A group of Bay of Islands youngsters, devastated when a local school burnt down, have a reason to celebrate _ they're off to America to compete in an international hip-hop competition.
Junior Legion is a dance crew made up of 8- to 12-year-olds from Kawakawa and Moerewa, who recently came third
in their junior level at a national hip-hop competition.
Ten of the country's best dance troops entered in three different levels and the first, second and third place-holders from each qualified to enter the 2008 World Hip-Hop Championships in Las Vegas in July.
The national championships were judged by a collection of world-renowned hip-hop performers and choreographers. Team manager Manual Maunsell, whose son Horrace, 19, is the founder and choreographer of Junior Legion, says the win has been a great morale lift for the towns.
"Some of the kids were involved in the school [the Maori Language immersion school in Moerewa] that got burnt down. It hit us pretty hard and the community is pretty split about it so this is a positive thing for our rural town."
However, the team are now faced with the daunting task of coming up with the estimated $120,000 in three months to cover travel and accommodation costs for 14 kids and four adults.
"We could always just take a few of the kids, but we're shooting for the top and hoping to take them all," Mr Maunsell said.
He said the third-placed teams were awarded $500 for their win, but it was up to them to come up with the rest. They intend to do this through publicity, sponsorship, and 10,000 sausage sizzles. They are also planning a mid-year hip-hop event in Whangarei.
In addition, Junior Legion will be staging a performance tomorrow at the Kawakawa Primary School hall in front of the community and local authorities and MPs to help raise awareness of their plight. The performance will be held at 4pm.
Meanwhile, Whangarei's Kani Krew, from the Hardcore Dance Company, may also be travelling to Las Vegas for the championships after placing fourth in the junior level. The results are currently under review and a decision will be reached next week.
