St Teresa’s Junior Primary School in Craighall Park delighted parents and fellow learners with a Folk Dancing display at assembly this week. Our Grade 2 and Grade 3 folk dancers demonstrated some of the dances they have learnt this year under the tutelage of Mrs Stephanie King. These dances included:

• “Strip the Willow”, a typical barn dance danced in a double line;
• “The Four Elements”, danced in a single ring;
• “The Maple Leaf Stomp”, danced in the double ring formation;
• “The Prairie Circle”, also danced in a double ring.

Folk Dancing is offered as a school extramural and is an fun and enjoyable activity that improves co-ordination, timing, spatial awareness and memory, fosters an awareness of sequence and patterns, promotes opportunities for social interaction and co-operation and creates a sense of community and mindfulness of others. It is this sense of community, of belonging, of being with friends and of being an important part of a group with a role to play in the success of the activity (the dance) coupled with the joy of movement to lively, rhythmic music which makes Folk Dancing so much fun! Well done to our Grade 2 and Grade 3 folk dancers who through their exuberance and enthusiasm, showed that Folk Dancing is an absolute joy and delight!

St Teresa’s Junior Primary School Grade 2 and 3 folk dancers delight their parents during a display of their folk dances under the watchful eye of their Folk Dancing Educator Mrs Stephanie King

Grade 2 and 3 learners in a ring formation for their Folk Dancing display

Matipa Dyirakumunda and her partner Goapele Mashego (Grade 2)

Nayna Chetty and Rethabile Mphahlele (Grade 2)

Folk Dancing instructor Mrs Stephanie King