12 young dancers enter the stage – ‘Hallelujah’ starts to play and the whole crowd holds its breath

It’s so good to see young people committing to a sport or pastime and enjoying it at the same time.

To see a group of youngsters working together in one activity shows they are learning important life skills.

For the 12 girls you are about to see, they not only show passion and commitment but their performance moves me to tears. Unsurprisingly the video has gone viral as so many others clearly felt the same.

 

 

 

YouTube/WADPA

The video features 12 girls from Whangarei Academy of Dance and Performing Arts (WADPA) in New Zealand.

They not only chose a song that is so moving in of itself, but also isn’t an obvious choice for a dance routine. You have to remember how difficult it is to perform in time to music without a strong beat.

But these girls pull it off beautifully and left me transfixed as they danced to “X-Factor winner” Alexandra Burke’s powerful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s iconic “Hallelujah.”

‘Commitment and teamwork’

The girls train at the only dance school, in Northland which is on New Zealand’s North Island, and has an impressive 40-year history.

What’s so inspiring about this school is that staff have moved away from the competitive environment, instead choosing to focus on the dancers’  mental and physical well-being.

“We are all about dancing and encouraging the development of children. We are proud of the family-like environment at WADPA, encouraging everyone to follow their passion,” according to a statement on the school’s website. “We teach our classes with the aim to build up co-ordination, fitness, sense of rhythm, musicality and self-expression skills, but also life skills such as commitment and teamwork,”

Watch their beautiful routine in the video below.

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/Q8R0IPlCDQ8” /]

The school’s philosophy is clearly paying off as the girls perform with such grace and confidence. It took my breath away.

Please share with your friends and family if you agree.