Hop to it with a rock ’n’ roll competition
Take out your dancing shoes – rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay.
Labour Weekend in Lower Hutt will be rocking as the Wellington Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Club hosts a double whammy: a 2018 Senior National Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing competition and birthday celebrations for the club’s 40th anniversary.
More than 170 competitors from clubs around the country will be showing off their moves for the national competition.
Wellington Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival president Richard Reder was rating his dancers’ chances as quite high in the competition.
‘‘Wellington has always been right up there. We’ve always had champions.’’
The Wellington-based club has around 150 members, aged from seven up and was formed in 1978 when there were very few venues for people to enjoy rock ‘n’ roll dancing and music.
Since then, the club and the rock ‘n’ roll movement had only grown in popularity.
‘‘Once people get [to the club], they get hooked because it’s so friendly. They develop friendships that they wouldn’t anywhere else,’’ Reder said. ‘‘Our main goal is when you come in the door, you forget about all your worries. You come in there and listen to the music and come away feeling refreshed. It’s one of the best places to be.’’
The club was hosting a reunion tonight at Lower Hutt’s Walter Nash Centre as part of its anniversary.
Reder said people were travelling from around the country to take part.
In the club’s 40-year history, families had learned to dance together, romances had bloomed and friendships formed. ‘‘People love it.
‘‘The thing is, you can go anywhere and dance rock ‘n’ roll,’’ Reder said.
Tomorrow and Sunday, the New Zealand Amateur Rock ‘n’ Roll Association (NZARRA) will run the national competition for senior dancers.
Around the country, there are roughly 40 rock ‘n’ roll clubs affiliated with the NZARRA.
The Wellington Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival club is hosting its party night tonight, 6pm at the Walter Nash Centre, 20 Taine St, Lower Hutt. The NZARRA competition runs tomorrow and Sunday, public seating $10 on the door.