‘You need to know your roots . . . Make the legacy live on’
Polyfest wrapped up with Pasifika dancing, inspired performances and chee-hoos aplenty, writes Caroline Williams
‘‘We did it!’’ A group of McAuley High School students squealed and ran into each other’s arms after stepping off the Samoa stage on the final day of ASB Polyfest at the Manukau Sports Bowl in Auckland yesterday.
As the girls celebrated – cheehoos aplenty – their teachers and parents wiped away tears of pride – an emotion in no shortage across all the stages.
It was estimated about 60,000 people attended Polyfest this week, where 8000 students from 181 cultural groups representing 55 schools performed traditional speech, song and dance.
It’s the first time in several years that the festival has gone ahead without a hitch, following cancellations due to the Christchurch terror attacks in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The support of this year’s crowds would have been sorely missed by the performers last year, when the competition went ahead in front of judges only.
For most, it’s not about the win, but the chance to celebrate their culture and embrace their Pasifika heritage.
St Peters College student Jacob Paea, 16, said performing a Tongan mako – a high-energy dance to a very fast rhythm – in front of so many people was exciting.
‘‘You need to know your roots and where you came from. Make the legacy live on.’’
Manurewa High School’s Sarai Makara-Moreland, 16, was completely out of breath as she stepped off the Cook Islands stage following their high-energy performance. She said it was a ‘‘real privilege’’ and ‘‘a blessing’’ to get on stage tell the audience: ‘‘Hey look, this is my culture. This is where I’m from.’’
‘‘The most important thing was we made it up there, and we performed as a team. We are going out, win or lose, as a team.’’
Fauritina Lemate, 17, of McAuley High School was emotional following their performance, named Tavaluga.
It was the culmination of gathering six days a week, for around seven weeks, to perfect the choreography.
Her Samoan culture was her passion and made her want to ‘‘dance my heart out’’.
Polyfest will continue in three weeks’ time when Ma¯ori kapa haka takes to the stage at Due Drop Events Centre (formerly the Vodafone Events Centre), from April 3-5.