Macleans College students perform with pride at Polyfest 2023
Posted on March 16, 2023
On Friday 10 March, two Macleans College performance groups competed on the Diversity Stage at the ASB Polyfest.
Polyfest is one of the most recognised events to showcase New Zealand’s diverse cultures, while also celebrating youth performance. This is an event the students will remember and treasure.
The Diversity Stage brings people from many different cultures together such as Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Burmese and African. This year's theme of Mana Motuhake "Creating One's Own Destiny" reminds students that they have many exciting opportunities ahead of them and that they can choose their own path for the future.
The first group to perform was the Macleans College Indian Group. A combined group of Bollywood and Punjabi dancers. To start the performance the group leaders Risha Sapaliga (Hillary House), Plaksha Ummat (Upham), Rishita Rasela (Kupe), Tajnoor Wander (Te Kanawa), Gurnoor Dhaliwal (Batten) and Karen Kaur (Te Kanawa) delivered a speech about their chosen dances and the link to this year’s theme.
They presented two Indian styles of dance - Bollywood and Bhangra. The songs were about loving life, perseverance, dreams, letting loose, being your true self, the people in our lives and being humble. The choreography was created by the students and practices run by the leaders. The commitment from the students was commendable.
The second group to perform was the Chinese Girls Dance Group. The leader Fiona Teng (Kupe) also delivered a speech outlining their dances and the link to this year’s theme. This is the third year for the Chinese Girls Dance Group to participate in the ASB Polyfest.
This year they performed two dances - Meirenguan and Mangzhong. Meirenguan is a dance in a more traditional style with long sleeves, while Mangzhong is more modern, dancing with fans. They attempted to use the two different styles of dance to outline the change of dancers’ fates in the different time periods in China, which also expressed the theme of Polyfest this year “destiny”.
Students also enjoyed the delicious food and fantastic performances from other cultures and schools. They represented the school with pride and enjoyment in showcasing their respective culture through dance.
