Dancing for Hospice 2024: The tummy is turning as the show date nears

Rotorua Daily Post's Laura Smith is taking part in this year's Harcourts Dancing for Hospice.

Rotorua Daily Post reporter Laura Smith is taking part in this year’s Harcourts Dancing for Hospice. She shares her thoughts in the build-up to the August 17 event.

OPINION

Last week was all about mental prep - because if you hadn’t guessed, it’s actually quite hectic learning to dance for thousands.

The wonderful former competitor and former mental health nurse Liz Carrington took us through some of the ways we dancers can ease those pre-stage nerves, and I know I’m not alone in trying to implement them!

Each week brings us closer to show night, which is, of course, as exciting as it is scary.

As much as I can’t wait to be all glammed up with Nikora, moving across that stage under the bright lights, my tummy is turning a little.

But it’s not just August 17 to keep in mind, with the very first Patchell Group Matinee to be held the week before.

It will be a completely different affair - certainly more family-focused and great for those wanting a more compact Harcourts Dancing for Hospice experience.

It won’t just be us dancers, either, with a performance from the Jersey Boys cast of Rotorua Girls’ and Boys’ High Schools and AMJAZZ Dance Studios.

Tickets for the matinee are on sale now via Ticketmaster or the Sir Howard Morrison Centre box office. Tickets for the big night will go on sale on Monday.

This author is taking part in Harcourts Dancing for Hospice outside her salaried hours. NZME is a sponsor of the charity event and any content by the Local Democracy Reporter is done in her own time.

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist for four years.