Rotorua’s Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2023: Tom Parry and Danielle Weston plan high-energy performance

Harcourts Dancing for Hospice will take place on August 19 at the Energy Events Centre and rehearsals are well under way for a big night in Rotorua entertainment. Rotorua Community Hospice needs to raise $1 million each year to operate and is aiming to raise $140,000 through this year’s event. It will feature 10 dance couples who have been practising three times a week for 15 weeks in preparation for the night. This week, Michaela Pointon catches up with Tom Parry and Danielle Weston.

Performance night will be the “icing on the cake” for Danielle Weston, who has been hard at work rehearsing with Tom Parry, the youngest dancer in Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2023.

Twenty locals - paired together into 10 dance couples by instructors Ellie Smith, Troy Smith and Glen Law - are halfway through 15 weeks of rehearsals for the glamourous fundraiser.

Weston said she was looking forward to “getting out there and giving it everything” on show night.

She said their dance was high-energy.

“We’re definitely throwing ourselves around a little bit,” she said with a laugh.

“Tom hasn’t dropped me yet. I’ve got a lot of trust.”

She said the process so far had been fun and the final performance would be a chance to celebrate their hard work.

Weston said she was also enjoying other parts of being a volunteer, including sponsorship work, interviews and photo shoots outside of rehearsals.

She said it was “amazing” to see the support from the Rotorua community getting behind the event.

Weston said having Hospice in the community was “imperative” and she had experienced their work first-hand through opportunities with her job.

“Everyone either has or knows someone [with] a Hospice story. Hospice is such an integral part of this community.

“I felt it was really important to give back to our local community.”

Tom Parry and Danielle Weston are busy rehearsing three times a week in preparation for Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2023. Photo / Andrew Warner

Parry, 19, is the youngest dancer in the show this year and said rehearsals had “certainly picked up over the last couple of weeks”.

His inspiration to join the event came after a family friend did it last year and encouraged him to give it a go.

He said during the first week of rehearsals all dancers had the opportunity to dance with each other before being paired by the instructors.

“Our [dance] is very fun, it certainly has a young vibe to it.

“I’m dancing this year because I feel everyone knows someone or has their own story regarding Hospice.”

Parry said his workmates told him he had “zero rhythm” but he was willing to attempt all dance moves. He was more nervous about his costume falling apart on stage.

He described the experience so far as “wicked” and was grateful to his parents, who owned the three McDonald’s stores in Rotorua, for being their sponsor.

Parry said his mum and dad had supported him “in everything I’ve done”.

Harcourts Dancing for Hospice tickets will be on sale on Monday, July 3. These will be available online from Ticketmaster or at the box office at Sir Howard Morrison Centre.

Keep an eye out in future Rotorua Daily Post editions, as well as the Harcourts Dancing for Hospice Facebook page for more profiles on the full line-up of 2023 dancers and other updates.