The Fort Issue 02 Feb 2019 | Page 30

This year we decided to invite over MOVEO dance company whom, as part of the Culture Pass Scheme (set up by the Ministry of Culture and Social Justice, Malta), have put together four dances addressing different themes and geared toward diverse age groups. We brought them over to perform Emoji for our Kindergarten students; on a bright but cold Wednesday morning in our Middle School Music room.

Emoji is a dance performance and interactive workshop which focuses on tackling the understanding of our emotions. This fits in perfectly with our PSHE curriculum, which aims to lay the foundation for our younger students to become better acquainted with the range of feelings that we experience throughout our daily lives; in this way helping students become better equipped in recognising and communicating their own emotions and those of others. As we all know, helping lead children to a better understanding within the social, emotional and health areas is seen to have positive effects for development and in later life. The performance and workshop incorporated projected digital animation, dance and interactive group activities. The main emotions encompassed were those of sadness, anger, fear and happiness. A narrative approach was taken, which allowed the performers to communicate ways in which a particular circumstance or action may trigger an emotion. The dance performance in itself supported this narrative approach by communicating the ways in which such emotions are non-verbally expressed; through facial expressions and other non-verbals like bodily movements and positions.

The aim of the workshop was to encourage and support students in developing their emotional intelligence through an all-encompassing understanding of the above-mentioned emotions, self-awareness, and the identification and communication of these feelings. It was gratifying to see our young students take on the activities with such fervour; participating and enjoying an activity somewhat outside the realms of the usual academic structure.

Ms. Katya Warrington - PSHE Teacher and Socio-Emotional Advisor, Elementary

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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MOVEO Dance performs EMOJI

for Verdala Kindergarten students