Rotorua's Brock Aitchison bringing Willy Wonka to stage in dance form

Year 11 Rotorua Lakes High School student Brock Aitchison has been working hard on creating a Willy Wonka dance production. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua Lakes High School student Brock Aitchison is bringing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to the stage through dance, and has been working hard in choreographing and teaching the show.

The Year 11 student's Willy Wonka production will be brought to life for audiences on Sunday, December 11 in two shows - one at 3.30pm and one at 6pm.

It includes about 22 dancers in Years 9, 8, 7 and 5 from different schools.

"I remember watching Willy Wonka as a kid - I loved the characters and storyline, and thought it would make a great dance production, telling the story through dance."

He says the dance production has been in the works and rehearsals for about two terms.

"It's going great. We've done a few weekend practices and practice every Tuesday after school at Mokoia Intermediate."

Brock has danced with CW Entertainment, but describes himself as more of a choreographer than dancer. He says he had his first opportunity to choreograph when in Year 5 at Lynmore Primary School.

This year has been a busy one full of choreography for Brock, having done choreography for Rotorua Lakes High School's DanceNZ Made and ShowQuest entries, as well as Mokoia Intermediate's ShowQuest entry.

On top of these, he has been busy keeping up with school work and working at the Terrace Kitchen, which he says helps to pay for putting together the Willy Wonka production.

When asked what it is that makes him so passionate about choreography and dance, he said he liked the freedom and being able to tell a story you would not usually see in dance form.

"I think the challenging part is changing the story [Willy Wonka] from movie to dance form. You are using props and acting through dance to tell the story."

Brock says he is nervous about showtime, but that he is also looking forward to it.

"The kids have been practicing really hard, and they enjoy it as well."

He says when he was teaching the ShowQuest dances, a lot of students told him they wanted to do dance but their families could not afford the lessons.

He says he wants to use dance productions such as Willy Wonka to help these students be able to learn to dance in a different way.

Looking ahead, Brock is considering putting together another dance production and is excited to see where the year 2023 will take him.

Rotorua Lakes High School drama and dance teacher Alena-Rose Burt says they are planning to start up a dance club at the school and Brock will likely be a leader in this venture.

"It is great having someone with passion to get dance up and running, and for him to look at the situation students are in and think how he can accommodate all of them.

"He inspires me to be honest, and I can see him having a bright future ahead of him - he's quite the star."

Brock has a dance school called BDA, which the students of this production are all part of. Classes are held Tuesday afternoons at Mokoia Intermediate school hall. Any children from any school are always welcome.

The details
- What: Willy Wonka dance production
- When: Sunday, December 11, two shows - 3.30pm and 6pm
- Where: Rotorua Lakes High School D.C Price Auditorium
- Tickets: $5 entry fee, under 12 free, email broait06@icloud.com

This is a Public Interest Journalism funded role through NZ On Air