Above: Noble Park English Language School student Simon burns up the dance floor at the Rejoice! appearance by Drums on Tap.
THE YOUNG children of newly arrived refugees might have trouble speaking English, but they had no problem understanding the universal language of music this week.
Noble Park English Language School in Thomas Street hosted the Rejoice! musical program this week, offering students at the school a dose of Australian school holiday fun.
The program is a week-long, music-packed celebration with activities ranging from dance to storytelling and even sport.
Rejoice! is a free program and aims to offer performing and visual arts pertaining to the cultural heritage of the newcomers as a means of enhancing their self-esteem, strengthening ties between school, home and community.
This week’s activities included creative dance, drumming, art, puppetry, percussion instruments and sport.
Two highlight performances of the program are Drums on Tap – which played on Tuesday – and the Victoria Police rock band Code One, which is scheduled to play today (Thursday) in a bid to strengthen ties between new arrivals and police.
A barbecue lunch during both performances has been provided by Noble Park Lions Club.
Rejoice! has been operating since September 2005 with funding from the Department of Family and Community Services, the City of Greater Dandenong and Multicultural Arts Victoria.
