All the way from San Diego, California, we were honored to run a team building session for this well-established American production team who flew into Singapore for a conference. With 500 top sales delegates involved, they performed the Haka ceremonial dance, a Māori culture, at Marina Bay Sands ballroom led by a trained facilitator.
The Haka dance is a respected tradition (we wouldn’t want to upset any Māori) and will need to be taught the right way. A fact to be known is that there are several types of Haka ceremonial dance. There is a challenge ceremonial dance (you would normally see the All Blacks rugby team perform this), a dance for special occasions and even during funerals.
The Objective
The American production company required a quick energizing activity to lift spirits up after having sat through the whole morning of conference.
What went on?
The Haka Action was a quick 30 minute session. Asia Ability was introduced on stage and our lead facilitator drew everyone’s attention to him and the rest of the crew. Our team were dressed for the part, too!
After a quick introduction about Asia Ability and the Māori culture, our lead facilitator didn’t waste any time by inviting the delegates to stand. Once everyone was on their feet, eager to perform the dance, our facilitator started going through a step-by-step movement of the Haka ceremonial dance, encouraging everyone to say every word loud and clear while performing the strong dance.
After a few practice, everyone got the movements and the right words projected onto the screen for everyone. In 30 minutes, 500 delegates were able to chant the powerful Haka and perform it with such high energy.
The Finale
The Haka ceremonial dance was a great choice that definitely brought everyone’s energy level up. Everyone looked proud of themselves as they performed the Haka dance. They stood up tall and strong, and they said every word with precission that it gave us all goosebumps (in a very good way). The short session ended very well with everyone still on a high, repeating the chants and smiles on their faces.
