Tiny dancers

RECENTLY five young students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Tunku’s Pawana Tari dance troupe embarked on the journey of a lifetime to Paris, to compete in the prestigious 11th International Competition and Festival of Folklore, Dance and Music “Etoiles De Paris”.
The competition featured performances by dance groups from other schools in Malaysia and around the world, and the children of Pawana Tari managed to win themselves a Gold Medal.
Even before that monumental success, the group had won various competitions in the country's district and national levels such as Festari MBPJ 2017 where they emerged as champions.
Not bad for a troupe that was only formed in 2015. School headmaster Khairul Anuar Abdul Azid first conceived the traditional dance group as part of the school’s effort to achieve cluster school status, as one of the requirements is for the school to have something exclusive them.
Comprising 12 students between 10 and 12 years old, Pawana Tari dancers perform various traditional dances such as Joget, Zapin, Inang, Tarian Tradisional Jawa, Kreasi, Samrah and Irama Malaysia, under the tutelage of National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) graduate Mohd Hazlami Harun, and teacher Azna Ariffin, the group advisor.
The medal-winning students Nur Zahirah Maisarah Zakaria, Adriana Darwisyah Khairil Mokhzani, Nur Shazriana Mohamed Shafiee, Ummar Danial Muhammad Fadhil, and Muhammad Putera Thaqif Syariqmie Azman Shah, said they couldn't have accomplished what they did without unwavering support from the school, teachers and most importantly, their family.
How did you discover the competition in Paris, and why did you decide to join?
All: Teacher Azna found out about the competition from another primary school who received an invitation letter to participate, and they extended that invitation to other schools who were interested to take part. Opportunities like this may only come once, and we took the plunge so we could gain some international experience.
Did you feel nervous performing on an international stage? How did you overcome the jitters?
Shazriana: We were definitely nervous and even had cold feet.
Danial: But before we went up on stage, we stood in a circle and held hands, and our choreographer, teachers and family conveyed words of encouragement. That act really calmed us down and diverted our focus to do our best on stage.
What do you enjoy most about traditional dance?
All: The main reason is to inherit its deep tradition, culture and history – and keep it alive. Apart from that, we personally have immense passion for each individual dance and are thrilled to be able to learn its fluid movements. Traditional dance also instils a great deal of good qualities such as politeness, and being well-mannered.
What is your training like?
Zahirah: We practise regularly every Wednesday as part of our co-curricular activities, and if there are competitions coming up, we train every single day until late at night.
What are the challenges you face?
Adriana: The main challenge is learning the dance steps and getting it right, otherwise our choreographer would reprimand us. He can be very strict when coaching us, but he also has a light-hearted side where he can be rather comical.
Who are your main motivators?
All: To continue pursuing our passion in dance requires a large amount of money, especially to fund our trip to Paris. We wouldn't have made it without the immense support from our parents who sponsored half of the cost of the trip, as well as corporate companies who backed us financially and through sponsorships.
We also cannot forget our headmaster who believed we could succeed abroad and granted us the permission.
With this much of support, how can you then reward them for their efforts?
Thaqif: By studying hard and attaining good results in exams, of course!
What is more important in dance – talent or hard work?
Danial: Hard work. Without talent, I can still persist and achieve the same results as those with talent.
Nevertheless, I would say all of us are talented in their own way.
Some of you will be graduating from primary school this year, how do you feel moving on to the next stage, and would you continue dancing?

Shazriana: It's a bittersweet feeling to complete primary school and resign from Pawana Tari, but we are certainly excited for the next chapter when we get to secondary school. I believe each of us is eager to continue dancing wherever we go.
On that note, what does the group have planned for the rest of the year?
All: After the school holidays, we will be practising a new choreography for the upcoming Festari competition [this month]. We are also open to the idea of participating in [other] international competitions.