The Language Schools Festival of New South Wales took place on June 4th at the Sydney Town Hall, where dozens of nationalities showcased that they do much more than just preserve their community languages for the next generation.
Exciting performances on stage throughout the day varied from the stunning display of unique gymnastic traditions by students from the Sydney Mongolian School to the graceful presentation by Uighur dancers, classical violin and cello performances by students from the Japanese School, and vibrant folk dances by children from Russian and Ukrainian schools.
Traditional choral pieces were presented by the choirs from Chinese and Tamil language schools.
Lucia Jones, the President of the Federation, shared how it all came together: “We discussed organizing a large event where our public foreign language schools could showcase their cultures and the richness of their traditions. It would be an opportunity to demonstrate the beauty of the work that many public language schools do every week.”
She also thanked the Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Kure, who, according to her, “supported this idea and was able to secure funding for its implementation when he was in government.”
The Federation of Public Foreign Language Schools of New South Wales supports 3,000 teachers who conduct classes at 583 locations across the state for 35,000 children studying more than 60 different languages.
In the photos, there are performances by children from St. Alexander Nevsky School and Harmony School.