Talor Kahu and Mahia Keepa-Hale loving experience of Harcourts Dancing for Hospice

For Talor Kahu and Mahia Keepa-Hale, the journey of preparing for Harcourts Dancing for Rotorua Community Hospice has been full of mixed emotions and growth.

This year's event is on August 20 at the Energy Events Centre. Ten dance couples with little-to-no dance experience are practising hard several times a week to be stage-ready and raise money for the local hospice.

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

Mahia Keepa-Hale is the owner of MKH Aesthetics and a brow specialist and beauty therapist.

She used to work at one of the sponsors for the event and was asked to dance in 2020, but it did not happen because of Covid. She was then injured last year, so this was third-time lucky for her.

"My father had to go into the hospice a few years back, and I feel this is my way of giving back.

"Hospice does a lot for the community and it's such an amazing annual fundraiser to be part of."

Keepa-Hale said there had been mixed emotions throughout her dancing journey so far, and that the dance was a technical one.

"One minute I'm really excited and then the next nervous."

She said the hardest part was definitely the attitude and energy you had to bring to the dance, especially in practice mode.

"Something I have enjoyed the most about my time being with all the dancers and being part of the event is the networking, getting to know a lot more people outside my circle and challenging myself.

"A lot of time and effort has gone into this fundraiser."

Talor Kahu, who is in his final year of a Bachelor of Education, agreed that you could see how much time and preparation went into the dancers, and everything else to make the event happen.

He said he had not personally had that much involvement with Hospice, but he knew how much time and effort went into it and the support it gave to whānau around Rotorua.

"For me, this is my contribution back to Hospice, but it is also a way for me to step out of my comfort zone and set an example for my sons - to show if dad can do it, then they can do something like this as well."

He said he had been loving this awesome experience.

"I'm excited for the night. Nerves haven't crept in yet, but probably will closer to the time."

Highlights for Kahu had been seeing improvement and growth in their dancing as the weeks went on.

"It's great to see improvement in different areas of our dance, whether that is confidence or body posture."

And in terms of challenges? He said for him it was going away and practicing outside of normal practice hours, alongside his busy schedule.

Jessica Meade, Rotorua Community Hospice fundraising and marketing manager, said tickets would soon be on sale to the public - "they are a certain sellout, with the number of inquiries we are getting".

People can get all their updates on the Harcourts Dancing for Hospice Facebook page.