Dancing for Hospice: Jenni McGowan and Arash Alaeinia pushing through nerves for Hospice

Jenni McGowan and Arash Alaeinia are one of this year's Harcourts Dancing for Hospice couples. Photo / Andrew Warner

Jenni McGowan and Arash Alaeinia are tackling their nerves head-on for Rotorua Community Hospice, a cause they describe as incredible and supportive.

They are one of 10 dance couples learning fancy footwork and challenging themselves with dance routines for the annual fundraiser Harcourts Dancing for Hospice.

All the hard work and commitment of the dance couples will be on show when they perform at the Energy Events Centre on August 20.

McGowan is the Charge Play specialist at Lakes District Health Board, working at the Rotorua hospital with sick children.

She said her first experience with Hospice was when her best friend lost her father: "through that Hospice were incredible, selfless, they were kind, they were everything you would want from a service".

McGowan said as the years had gone on there had been other special people in her life who had needed the same sort of care and support from Hospice.

"They [Hospice] have always been true to their mission statement and whakataukī, and they've delivered the same service for many years now."

On a professional level, she was very lucky to be able to work with Hospice as well in her job, she said.

She decided to do Harcourts Dancing for Hospice because she wanted to say thank you to Hospice for everything they had done for her on a professional and personal level.

Alaeinia, the incoming chief executive of Eastern Fish & Game, said his reason for taking part was twofold, and one was to challenge himself and get out of his comfort zone.

"I am often the life of a party but I have to force myself to be that, so doing this is really challenging."

He said Hospice had also played a part in his life, supporting him and his sister when their mother was unwell, so this was a way to say thank you.

"She was here visiting us from the UK and was meant to be here for six months, and within a month she had had a stroke ...

"Hospice were extremely supportive in that space helping us through that last seven/eight days of my mum's life, as me and my sister dealt with that."

He also had friends who worked for and had been involved in Hospice.

"It's a great charity, and a great event that they do, for people who are at that stage of difficulty."

He said Hospice gave love to the people that were left behind, and it was a lovely cause and group of people to support.

When asked how practices were going, McGowan said she had come a long way from the hokey tokey, but was not feeling that confident yet.

"Thankfully my dance partner is very patient and kind to me."

She said a highlight was meeting people she would not have normally met, but a hard thing was that with all the time practice took up she sometimes felt she was neglecting her family.

Alaeinia said he had a great dance partner and that the whole team were positive and encouraging.

He said he was in awe of the instructors and it was fun meeting everyone.

In his quiet moments he still got very nervous, he said.

"It's hard to come to terms with what you're doing - I will still sit and think about having to remember it in front of 2000-odd people."

They had learned the majority of the dance and it was now a matter of remembering the sections in sequence, building up speed, and getting it right and tidy, they said.

McGowan and Alaeinia also wanted to thank the organisers for giving them the opportunity to be part of the fundraiser.

Tickets will go on sale in mid-July. People can get all their updates on the Harcourts Dancing for Hospice Facebook page.

The goal of the evening is to raise $120,000 to enable Hospice to care for and support more than 420 patients with terminal illnesses each year.