Diamond Divas from DDF Dance Studios is one of many Northland crews who have gained a spot at the SDNZ National Hip Hop Dance Qualifiers in Auckland this month. PHOTO/Claire Gordon, CG Images.
Northland dancer Alannah Curtis says her dancers are like her children, she sees them nearly every day in the leadup to major competitions.
The owner and director of Kerikeri-based DDF Dance Studios is one of the many success stories coming out of Saturday's SDNZ Northland Hip Hop Dance Qualifiers, which
saw 10 Northland crews qualify for the SDNZ National Hip Hop Dance Qualifiers in Auckland this month.
Ms Curtis' two crews Diamond Divas and DDF Crew both qualified to compete at the nationals where crews will battle it out for a spot at the Hip Hop International World Championships in August, in the US. She said a lot of time went into training for major competitions.
"It's a lot of hard work. We spend hours practising, all our free time is spent training we can spend 16 to 30 hours or more per week training," she said. "They're like my children, I see them every day."
Diamond Divas is the crew Ms Curtis puts most of her time and effort into in preparation for competitions. The group comprises girls aged 7 to 16 years old.
