What a spectacular and fun-filled event the Autumn Gala was! Right in the heart of Hillcrest High at the Magnolia courtyard, cultures from all around the world were represented in a riveting event. To start off the night, Lion Dance, a classic Chinese performance, took the stage and wowed the audience with all sorts of stunts and tricks; great teamwork and coordination were displayed throughout. Next up was Charlotte Cummusky performing the Highland Fling, one of the oldest traditional dances from Scotland. This certainly was a fun dance to witness and had the audience clapping along to the beat! With a break from dancing, a Chinese ensemble played the sweetest songs imaginable on Pipas, Guzhengs, and more! Martial arts was a fan favourite, with nine routines incorporating nunchucks, whip, fan and knife routines, leaving people stunned and unable to comprehend how these moves were being executed. Bollywood took the stage next and performed a traditional dance. As always, it was an enthralling dance to watch and had the most top-notch synchronisation between all the dancers! Second to last was a stirring haka with great pride and strength shining through and finishing off the performances was our Pasifika Group, who represented Tuvalu, Samoa, and Fiji in some alluring dances. The moves were so graceful and elegant that it was disappointing when it came to an end!
Not only were there such marvellous performances but on the side, people were able to get a taste of an abundance of food from many different cultures, including butter chicken from India, bao buns from China, and much much more! And then on top of all that, people were also able to participate and watch fun activities during, between and after the performances! On one side of the courtyard, we had people writing down their deepest wishes and hanging them up to form our wishing tree while on the other side of the courtyard, people were able to have a go at using chopsticks and have a hilarious time trying to get m&ms from one plate to another (which they were able to eat at the end)! One especially exciting activity was sumo wrestling, featuring our head boy Nico and sports leader Tana and other senior students. Students not participating in the actual game were able to interact and bet on who they believed was going to win and cheer on their friends, making it a fun activity for everyone around. From exhilarating performances to delectable food to exciting activities, Autumn Gala was a night not to forget!