The school's Kula Dance Co-ordinator and teacher Mafai Rudolph Mausio said they would enact this by including hip-hop, contemporary, Bollywood, Island and iTaukei dance styles.

Mausio said the different styles are being combined in one fusion dance to showcase a unity of cultures.

He said 30 students are part of their group and they were eager to show the public the importance of accepting other cultures.

"The dance is focused on the students from different cultures in the school trying to mix together with different talents and put up a dance within a time frame of 10 minutes," Mr Mausio said.

"We have been taking part every year and we won in 2008 and 2009 and we are planning to make it happen again this year."

The Kula Film Festival and the Artwork competition will be held at Damodar City on July 27 and the Kula Dance Festival will be held on July 28 at the FMF Gymnasium.

Since the inception of the awards in 2006, the number of schools participating has increased exponentially.

This year a record number of 41 schools will be taking part.

34 schools have registered for the Film competition, 20 in the dance competition and 34 schools in the art competition.

The Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Land and Mineral Resources, Hon. Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, while launching the Kula Awards 2018 said the event helps young people to understand the world around them.

He said the Kula Awards, which is a major development programme for Film Fiji for the last 13 years, provides a great avenue for students to develop and express their creativity.

Source

• fijisun.com.fj
• fijivillage.com
• facebook.com
• Image: Screenshot fijisun.com Swashna Chand

The Arkles Bay teenager performs her Jesus Geetham Dance at the Catholic Church of Christ the King in Mt Roskill at 3pm.

The Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Patrick Dunn, will officiate this interfaith gathering honouring Nobel Laureate, the late Mother Teresa of Kolkata, India, paying tribute to her service to the poor.

This is not Michelle's first time performing for a large and distinguished audience.

More than 700 guests attended the Bharathanatya Arangetram at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre where Michelle's Jesus Geetham Dance was one of 11 performed on the night. She raised $1200 for the Hibiscus Hospice as a result.

Michelle has been learning Bharata Natyam traditional style of Indian dancing from her guru Kalaichchelvi Uthayakumaran for eight years. She also teaches the dancing style to four and five-year-olds on Saturdays.

Michelle stayed in Botany Downs to be closer to her guru, and rehearsed from 8.30am to 9pm daily in the fortnight leading up to her graduation. The Antony family prepared for 18 months prior, with Michelle's mother Maggie driving her to Botany Downs after school almost every day over the past three months so she could rehearse.

Source:

• Stuff
• Image: Stuff