Heather Brunsdon School of Dance scholarship winners are (from left) Charlie-Grace Kinney, 10, tap; Mercedes Lang, 15, jazz and Emma Lu, 9, ballet. Photo / Paul Taylor
Heather Brunsdon School of Dance scholarship winners are (from left) Charlie-Grace Kinney, 10, tap; Mercedes Lang, 15, jazz and Emma Lu, 9, ballet.
PHOTO: PAUL TAYLOR
by Brenda Vowden
brenda.vowden@nzme.co.nz
Three dancers from the Heather Brunsdon School of Dance took out the scholarship trifecta at the Napier Performing Arts Competitions held at the Municipal Theatre during Easter.
Mercedes Lang, 15, jazz; Emma Lu, 9, ballet and Charlie Kinney, 10, tap, won all three of the Hawke's Bay Ballet and Dance scholarships for local dancers over all ages.
Heather says eight of her students won many cups and trophies at the competitions against dancers from throughout the North Island. She says her dancers' hard work and dedication paid off.
"There's a very high standard in dance competitions, so if our dancers are wanting to compete at competitions they need to be committed and prepared to put in the hard work that's required. There's many hours of preparation before they reach the stage."
Napier Girls' High School student Mercedes had just turned 15 and would like to make a career in dance, Heather says.
"She has the ability to do so. She is a very successful dancer."
Nine-year-old Emma Lu goes to Taradale Primary School and would dance "all day every day if given the chance".
"She loves dancing so much. She is a beautiful talented dancer."
St Patrick's School 10-year-old Charlie Kinney was competing for the first time.
"She was overjoyed to win a scholarship," Heather says.
There are no restrictions on what the scholarships are used for, although Heather says the girls will be putting theirs towards further dance education. All competitors work hard before competitions but Heather says it also comes down to talent.
"These girls work extremely hard all year. It's not just a quick preparation when competitions are coming, they need to be focused on improving and learning new dances all the time. They need to have talent as well. Without this there's no base to work with. These girls have natural ability and stage presentation."
With the competition cancelled last year to Covid-19, this year saw "huge" entries in the dance section. Heather says knowing there were so many entries and competitors of a very high standard meant it was going to be tough competition, including the challenge of 8am starts.
"I think people are just happy to be able to go to competition's and be able to mix with other people. There was lots of excitement seeing friends from other cities."
As well as the three scholarships, Heather Brunsdon dancers also won other cups and trophies. Isabella Christodoulou competed for the first time and won the restricted classical ballet and a cup, with other dancers also winning cups and 'most points' in their age groups.
"There was so much excitement and big smiles, especially with the competition being so good. When the audience go 'wow' after a dance or have tears from the emotion after a demi character dance of On Schindler's List performed by Mercedes, then it's all been worthwhile."
Another success story is dancer Piper Golds, who has been invited for the third time to perform with the Royal New Zealand Ballet performances of Giselle in Napier.
Heather says she is very proud of all the competition dancers.
"If they didn't work so hard and weren't committed, I would not consider them for competitions. Their dedication is to be commended. There is talent there that needs to be fostered and developed as they progress. These young dancers are a pleasure to work with."
