A group of two dozen boys and girls from primary two up to primary six from a number of schools showcased their traditional dance moves in a special ceremony in front of their parents yesterday at the Carrefour des Arts.
The students had followed a week-long dance class to learn the steps and moves of our traditional moutya, sega and kanmtole dances. The classes were organised by the National Arts Council (Nac) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, and the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC).
The very gifted students got the opportunity to learn the different rules of how the dances should be carried out.
Johnise Juliette, the coordinator of the initiative, stated that usually Nac organises art classes for the students during the April holiday, but they wanted to try something new this time and organised traditional dance classes instead.
“We organised the dance workshop to coincide with the International Dance Day celebrated on April 29. We were really surprised to get around 20 young talented students who were willing to learn our traditional dances. For the August holiday, we are planning to have another dance workshop for secondary students this time,” she said.
She added that the students have really showed that they are ready to keep our traditional dances alive.
“With the number of students who showed up to participate in our dance workshop, I can proudly say that they will keep our traditional dances alive,” she said.
Hella Domingue, a primary one student from Plaisance, stated that she really enjoyed learning our traditional dances.
“I love to dance, and I really enjoyed the workshop and I made new friends. I was looking forward to learn some new dance moves,” she said.
The classes were conducted by Rhonda Labrosse, an instructor from the SNYC.
The students showing their dancing talents during yesterday’s ceremony attended by their parents.