Cultural Food Fair 2025 – Miramar Central School

Rush the stage! (playground)

Miramar Central School is a super-friendly, super-multicultural place to be. We have historical connections with the school through our gig co-ordinator Gordo, and we’re always happy to be invited back to do a little show for their annual Cultural Food Fair.

A small but perfectly formed Batucada crew of drummers and dancers took to the stage (playground) once again this year, and played and danced our little hearts out. As did our audience – who always (always!) join in with the choreographed dancing.

I just love the fact that the boys are clearly desperate to get in amongst it and take part, and once the first (and bravest) lad gets his groove on, all the rest rush the stage (playground) to do their thing. The girls, meanwhile, have already got into formation with our dancers and are busting the moves like they’ve been doing them for years (which, as we’ve done this gig every year for the last few years, is probably the case!).

This year we were also joined on-stage by one of the teachers who, rumour has it, once did a Wellington Batucada beginners’ dance course. She was brilliant! It seems that time has not dimmed her memory of our dance moves in the slightest.

As always, we enjoyed the school’s hangi and other home-baked delicacies, watched the other performers do their thing, did our show and then posed on-playground with all the kids for the obligatory team photo. Let’s do it all again next year!