Dancing into September

Picture by Avneesh Vincent

The Tūranga Bal, a community dance workshop weekend scheduled for next month, has been postponed until September.

The decision was made in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle to take into account the difficulty visitors might have getting to Gisborne for the weekend.

“Hopefully we can get back into action once the roads are all open,”said Folk Dance New Zealand president Jane Luiten.

“In addition to the joy of simply dancing together, the weekend aims to build local capacity for future community dance events in Tūranga, upskilling dancers and musicians alike.”

Balfolk is the name given to a dance event for folk dance and folk music in a number of European countries, mainly France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Poland.

For the September event here, dance workshops will run alongside musician workshops. “The focus on local participation by both dancers and musicians will, it is hoped, grow the potential for a sustainable dance community in Te Tairāwhiti,” said Ms Luiten.

Getting in some practice moves are, from left, Jane Luiten, Elizabeth Raines, Betsy Houthuijzen, Clarice Alderdice, Pascale Delos, Murianti Lynn, and Claire Jones.