Kaitāia College's senior performing arts class on their recent trip to perform at Polyfest 2023.
Kaitāia College's senior performing arts class on their recent trip to perform at Polyfest 2023.
A senior performing arts class has recently become Kaitāia College’s first to perform on the Samoan stage at the popular ASB Polyfest.
Participating student Eli Pene described it as “one of the best experiences of my schooling life so far.”
In its 48th year, the annual event’s theme was ‘mana motuhake’ - to create one’s destiny.
And according to the group’s teacher, that’s exactly what the opportunity stood to empower the young group to do.
Twenty-five students aged between 15 and 18 years old travelled to Auckland’s Manukau Sports Bowl earlier this month, where they performed a sasā - a seated slap-action dance often depicting activities from everyday life.
Head of performing and visual arts Dr Opeloge Ah Sam said taking the stage taught students to be brave and try new things despite the possibility of failure.
“Too many kids today stay away from trying things for the fear of failure or being seen as weak, which teaches them to give up or be lazy,” Ah Sam said.
“This teaches them to be courageous, and that if you work hard enough, you’ll achieve things you never thought you could.”
Travelling to Auckland also afforded the group the chance to take a ballet class.
Ah Sam is a music teacher who stepped up to help organise dance class for senior students in the absence of a dance teacher, and has been working with the group for just five weeks of practice.
“I wanted to prepare my students well in the time we had and to show them that I had faith in them.”
As a choreographer of Samoan and Pasifika dance, and also the youngest judge at the Polyfest Samoan stage in the mid-2000s, Ah Sam was well-suited to lead the group to their first performance.
Given they also had a hand in its choreography, the experience contributed towards meeting the requirements of their NCEA standards.
Ah Sam applauded students’ bravery in completing their assessment on the stage, rather than in the comfort of class.
“It was lots of fun, and [it] felt good to take on the challenge of Polyfest instead of just doing NCEA in class,” said Remy Herbert.
Stages included Cook Islands, Diversity, Maōri, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, and Mati Thompson said they “loved seeing all the other cultures at Polyfest.”
The new experience of a hip-hop class was among the many learnings gained.
Ah Sam said the performance was non-competitive, “just to go try it out; but we’ll definitely consider competing next year”.
“I’m really proud of our students for stepping out of their comfort zone and giving this a go.”
The performance will be broadcast next weekend (March 25-26) on Tagata Pasifika on TV 1, and online at: thecoconet.tv.
