Young dancers impress at Whanganui competitions

Eris Walker was missed at the latest dance competitions held at Whanganui Girls' College this week.

Mrs Walker, who died at Hospice Whanganui in August, was president of the Wanganui Competitions Society and stage manager at the school holiday dance and music competitions for many years, having joined the committee in 1998.

Long time treasurer Pat Williams resigned this year after 26 years on the committee and acting president Ilse Boessenkool said both women have been missed at the competitions this week.

"Their commitment and hard work over many years is a hard act to follow," she said.

"The Wanganui Competitions Society would like to pay tribute to Eris and Pat who gave so much of their time and energy so that young people would have opportunities to develop their performance skills at our annual festivals."

The ballet, modern and tap dancing competitions ran throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and attracted plenty of young talent from around the Whanganui/Manawatu region. Committee member Linda Crewther-Devlin said this year's competitions had been notable for some great performances by the boys.

"The boys have been amazing - especially in the hip-hop competitions," she said.

The adjudicator for this round of competitions was Chantelle Scoon from Wellington, a multi-award-winning young dancer who started when she was 5.

The competitions ended with the tap dancing championships. Ms Scoon said it was always tough to select the winners but she had enjoyed a great three days.