ei nei au, which then moved into their traditional drum dance. The festival concluded with the Cook Island group inviting members of the community to participate in the ura piani. A big thank you to all those parents, extended family, teachers, and community members who tutored, sewed and created amazing costumes and accessories. Thank you also to the PTA and their helpers who prepared the food to be sold on this occasion. Thank you also to the sound and video team for recording the event for us.