The Unity Cultural concert took place on March 30 and 31 at the Dorothy Winstone Theatre at AGGS .
The Unity concert has a long tradition at MAGS. The first concert in 2011 was devised and arranged as an alternative to PolyFest by Director of Arts Ms Cesan and former MAGS Music teacher Mr Tagaloa Peter Su’a.
It quickly established itself as part of our cultural identity as this is a wonderful opportunity for all cultures to come together on one stage and celebrate the diversity of MAGS
This year over 1400 audience members over the two nights were treated to stellar performances by a host of groups.
The Kapa Haka group opened the season with a strong and spirited performance on Thursday before retreating to their workshops to prepare for their Polyfest performance this week.
Pasifika groups all performed with passion and pride – the Tongan group introduced by their tutor Filipe Makasini performed a traditional Milolua, which is a Kava ceremony, and adding a colourful and joyous dance by Year 13 students on the Friday night.
The Samoan group, tutored and introduced by Albertian and former Deputy Head Boy Tali Afele, brought the synchronicity, passion and colour that this group is renowned for.
The Cook Island group, introduced by leader and choreographer, Victoria Fatiaki began their section with a beautiful solo by Victoria, followed by polished performances by the girls (maidens) and then boys (warriors) before coming together for the final item.
The Chinese group, introduced by co-leaders Annemarie Wen and Jennifer Yi, was a wonderful display of grace and synchronicity, with their beautiful fans creating some wonderful visual effects throughout.
The large Indian group, introduced by leaders Chrish Patel and Diya Rathod, was a jubilant celebration of festival dances of India – it was energetic and colourful, and all dancers showed their joy in being able to perform to the enthusiastic audience.
The Latin group, introduced by leader Stella Page, performed a partner dance merengue with a flavour of salsa. The dancers showed obvious chemistry and commitment to the style and the intention and the audience were very vocal in their appreciation.
On the Friday night we were also treated to a performance by the Year 12DNA dance class who performed a South African gumboot dance – a traditional rhythmic dance of the goldminers during earlier times. The vibrancy of the performance was well appreciated by the audience.
Ms Cesan said, “We are extremely proud of both the commitment and calibre of all performances and the obvious joy of parents and our MAGS community, who were very vocal in their support for all groups.”
