Samoan Day

Finally, last Friday my school held their annual Samoan Day festivities. Each class performed three numbers for a panel of judges in categories that I'm not sure I can explain. This has been an event almost a month in the making. It was originally scheduled for the Friday before spring break but then it kept on getting pushed back. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to teach 100-200 kids of each class different routines that they are required to do in unison. I tried to stay away from the daily, yes daily, practices that were held so that I would be surprised when the event happened.

As I just said, everyday for the past month, a hour rehearsal period was added to our schedule. That means, that all of our classes were cut short by 10 minutes. At first I wondered why so many hours of rehearsal were needed but then when I finally saw the event, I understood why.

Each class had their own traditional Samoan outfit that they wore for the festivities. Every student wore the selected fabric for their class as their "ie" and then the girls wore a white puletasi top with a flower or something in their hair and the guys were just topless. And they were oiled up in baby oil. Why? I'm not sure. But as you can see from above, it looked a little weird.

The freshmen class seen above was my favorite class because of their music. This is something to be proud of because the freshmen have usually ranked the lowest in previous class competitions. I do not know any freshmen but I was proud to see that all of their hard work paid off.




Next up was the sophomore class, which am I an advisor for even though until a month ago I was not teaching any sophomores, and I also thought they were good. I particularly enjoyed the fabric that was chosen for them especially since I had to wear it myself. I thought one of their dances was the best. Below is a sneak peak.



Then came the junior class. I have the pleasure of teaching most of these students, so while I wanted to cheer for them, they did not perform up to the highest standard. There was a lot of sloppiness that could not be hidden from the judges. Still, I am proud of them and was excited to see them show off their culture.



Lastly, came the Seniors. Naturally with all sorts of experience, they were the best overall class in terms of presentation and style. Their choreographer was great and very inventive. However, their fabric left a little to be desired.




All in all, Samoan day was a wonderful experience. It was great to see the students perform traditional Samoan dances and get really into it. You sometimes forget when they are in your class that they're not your typical students from the mainland, and this was just another example of how they are unique individuals.



Another truly Samoan experience.