Students dancing to success
College students are competing in Portugal
Kia ora koutou, talofa lava, greetings everyone. As well as the traditionally popular subjects, at Horowhenua College we have a number of curriculum areas that are experiencing significant growth in the number of students taking the subject. These include engineering, commerce and business studies, tikanga Ma¯ ori, food technology and outdoor education.
Another subject growing in popularity is dance. Cathy Croad instigated dance at our college, and when Cathy finished teaching at our college two years ago, Caitlin Sanson took over as the teacher in charge of dance.
Dance at Horowhenua College has been a hit in 2023 with students exploring ways to succeed through choreography and performance. Students have had opportunities to learn from outside providers and participate in regional dance competitions like Dance NZ Made and Show Quest. Our students have been thriving in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom in studio settings. Varying genres of dance are developed such as hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, musical theatre and varying styles from salsa, cha cha and Samoan dance just to name a few.
In 2023 we have seen significant
success achieved by our dance students. Two of these are Year 13 students — Willow Thomsen and Hana Stewart. They have been named as part of a group of Manawatu¯ dancers from Anomaly Dance Studios who are about to participate in the Hip-Hop Unite World Championships in Portugal, this week.
This follows their success in the Hip-Hop Unite National Competition which provided them the opportunity to represent New Zealand in Portugal.
Willow has been dancing for 15 years with 10 of these years as a hiphop dancer. Hana has been dancing for 15 years and hip-hop dancing for eight years. School work and study for NCEA level 3, as well as regular dance practices and fundraising, combined with regular jobs and other extra curricular activities means Willow and Hana are very busy.
Our dance teacher — Caitlin Sanson, says: “I love being able to create an inclusive atmosphere where all students can thrive and have the ability to tell their stories through movement. Willow and Hana are two students who work very hard to succeed not only in dance but overall. Their creativity is incredible and they are great role models and leaders for the rest of our dance students.”
We are looking forward to watching dance continue to grow this year with more dance opportunities lined up for our students to experience. We wish Willow and Hana all the very best as they travel to Portugal to dance and represent New Zealand.
Nga¯ mihi