PERFORMING ARTS
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF
PERFORMING ARTS
W
ith the ever-changing landscape of 2020, we embarked on our 2021 journey with renewed enthusiasm, and so many highlights to look forward to... then the February/ March lockdown threw us all. Our world was rocked once again as we plunged into another lockdown on 17 August, a mere two weeks into Term 3. Sadly, many of our national finals were cancelled due to alert level restrictions, and motivation was a big challenge. Our philosophy is all about involvement, enjoyment, engagement, growth and nurturing talent across the whole school; nothing will stop us offering quality co-curricular programmes. So once again, some 600 girls continued over lockdown with their extra-curricular dance, drama and music lessons via digital platforms. And with burgeoning programmes from Years 1 to 13, we are extremely proud of the high levels of student engagement across a variety of genres, despite these two challenging and disrupted years.
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DIO TODAY
As with last year, only some groups were able to compete in competitions; but all were awarded regional and national gold, silver and bronze, numerous ‘Outstanding’ awards, and selection for national finals. Despite some disappointments, students responded with resounding positivity. Once again, the Dio ethos was demonstrated by our Arts Council, who early in Term 1 came up with the theme of ‘Kohara’, meaning ‘to gleam and shine, to enthuse and be passionate about’. I want to especially acknowledge Arts Prefect Rosie Leishman, who as Kapa Haka leader, brought a new and fresh vision to the role by whole-heartedly embracing ma- tauranga Ma- ori into the arts. She initiated projects, especially Dio’s own waiata in Te Reo, Kohine Ma, including a different whakatauki that relates to Dio’s core values, ‘whaia te iti kahurangi e’ meaning ‘be more than you ever imagined’. With her super bubbly personality, Rosie kept morale upbeat during lockdown,
offering exciting weekly projects on the Arts Council’s Instagram page. Thanks, Rosie, for your infectious enthusiasm and for embracing diversity. As the year draws to a close, despite the challenges, there have been moments of pure joy for the Dio community to share. The list of achievements, from participation to our top performers, is impressive and no-one can dispute the standards at Diocesan are exceptional. We are proud to remain the top girls’ school across the performing arts in New Zealand. With the continued commitment of parents and families, the expertise of a highly skilled team of professional teachers and tutors, combined with our spirited and highly creative girls, we want to thank everyone for their ongoing contribution to our programmes. From me and the team, enjoy the summer holidays and roll on 2022! Shelagh Thomson
