Students participate in dance workshop

ABOUT 270 Grade 8 students from Gerehu Primary School in Port Moresby attended a dance workshop recently.
The Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies (IPNGS) had engaged PNG dance artists to conduct the workshops targeting the teaching and application of dance knowledge for culture preservation.
The workshop was to assist the implementation of art and culture syllabus, with emphasis on understanding and applying dance knowledge for cognitive development and cultural awareness.
The dance used the concept of the obo tatarie from Parama village in Kiwai, Western.
The obo tatarie unveilled its educational importance in connecting the lifestyle, culture and history of the Parama people in relation to their identity with the Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Rotumans of Fiji.
Students showcased what they learnt and were assessed by a set criteria on how well they understood and presented the dance to reflect confidence, cultural awareness and creativity.
Dance in education has been used as a tool for promoting cultural learning and expression of ideas embedded in artistic and traditional forms.
This concept of learning has given little focus in the curriculum which prompted the IPNGS to collaborate with tertiary institutions to advocate for the proper implementation of dance in the curriculum.
Collaborative workshops were held previously with the Creative Arts and Communication Division, University of Goroka, National Cultural Commission, National Performing Arts Troupe and the National Film Institute.
These workshops resolve that there is a need to develop a dance curriculum to enforce the integral teaching and application of dance as cultural knowledge and as a way of knowing other knowledge within other disciplines.
Similar workshops will be conducted in other schools to pave the creation of a dance curriculum to enhance creativity and cultural development.