Dance Showcase

By Ms Rhiannon Swift

The Pukekohe High School dance showcase was a great success this year, despite the disruption by COVID-19, students worked tirelessly from home and in school to design, create, challenge and refine choreography and to rehearse and perfect performances all year long. Each year group were so incredibly supportive of each other and of other year groups in dance, above and below and so immensely committed to their role and its importance in the dance showcase.

Each student experienced significant growth this year in dance, and this showcase allowed them to demonstrate this enhanced understanding and confidence in themselves. Parents were not able to physically attend but all were able to view from home on our live stream, we had friends and family tuning in all over the country, all the way from Dunedin, to Keri Keri, to Sydney and even the Isle of Man.

Anyone whose strengths lie outside of traditional academics can find being in school a dispiriting experience and can often leave wondering if they have any significant aptitudes at all. Dance offers opportunities for students to explore an aesthetic experience, one in which your senses are operating at their peak, where one can create meaningful learning. Dance is an NCEA subject that offers university entrance and literacy credits. This year alone students have explored ancient civilizations, environmental sustainability, geography, history, social justice, human rights, writing techniques, algebra and technology; simply by moving.

Dance teaches learners to respond to complex ideas, to create original movement and to analyse performance. Dance fosters learning differentiation effortlessly, and awakens students creativity by putting less emphasis on the replication of others ideas and by putting more emphasis on the response of their own. Dance enables students to understand the world around them and the talents within them, so they can become fulfilled individuals, compassionate citizens and lifelong learners.

A special thanks to Ms. Abbott, Ms. Berry, Mrs. MooreEllen, our wonderful photographers and of course to all of the students and staff who came out to support.