Rotorua’s Harcourts Dancing for Hospice rehearsals have been ‘heartwarming’ for Rebecca Moore and Philip McDonald

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 practicing three times a week for 15 weeks in preparation for the night. This week, Michaela Pointon catches up with Rebecca Moore and Philip McDonald at Te Puia Māori Arts Village.

Dance partners Philip McDonald and Rebecca Moore are both feeling nervous as they prepare to take the stage for Harcourts Dancing for Hospice next month, but McDonald says preparation will be the “key” to ensuring their performance goes smoothly.

McDonald said at some rehearsals the dance couple “nailed it”, and on other days dance moves were challenging.

“I’m really enjoying it. I feel like we’ve come a long way, but [we’ve] got a long way to go still.”

He enjoyed getting to know the other participants in the show, as well as learning to dance.

“I get a buzz out of improving and nailing a move.”

His goal for performance night was to make sure he was confident on stage by knowing his moves. “If it’s nailed and it’s ingrained, then we can do it without thinking and we should be all right.”

Hospice supported Mcdonald’s family when his mother was suffering from a terminal illness over an 18-month period. He said the organisation was close to his heart.

McDonald works at the dance couples’ sponsor, BSK Consulting Engineers.

Rotorua Harcourts Dancing for Hospice dance couple Rebecca Moore and Philip McDonald. Photo / Andrew Warner

In preparation for this year’s showcase, Moore said rehearsals for the event were exciting and nerve-racking. Practices were high-energy and could be overwhelming at times.

She said learning the first steps of the routine was challenging, but the dance couple had made progress.

“It’s quite amazing to think [of the difference between] where we started and how we’re going now.”

Moore was asked by an organiser to dance at the event.

“Honestly, I said I could never get up in front of 2000 people and dance. I told them to send me the email anyway, and here I am.”

Moore said she was “petrified” to be dancing on stage.

She had personal reasons for dancing in the show involving Hospice supporting her aunty. She also knew previous participants in the show who’d had “the time of their life” participating in the event in previous years.

A highlight for Moore has been seeing the other dance couples progress on their dancing journey too.

“We’re a real neat group of people. That’s been really cool. Heartwarming, really.”

Harcourts Dancing for Hospice tickets are now on sale available online from Ticketmaster or at the box office at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre.

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

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.