After Smash Palace owner Darryl Montieth agreed to host her first dancing lesson, Hamilton-Kells put the word out to the community and received interest from about 150 locals.
With the dates booked, she found it difficult to find a single instructor to teach the inaugural class.
“That’s when I realised that I was going to need to teach the class myself — and you can learn anything from YouTube right?”
Hailing from Waikato, Hamilton-Kells moved to Gisborne about 19 years ago due to family reasons.
“Back then I used to be a primary school teacher. When I moved here I taught some antenatal classes for the local community for about five years and over time worked on several teaching related jobs for years. So in a way I never left teaching.”
She recalls that despite her teaching background it wasn’t easy being a dance instructor.
“It’s been more about learning as I go and creating a safe environment where it’s actually OK to make mistakes and be a learner. That really sets the tone for our whole club.
“Of course it might feel scary to be a beginner sometimes, but with time we’ve got better and currently we’re at a high skill level of dancing — a lot better than when we started.”
Hamilton-Kells says even though she is the sole instructor for her group, occasionally the group holds workshops that involve getting lessons from out-of-town dancers and instructors.
“What I love about dancing is that it’s a form of fitness and activity — it’s definitely skilful. It’s not an exercise class, but really about developing as a dancer and being a dancer.”
One of the biggest drivers to start Rhythm n’ Lines was to be proactive about being fit, healthy and active post-pandemic. Line dancing was a good fit because dancing is something everyone can do.
“You don’t have to have a partner to do it and you don’t have to be a ‘dancer’. You are a dancer if you dance. With practice and hard work, anyone can become good at anything.”
Hamilton-Kells said growing up she wasn’t a dancer in her family.
“My sisters were the graceful ones and I was more into swimming then — an area where my talents were perceived to lie.
“So I didn’t set out to be a dance instructor, but rather create a club that was inclusive, fun, and gave people that social connection, which I believe is paramount to mental health.”
When she isn’t dancing or doesn’t have her dancing shoes on, she finds joy in putting pen to paper and writing.
She first discovered a love of writing while volunteering for Hospice, working with patients to write their biographies.
“I lost my mum to brain cancer and Hospice was amazing for our family. So it was just a way of giving back into the community.
“I was fascinated by the stories I heard and found that I enjoyed writing.”
Her new-found love for writing also led her to open a new business called Pinny For Thoughts, which she ran for a couple of years.
“It was really a fun way of challenging myself to put my writing online and publish it in that sense.”
Since then she has had a few stories published including a novel titled
The Un-Boyfriend, which was released
last year.
Hamilton-Kells said having worked in the non-profit sector in Tairāwhiti for 18 years, she had been involved in several fundraisers and provided support to people with special needs. This led her to believe that social connection was the most important thing in life.
As part of some community involvement in the past year, Rhythm n’ Lines has been able to raise more than $5000 for the Cancer Society and SPCA fundraisers.
As well as performing at the Tairāwhiti Arts Festival and Wave Festival this year, the club has participated in an international flashmob event this May.
