Jerusalema Dance Challenge – Accepted!

International Week 2021 offered a broad and fascinating range of cultural activities, each one inviting the school to celebrate its international identity. ‘Everybody Belongs’ was a befitting theme for the week. After a pandemic year marked by restrictions and lockdowns, which prevented the school from assembling for any of its regular activities, International Week provided the school with the opportunity to enjoy a renewed sense of community and belonging.

While the world is still gripped by the impacts of COVID-19, people from many nations have found joy and a spirit of togetherness in ‘Jerusalema’, a song written in isiZulu in 2019 by Master KG, a South African. He wrote the song just before the outbreak of the pandemic.

It expresses the human longing for a better place and a plea for God’s new world, the New Jerusalem, where there’ll be no tears or pain. The song’s words and infectious African beat have inspired numerous groups across the world to imitate its original dance. A few months before International Week this year, a team of staff from across the school met to organise a dance event that would embrace the week’s theme, bringing the Senior school community together to take on the ‘Jerusalema Dance Challenge’. A film crew, sound technicians, maintenance staff, supervising teachers and over 1000 dancing students all contributed to make this event very special. Two gifted Year 11 students, Tarini and Caitlyn, choreographed the entire dance, filmed it in three stages, then taught it to us all.

A sense of excitement built as students rehearsed the dance in the corridors and classrooms each day at 1.15pm, when the song played over the loudspeaker. Two whole-school rehearsals at lunchtime, and a final performance on 17 May, delivered spectacular footage of the students, resulting in the video, ‘PLC Jerusalema Dance Challenge – Accepted!’.

When dancing, the school community lifted its hands in praise to God, expressing joy that in belonging to Him, we can look to Him for hope and salvation. The isiZulu words mean: ‘Jerusalem is my home, guard me, walk with me, do not leave me here – Jerusalem is my home, my place is not here, my kingdom is not here.’ Powerful words that impact us all.

It’s easy to see why this song has lifted spirits globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it has inspired the ‘Jerusalema Dance Challenge’. We wish to thank the staff who were involved in the planning of this project: Anne-Marie Williams, Lisa Saffin, Henry Jones, David Treeby, Susie Rennie, Martine Thompson, Talisker Grant, Chris Hallam, Nathan Harris, Ben Daly, Antony Hankin, Ray Tabram, Ray Darbritz, Kim Watkins, David MacGregor, Yin Tse and Amber Guest, for their enthusiasm and commitment to this wonderful event.

Sarah Buckman Head of Languages