Rhythmic stomps to swaying motions, PNG dancers showcase traditions from multiple provinces while expressing a shared heritage
Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlighted dances from the southern and islands regions in their culture night performance, reflecting the theme “Unity in Diversity”, and sharing the culture and spirit of Papua New Guinea.
Nephi Ipai, a sophomore from PNG majoring in accounting and the club president, said their performance represented several provinces from the country. “PNG has many provinces with different cultural traditions.We wanted to highlight these to represent different parts of the country while showing how our people can come together in unity,” he said. He said the choreography included strong stomping, rhythmic stepping, turning and coordinated group movements inspired by traditional dances from those regions.
The club featured a dance titled “Yumi Wan Tasol,” meaning “We are One,” said club choreographer Hubert Tau, a freshman in construction facilities management from PNG. He said the dance combined movements from Bougainville, Manus and East New Britain, including swaying and swinging arms with the beat to show unity and energetic jumping to match the rhythm of the traditional garamut drum.
Jalini Vicky Jeyapathy, a junior in business management from PNG, said “Since PNG has 22 provinces and more than 100 different cultural dances, none of the dance motions are the same as my province, however, the song performed speaks of unity and that’s where I feel most connected.”
Jeyapathy said, “Dancing for PNG outside of my country makes me feel connected to my PNG heritage.” She said the swaying motions reminded her of home. “At home, swaying is a motion used to describe the flow of the ocean. It reminds me how important the ocean is for our families,” she said. “We are all not the same, but the only thing that makes us one is being a Papua New Guinean,” she added.
