Photo: Sulamanaia Manaui Faulalo
It’s the first time in Polyfest history that an alumni group will grace the stage once more.
Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS) or Teine o le Kalama is celebrating their legacy by inviting their Samoan group alumni to dust off their moves and singing voices for a special performance, reliving the spirit of their school days.
The idea is the brainchild of leader and class of 1995 old girl Mandy Momoisea (nee Siitia) who volunteered with some friends at last year’s festival and caught the bug once more.
“I got excited to see the AGGS Samoan group win last year. It brought back memories of the hard work, sweat, tears, funny stories, and practices in the Cocoa House (the school’s now demolished rehearsal space) we had when I was at school,” Mandy says.
“I thought, we need to bring it back. We need to share our legacy and celebrate 50 years of this amazing festival.”
The concept of a reunion performance was enthusiastically embraced by festival coordinators and kick-started months of planning.
The call-out for participants generated an overwhelming response, with spots filling up within two days.
The interest was global, with 12 women from Australia and one from Hawaii joining the group. Many of these performers have been participating in online rehearsals and will return to Auckland at the end of the month for the live performance.
One of the Australian contingents is group leader Natarlia Pouli-Lefale who has been making regular online recordings and trips over the ditch to teach the group pese (songs).
Natarlia’s father, retired Reverend Ionatana Pouli-Lefale has composed a 10-minute pese with lyrics describing the performances and placings of Teine o le Kalama over the years. Audience members may recognise some of the tunes from festivals past.
With Polyfest coming up, and the group’s inclusion of overseas members, the challenge of coordinating rehearsals across time zones has been immense.
“It’s definitely a challenge, but we’re all passionate about our school, and we want to prove to ourselves and others that we’ve still got it!” Natarlia says. “It’s a blessing to be together and to have this opportunity.”
The Teine o le Kalama Samoan Group Alumni 1975 – 2025 will be holding a fiafia night at the Dorothy Winstone Centre on the school grounds on Thursday 3rd April.
They are proudly supported by Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, the AGGS Foundation and the AGGS Old Girls’ Association.
