 |
| Totara House @ SLW House Siva Samoa Dance Competition 2025 |
"E so'o le fau I le fau" is a Samoan proverb. It literally translates to a fiber holds stronger when it is connected or woven with other fibers such as fala and ie koga (fine mats that represent a form of wealth which is used in ceremonies such as weddings and funerals). The proverb translates to "we are stronger together." This proverb is one that I thought of and resonated with me when I think of the work and creative process that I undertook with students from my House (Totara House) in preparation for Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa and specifically the House Siva Samoa Competition that we participated in.
 |
| Totara House SLW Samoan Group rehearsing for SLW 2025 |
At the end of Week 4, I met with students from my House who were interested in participating in the House Siva Samoa Competition which was scheduled for Thursday June 05 (Week 6 Term 2). There were 40 students who signed up to be part of the Totara House Samoan Group for SLW 2025. We ended up with a team of 34 students across Year 9 to Year 13 in Totara House who created the performing team.
 |
| Totara House Samoan Group 2025 |
As we only had one week to prepare for the competition, the students were advised that rehearsals would take place every lunch time with the girls rehearsing in M5 and the boys rehearsing in M1. The students had to work and learn the choreography in their sections across two days - Monday May 26 and Tuesday May 27. They were given a deadline of Wednesday 28 May to come together and rehearse the item as a whole group. The students were given one song to work from and each section was given a specific timestamp to choreograph to. The boys were given the timestamp to choreograph from 1:00min to 1min 57secs. The girls section (which led by one of our Year 12 students) had to choreograph from 2min 06secs to 3min 06secs. I would fill in the uncounted sections with choreography for the whole group.
 |
| Totara House Samoan Group @ SLW House Comp 2025 |
I am encouraged by their commitment to the process of learning and working together. The students were engaged with the process of creating choreography to putting the item together. The knew that the goal was perform and do well at the competition, the goal was clear. What I was impressed with was how much they were engaged with the process. How they engaged with the process determined the quality of the product that they were producing. The turn around period with the preparation and execution of the item was quick so to have the students all on board was a blessing. The item came together nicely and the students worked well together. They performed on Thursday June 05 to full house in the Auditorium. I am really proud of their efforts, commitment and love that showed to each other and the process. Totara House was placed First equal with Kowhai House. This is their third consecutive win for SLW House Siva Samoa Competition for 2023, 2024 and now 2025.
 |
| First Place Equal for SLW House Comp - Totara House 2025 |
"E so'o le fau I le fau" I believe was exemplified through the process. We had students from all different ethnicities come together and learn the Siva Samoa. The different fibers (cultures) came together and through the process - were woven and strengthened together. This proverb emphasizes the importance of the collective coming together, the value in togetherness and the strength in unity. This is such an important lesson for our young people, that is important to come together especially when working towards a goal. That there is a strength that one can draw from another when working together.
No comments:
Post a Comment