Anu - whose 1995 platinum album Stylin' Up featured the hit singles Party and Island Home - encouraged students (and teachers) to get on their feet and show off their dance moves as the hall rang with the sound of school shoes.

Kelso Public principal Lance Cooper said Anu's In Conversation And Song performance had been organised as a lead-in to NAIDOC Week celebrations.

"She's one of Australia's most iconic indigenous artists, who has been in the industry for 30 years and is a star of stage, music and radio, and we are proud to have her here today," he said.

He said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture was embedded in the school and he hoped that Anu's visit would remind the students that where they wanted to go in life was only limited by their imagination.

In the conversation part of Anu's performance, she explained some of the basics of Torres Strait Islander culture, including its instruments and dance and the features of its flag.

And when the songs came, she encouraged the students to join her in the choruses, including for the celebratory Party.