Tauhara College year 11-13 students and their winning performance Unsteady. Photo / Jo Davies
Tauhara College year 11-13 students and their winning performance Unsteady. Photo / Jo Davies
Taupō has stamped its mark as a town that is strong on dance with a huge haul of prizes and placings at last weekend's national DanceNZ Made competition in Palmerston North.
And the dance world is taking notice — following the weekend, dance teacher Jacinda Wilson from Tauhara College hasbeen invited to join a three-week She Shines On dance tour next year in New York.
Dancers of all ages and from a range of different schools, dancing in groups, solos, duos or trios competed hard against groups and soloists from much bigger towns and cities.
For the second year running Tauhara College was crowned Overall Champions. In 2017 the college's dance specialist hip hop programme Solace won the title and this year about half the same students were in the contemporary dance group which brought it home again.
"We would never expect it, it's something pretty crazy just because of the calibre of the competitors was so high so to win it is just amazing," Jacinda said.
In some categories there were up to 100 entries and an amazing amount of talent, so it was especially gratifying to see groups and solo dancers taking out top placings.
"Words can't even describe the feeling when you get to see your students succeed like that, it's just really awesome."
Jacinda said the students had been preparing all year and would begin working on 2019 DanceNZ Made material even before this year was finished.
While it was a huge amount of work, she had good support and loved her job.
"It's my passion, that's what I live for."
Jacinda said she would be taking a few days to consider the offer to join the She Shines On dance tour in New York next year.
Taupō-nui-a-Tia College dance teacher Iggy Gloy, whose students Ayla Yeoman and Georgia Smith won a top placing in the duos with student Lucy Golebiowski also choreographing Hilltop School's category-winning entry, says the result is a "huge accomplishment" for a town the size of Taupō.
Despite the high standard of competition and the large number of entries, to consistently place in almost all of the age groups and all the categories showed how strong dance is in the town, she said.
Hilltop teacher Brittany Sutherland says 23 students, from years six to eight, attended practice twice a week for two terms in the lead-up and were pleased with their success.
Brittany says Taupō was well represented in the audience, and the Taupō dancing community gave huge support to all its performers.
"It's quite cool for such a small area. We did so well and the whole of the Taupō audience was cheering for Hilltop School when we were on stage."
Brittany says special mention should be made of former student Grace Davies, and of college students Hannah Golebiowski and Lucy Golebiowski who choreographed each of the Hilltop School performances.
