Despite a dislocated knee, smashed elbow, broken ankles, and Covid-19 restrictions, Western Heights High School have become national dance champions.
All four crews, including 38 students, won their categories at the NZ Made regional competition on October 21. The following week they made their way to nationals in Palmerston North, to compete over three days.
The junior and senior crews both placed second in their categories and two soloists were nominated for the Special Art movement award.
One of the teams, Prosperity Mega Crew, choreographed by students Haeun Kang and Ngawai Clendon, were named national champions in the open category and were second overall.
Level 2 restrictions created some issues for the dancers. The first regionals had been scheduled for August but due to the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown, these were postponed until October.
Dance teacher Te Ao Prangnell said she was determined to get her students on stage despite other schools "slowly pulling their teams out", due to the uncertainty of Covid-19.
Since May, Prangnell has spent up to 40 hours each week on dance rehearsals, divided among the four crews.
"I didn't want to take away all the hard work that my students had done."
Prangnell taught her students to work under pressure and "solve issues as quickly as possible".
Choreographers and close friends, Haeun and Ngawai, reworked their dance many times after gradually losing 19 dancers, some to injuries such as a dislocated knee or broken ankles.
"A lot of people dropping was a blessing in disguise because it got mine and Haeun's brains more active and aware," Ngawai said.
"Even to the last minute we were changing stuff."
The choreographers struggled to find confidence after the lockdown set them back. However, the trust the dancers had in them sparked motivation.
"We were this close to giving up," Ngawai said.
"I'm so glad we did [perform] because look at the result," Haeun said.
Ngawai said the dancers were committed. One student with an injured arm in a sling still performed, "she took it off and put it straight back on after".
The crew held hands as they were announced first in the open category, "we did it," Haeun said to Ngawai, and they both burst into happy tears.
The pair felt proud they had finished their final year on "a high" and had left behind a legacy.
The Prosperity Mega Crew received a trophy and $1000 as interschool second-place winners. A share of this money will be used to celebrate the school's winnings, with the remainder going back into the school dance programme.
Opportunities have arisen from the school's achievements. As well as being offered many gigs throughout the year, Prangnell was approached by a competition judge from Tauranga to potentially collaborate with her dance students. This would give students a pathway into the dance industry, "which I'm really excited about", Prangnell said.
The overall winner was Burnside High School from Christchurch.
"They totally deserved what they received because they are an amazing school," Prangnell said.
She encouraged her students to be supportive to all competitors and this resulted in a nomination for the spirit award.
Haeun and Ngawai both agreed the entire process and final performance built the dancers' confidence and communication skills.
The friendship between the two carried their team to victory.
"Strong leaders create strong teams," Clendon said.
- Samantha Carter is a journalism student at Massey University