The Cowley family from Hamilton, New Zealand were well represented in a cultural celebration held at the new David O. McKay Stake and Cultural Events Centre tonight. Siblings Aria, Manasseh and Atawhai all took part.
Their mother, Rebecca, said, "We as parents feel so blessed to have our children participate in this event."
The three siblings have been rehearsing, along with around 250 other performers and support crew, for the last five weeks.
When asked how she felt about performing in front of visiting Church leaders and many others, Aria said, “It is a privilege and I feel very excited to be able to perform for them.”
The rehearsals for the performance started on May 9, and practices were held twice a week since.
"We do not feel it is a sacrifice, but view it as a blessing,” said Aria.
The show was a tribute through song and dance to the different stages that Temple View has gone through over the last six decades.
First there was a tribute to the labour missionaries who built the Latter-day Saint temple, Church College of New Zealand and other buildings in the 1950s.
Then there were songs in honour of the faculty and students of Church College of New Zealand, and a celebration of some of the main cultural events the school was well known for, such as performing arts tours, Polynesian culture tours, the annual song festival and dance festivals.
"We are grateful for the sacrifices of the past, but also grateful for what the future holds in Temple View," said Sui-Jean Fuimaono, director of the Samoan section of the program.
Performances shone a light on several Pacific cultures, including Maori, Samoan, Cook Islander, Tongan and Hawaiian.
Aria, Atawhai and Manasseh participated in the Samoan part of tonight's show. It featured an original song, "Ua ma’ea le galuega,” meaning the work is finished. The song was written specifically for the opening of the new stake centre and was sung to a well-known Samoan tune. Fogasavai’i Ho Kum (pictured below), a long time Temple View resident, wrote the lyrics to the song.
Looking back over the weeks of rehearsals, culminating in tonight's performance, Aria said her participation makes her "want to be a better person."
"I am happy I can show my gratitude to my Heavenly Father by participating and enjoying our culture and sharing it.”