Young Fijian dancers are gaining international exposure and opportunities for stronger artistic practice and development through a five-year partnership between Fiji’s Conservatorium of Dance, funded by the VOU Foundation, and Canada’s Arch-Way Dance.
The partnership is based on a reciprocal model of travel, artistic training and community integration, with dancers from both countries having opportunities to learn and share their artistic experiences.
This year, a 45-member delegation from Mission, British Columbia, comprising 15 young dancers aged 10 to 16 and 30 family members, arrived in Nadi for a 10-day cultural exchange.
The Canadian dancers are training alongside first-year students from the Conservatorium of Dance, Fiji’s pioneering dance academy, taking part in daily four-hour intensive training modules over the 10 days, led by Fijian instructors Navi Fong, David and Patrick.
Director of VOU and the Conservatorium of Dance, Sachiko Soro says the collaboration is important because it is building bridges of cultural connection and providing room for stronger artistic practice and development.
Soro says it is so wonderful to have 45 Canadians here in Fiji, 15 of them young dancers who are sharing, learning and giving their artistic selves with the Conservatorium of Dance students.
She says the exchange is just as important when Fijian artists travel to Canada, as they did last year.
She says in 2025, five Fijian artists from VOU travelled to Canada, where they led community workshops and performed at the Mission Folk Music Festival, with their showcases celebrated as festival highlights.
Soro says the current exchange in Nadi began at the VOU Dance Studios with a traditional Fijian sevusevu ceremony.
She says a significant cross-cultural moment occurred when an Indigenous family member from the Canadian delegation offered the formal protocol response.
The Canadian dancers are being immersed in Fijian culture while working alongside Conservatorium students, with the programme combining technical movement training with the mana and spirit of Fijian heritage.
Arch-Way Dance Director Gina Mataika says the core vision is to immerse the dancers in an experience that is rich in culture and provides a meaningful alternative to competitive dance.
Mataika says the experience has pushed the dancers out of their comfort zones and taught them the true meaning of perseverance.
She says they are growing not just as performers, but as individuals.
Mataika says the knowledge and resilience the dancers have gained in Fiji will provide them with a better sense of self, fresh motivation and the confidence to succeed in both dance and life.
For the Conservatorium of Dance, the reciprocal partnership provides an opportunity for its artists to travel to Canada while also bringing Canadian dancers to Fiji to train, share and learn alongside Fijian students.
Ten of the 15 Canadian dancers are returning to Fiji for their second tour, strengthening the lasting ties between British Columbia and Fiji.
To celebrate this annual cross-cultural partnership, the dancers will present a special Work in Progress Showcase at 6pm tomorrow at the VOU Hub in Nadi, which will be free and open to the public.
Looking ahead, Arch-Way Dance and the VOU Foundation plan to continue their alternating travel schedule, with Fijian artists returning to Canada for future multi-city performance and teaching opportunities.
