The power of Dance!
Porirua East School students rehearse alongside dancers from Black Grace.
What Dance Can Do Project - Porirua East
I think we can all agree, the power of expression through dance and movement has no limits. This is just one reason why it is simply magical to witness the transformative effects programs such as What Dance Can Do makes on our future leaders.
Whether you participate or witness it, dance is food for the soul. And thanks to a wonderful dedicated team with an amazing initiative, it is weaving its way more into the lives of children who may not necessarily have the chance to explore it in this way, and all alongside very talented professionals.
The recent sessions co-ordinated by the incredible Alina Kulikova, bought together students from Porirua East School, and dancers from the awe-inspiring Black Grace Dance Company, Faith Schuster, Rodney Tyrell, and Demi-Jo Manolo. Despite their demanding schedules, these dancers graciously lent their time and expertise, demonstrating their commitment to making dance accessible to all. Raina, Alina, and Paula from WDCD were particularly grateful for their contribution.
A final performance took place in front of the students’ friends and family, it was based on Elephantic, a story written by Neil Ieremia (founder of Black Grace).
The school hall was filled with sheer excitement, and joy as the students embraced their moment in the spotlight, and triumphantly showcased their talents. I can’t quite express how much of a pleasure it was to witness and document and only hope these images will help celebrate the immense value What Dance Can Do brings to our kids and communities.
You can also check out WDCD’s program at Kahurangi School.
For more about the good people involved go and visit: What Dance Can Do and Black Grace.
Take a look at Elephantic, the short dance film, and you can also buy Elephantic the book, by Neil Ieremia.