Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Dancing for Hospice 2021: First participant revealed

Zizi Sparks
By Zizi Sparks
Multimedia journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
30 Mar, 2021 05:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

One of Rotorua's major annual fundraising events is back and the first person due to take to the stage in five months' time has been revealed.

Harcourts Dancing for Hospice sees 20 Rotorua people with little or no dance experience paired up, given professional dance training and asked to perform at an evening fundraiser.

Four celebrity judges score each couple to determine an overall winner.

After a year's hiatus due to Covid-19, the event is back this year for the fifth time.

The Rotorua Daily Post can now reveal the first person to put their name in the hat for the show is Melanie Short, Sport Bay of Plenty's communications and operations manager. She has worked for the organisation for almost a decade.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Kristina Crouch and Kereti Rautangata at Dancing for Hospice 2019. Photo / File
Kristina Crouch and Kereti Rautangata at Dancing for Hospice 2019. Photo / File

"I love my job because I love our kaupapa. Our job is to help people get active and people get active in many different ways.

"We know how important physical activity is to our health and wellbeing."

This kaupapa was one of the reasons Short agreed to dance but she also has a personal affiliation with Hospice.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"My father-in-law passed away 18 months ago in Manawatū. He was under Hospice care and the family couldn't speak highly enough of the care Hospice provided and allowed Tony to pass with dignity."

Short said while training for the fundraiser was a big commitment it would be an amazing opportunity and achievable with family support.

"Hospice is a wonderful charity ... I'm all about trying something new," she said.

"For me, this year is about taking on new adventures and just saying yes.

Discover more

Rotorua's Harcourts Dancing for Hospice returns

17 Mar 11:26 PM

Rotorua treasure dies at 103: 'She was a one-off'

15 Mar 05:00 PM

Legal fraternity mourns loss of great legal mind

05 Mar 12:20 AM

Rotorua Community Hospice excited for 2021

19 Jan 11:38 PM

"I'm looking forward to being part of this, meeting new people, doing something I don't know I can do: I don't know if I can dance.

"My husband flings me around the dance floor at weddings and things but we've been doing the same four moves for the last 25 years."

Short said she knew dancers from previous years and all of them had said it was an amazing experience.

Frances Tague and Slade King at Dancing for Hospice 2019. Photo / File
Frances Tague and Slade King at Dancing for Hospice 2019. Photo / File

"Hospice in this community has a strong presence.

"It's really important to live life to the full and try new things even though I'm nervous it's that old saying; 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'."

Rotorua Community Hospice needs to raise $1 million each year to operate and is aiming to raise more than $100,000 through this year's event, fundraising and marketing manager Jessica Meade said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They are still looking for a couple of male dancers, ideally in their 30s.

Meade previously said it was disappointing to cancel last year's event, so they were thrilled to be back in 2021.

The remaining dance couples will be announced in early May and tickets will be on sale at the end of June.

The event is on August 7 at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.

Follow Harcourts Dancing for Hospice on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarcourtsDancingforHospice or check out www.rotoruahospice.co.nz for all the latest updates.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Rotorua Daily Post

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

04 Jul 01:08 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

Peter was trapped under a tractor for hours on his Mangakino farm.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

'Social dysfunction at its worst': Two people sentenced over Rotorua teen prostitution ring

04 Jul 01:08 AM
'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP