It’s a gift we were born with and it’s in the frame of our culture, says Sena Madla, when explaining how dancing applies to Papua New Guineans.
“As babies, we’re already dancing to music and our tradition also involves dancing,” she says.
But it’s the other types of dancing like Hip Hop, RnB or dancehall that has attracted criticism, especially in PNG.
Still, Madla pushes for this to be a change that can be accepted.
Now 32, she began dancing at a very young age, influenced by her uncle.
She grew up imitating Michael Jackson – the King of Pop, adding female presence in the dancing scene.
“Boys always dominate activities such as dance and sporting events so I wanted to spice it up and show that girls could bring it to the floor,” she said.
Madla formed Sasstematic productions in 2015, choreographing for events such as Miss Cosmopolitan and Mr Cosmopolitan.
Now, she runs dance lessons at the Murray Barracks gym in Port Moresby every Sunday.
She has started off with dancehall and will soon be providing contemporary lessons to the advance class.
Sena Madla is a mother of three, from a mixed parentage of Gulf, Central Province and the Philippines.