Kia tipu te māia o te tamaiti i roto i tōna anō ao - koirā te whāinga a te hōtaka kanikani o Express Yourself, kua hau atu ki ngā kura kaupapa Māori o Tāmaki Makaurau i tēnei tau.
“[It’s] all about bringing te mana me te kaha out of our rangatahi, we use kanikani hip-hop to do that,” te kī a Starce O’Neill, tētahi o ngā kaiako kanikani.
Kua rongonui a Starce rāua tahi ko tana māhanga i a Brooke mō te kanikani hip-hop puta noa i te ao, ā, kua hoki mai rāua ki te whāngai i ēnei mātauranga ki ngā tauira o Te Aho Matua.
Kua waru tau tēnei kaupapa e kawea ana ki roto i ngā kura, heoi, koinei te tau tuatahi kua kawe i roto i ngā kura Aho Matua.
“We’ve been dancing for a long time so to bring that to kura kaupapa Māori specifically is really special to us,” te kī a Brooke.
Hei tā Ian Marino-Tauhinu, tumuaki o TKKM o Ngaa Papaonekura, i tua atu i ngā mahi kanikani, ko te kawe i roto i te reo Māori te painga matua.
“Te kawe o te kaupapa i roto i te reo Māori, ko te tokorua rā e ngana ana ki te takahi i te ao Māori.”
TKKM o Ngaa Papaonekura is one of six kura kaupapa Māori introducing the Express Yourself programme, offering world-class hip-hop lessons in te reo Māori.
Student Naria Brown Tuinukuafe enjoys the weekly sessions, thankful for the confidence boost.
“He pai ki te whakaatu [i] tō māiatanga ki ngā tāngata hou.”
Although new to hip-hop, Haines Pawa agrees that the classes have helped boost his confidence, adding,
“Ināianei, [e] kore au e whakamā ki te kanikani.”
The O’Neill Twins have danced for more than 20 years, best known for their work in the international hip-hop dance scene and were key members of Royal Family dance crew, which has collaborated with top artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Ciara.
However, the pair say their biggest challenge is incorporating te reo Māori, as they are still in the early stages of their language journey.
“[I] tīmata māua ki te ako i te reo Māori i tērā tau. Nā reira kei te pōturi māua ki te kōrero Māori me te mārama hoki,” Starce says.
“Ia wiki we are pushed to our limit because kanikani ae – he māmā for us. Engari reo [Māori] – [we’re] still learning, but it’s beautiful."
Starce notes that hip-hop is a foreign concept to most tauira.
“They’re used to kapa haka, to performing in different ways, but hip-hop is very new to them.”
Brooke adds, “I think it’s because of kapa haka – the coordination is already there.”
“We have a few autistic tamariki in our class, and they love it. They’re really engaged and focused.”
FREE AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES are happening this termFrom WEEK 2 through to WEEK 7!! 💛 Wednesdays:Ages 5-6: 4pm - 4.30pm (30min) Ages 7-8: 4.40pm - 5.25pm (45min) Fridays.Ages 8-10: 4pm - 4.40pm (40min)Ages 11-13: 4.50pm - 5.30pm (40min) Location: Manurewa Leisure Centre Just rock up for class (no need to sign in this term upon arrival). There is no showcase this term but we’re still offering these free classes for our community! So come through! 😍 If you are NEW to the Express Yourself community, just register using the link in our bio! Our tutors are excited to work with your tamariki and look forward to helping them grow their confidence this term! Letssss go! 🚀
Posted by Express Yourself on Sunday, October 13, 2024
‘Ko te ao kei te kapu o ō ringa’
E ono ngā kura Aho Matua e whai wāhi ana ki tēnei kaupapa, me te hiahia nui kia horapa whānui tēnei hōtaka, e kitea ai ngā huarahi e tuwhera ana ki a rātau.
“There are currently amazing dancers - [our] friends are dancing for big stars in America and they’re Māori too,” te kī a Starce.
“To bring that outside world to kura kaupapa Māori is quite important to us. [To] show them what’s possible.”
Ka tū tētahi pō konohete mā ngā tauira nei a te Hepetema, hei reira kitea ai te kikino o ngā mahi kanikani.
