My Last Cultural Festival - a night to remember - by Aaron

Cultural Festival ... It started like this...

The soles of my shoes touched the damp, cold and uneven path of concrete leading up to the stage where our group performances would be held. There was a mixture of ecstasy and fear detained inside my little body which was playing with my nerves.  This was my last year which motivated me to do my best and leave with a ‘blaze’.

The Kapa Haka group entered the stage with girls’ wearing traditional costumes, pupu’s and black tops while the boys were also wearing pupu’s and no tops. The performance started off with Ms.Bullot setting an introduction and us starting off the festival with the National Anthem and Pacific Greetings Song.  

After the official start of the festival we started off with Hai Re Mai then Poi E and our finale, the HAKA! We ended we a big pukana which the crowd which made the crowd cheer and after what seemed to me a long pause, we left the stage. The Chinese group came after us then the Samoan then half time started.

During half time some groups had gotten changed and people were getting out of their seats to buy food and beverages which caused a big crowding in the doorway of the hall. When halftime ended more groups performed and the prize drawing was taken.the first draw was not there or left or lost their ticket and these unfortunate people (my parents) had lost their chance and another draw was taken which gave the prize to Mrs. Oldham.

The hip hop group  was last which I would be in and this was not only scary because there were people watching but I was scared because we had to perform the best because all the other groups had given the audience a standard to judge on. The walk to the stage left my knees  trembling, heart pumping and nerves playing up but this was my last year and I was determined to have something to remember it by.

Our dance was set like a dance battle groups of either four or five would perform than leave the stage then come back at the big finale which would hype the crowd up. The performance left me feeling good and the crowd wild but most of all my parents proud.