NZ open dancers to show skills

Harvey Govendor and Lyn O’Sullivan fell in love on the dance floor and their graceful footwork has been winning titles for six years.

The Hamilton husband and wife team is looking to channel that passion to stun judges again at this weekend’s New Zealand Open Dance Championships.

They are the current Ballroom Master One level five champions and are looking to retain the title.

They will be among the more than 300 amateur and professional dancers competing at the Mystery Creek Events Centre.

This is the premier ballroom, Latin American and New Vogue event on the dance calendar.

Harvey is a GP and Lyn a brand manager. Their dance partnership began when they were introduced to one another at a Ceroc latin dance class at a Hamilton dance studio.

‘‘We were encouraged to take part in medal courses where we were taught various techniques followed by examinations as we progressed through the different levels.’’

They started competing in 2011, regularly attending weekly classes in Auckland, continuing to train throughout the weekend and it paid off with five national titles to date.

New Zealand Federation of Dance Teachers president Erica Gunn said the dancers have worked hard and will be at their physical best to impress judges.

‘‘The competitors are graceful to watch, but this style of dancing is demanding on the body.’’

Judging their skill on the floor will be 25 adjudicators from New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong.

‘‘It’s not just the fancy footwork which will be on show,’’ Gunn said.

But while it’s a competition for the dancers, it’s a glitzy and entertaining event for people to watch.

In the world of dancesport there’s a great focus on style, glamour and presentation.

The competition runs over the weekend commencing October 28 from 9am with finals being held at night.

Tickets available from Ticketek.