ʻATENISI INSTITUTE

With Tonga’s diaspora in indefinite lockdown in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, there’s a danger its youth will lose touch with the traditional faiva of their homeland. As of May, institute president ‘Ilaisaane Sisi’uno Helu has begun posting instructional tutorials for diaspora youth via Zoom Video.

“I am forever passionate about the music and dance performed prior to European contact,” she recently wrote the faculty from her studio in Sydney. “In these troubled times, ‘Atenisi must utilise communication technology to pass this art on to the next generation.”

In her online mentoring, the instructor teaches simplicity of movement, minor harmony, fundamentals of performance, and the recruitment of audience participation.

To register your family for Sisi'uno's compelling classes, click #AkofaivaoeNgaluope.