THE traditional Japanese story of Sadako and One Thousand Paper Cranes has been told through a story-dance by Glenvale State School students.

Their performance was praised at Wakakirri, a national performing arts festival, where the school won the Brisbane region finals and the award for best world history story.

One Thousand Paper Cranes tells the story of Sadako who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombings and was subsequently diagnosed with leukaemia. She spent her time in hospital folding origami paper cranes.

Teacher and producer Kylah Watts said Wakakirri was an indigenous word meaning story-dance.

"We took down 60 students and we had to audition them because we had so many interested,” Ms Watts said.

"Rehearsals went for well over six months but the process started in 2015.”

Thirty schools entered the Brisbane finals and Glenvale is now in the running for National Story of the Year. The students studied Japanese war history and folded hundreds of paper cranes, some of which are now being posted to Japan for Peace Day celebrations.