Kerry Mackenzie (left) and Karen Suitor, the founders of K Studio of Dance in Havelock North, say communication is key to balancing working together and remaining best friends for more than 50 years. Photo / Michaela Gower
Kerry Mackenzie (left) and Karen Suitor, the founders of K Studio of Dance in Havelock North, say communication is key to balancing working together and remaining best friends for more than 50 years. Photo / Michaela Gower
A Havelock North dance studio started by two teenage friends 50 years ago is doing a special recital to showcase half a century of incredible memories.
K Studio of Dance’s Memories in Motion show is to be held at Toitoi’s Hawke’s Bay Opera House on December 14 at 11amand 4pm, with students aged from 3 to 19 set to perform.
The show will include Peter and the Wolf, which was the first dance recital that foundation pupils performed at the Hastings Municipal Theatre in 1975.
Also being performed are excerpts from Thumbelina, The Wizard of Oz, Coppelia, The Rescue of Spring, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Santa’s Toyshop, which have all been a part of subsequent recitals over the years.
K Studio of Dance in Havelock North are celebrating half a century of dance by showcasing favourite excerpts from over the last 50 years of recitals, commencing with Peter and the Wolf.
Karen Suitor, who established the classical ballet studio alongside best friend Kerry Mackenzie, said that, after half a century of teaching dance together, they were looking forward to marking the milestone.
They were also both excited to welcome former students Bethan Renew and Lina Peachey back to perform.
“We are very excited about two of our pupils who left us to study dance fulltime in Christchurch – one who left two years ago and another who left last year – are returning to perform in our recital.”
The pair established the Havelock North studio as teenagers in 1975, Suitor said.
“Our story is of a great and long-time friendship, first meeting at kindergarten, later at intermediate and then onto high school.”
At the age of 5, the pair were both enrolled at Jean Ballantyne’s dance studio in Hastings.
“When we were 10 years old, we started to talk about opening our own ballet school and calling it the ‘K Studio of Dance’.”
When Ballantyne retired, the teachers who taught under her opened their own dance schools, separating the pair.
“Even though we were a distance apart, we still managed to get together to practise and attend weekend classes out of town and seminars together, the whole time thinking of how wonderful it would be to teach.”
The opportunity to do so arose when Angela Horrocks retired, and her sister and the rest of the Grade 3 class became the foundation members of the “K” Studio of Dance.
They entered their first exam pupils in June 1975 with examiner Doreen Shaw.
“We were fortunate enough to have had such great role models and teachers in our lives and a wonderful family support who encouraged us all the way,” Suitor said.
Over the years, they had attended many courses as well as summer and winter schools, and had put thousands through their Royal Academy of Dance exams, with many moving on to further their careers in dance.
The pair, now 68, who wear matching necklaces with the letter K, say they both agree that communication, the same goals, and a love of dance and their students have been the key to their longstanding friendship.
