The students from Tararua School of Dance performed at the Explore Christmas concert in Pahīatua.
Dance teacher Louise Baker loves the family vibe of her school.
Louise, who has spent the past few years learning and then teaching dance both in New Zealand and abroad, came back to Pahīatua in 2022 and restarted Tararua School of Dance.
She says dance has really taken off in Pahīatua, for both adults and children.
The school currently has around 140 students.
“It’s grown quite big in three years.”
Students learn different genres of dance including ballet, jazz, contemporary and acro - which combines classic dance techniques with acrobatic elements.
They also do competition work, performing in troupes as well as solo, and some even do musical theatre, which involves learning to sing.
Louise says she has lots of student helpers and teaching assistants who give up their time to help with the younger students.
“That’s really quite a nice aspect of our school - the family vibe.
“We get to watch them all grow up together.”
Last year some of the students took part in the Pahīatua Christmas parade.
Louise says her husband, who is a builder, decided to build a real gingerbread house and the students dressed up as gingerbread men.
The school won best non-commercial float.
While they didn’t participate in the parade this year, Louise organised for her students to perform in the Explore Christmas concert.
Last week, the school was getting ready for its showcase to be held at the weekend.
What Louise likes about learning dance is that the students can develop agility and learn self-expression.
She says they also bond with other children with the same goal and it’s a healthy way of forming those relationships and channeling their energy into improving their craft.
As they get older, they learn other skills, such as interviewing, public speaking and being able to talk to adults.
“[We’re] coaching them into becoming confident adults,” she says.
“We love it.”
While there is an element of seriousness in the discipline of dance, there’s also time for the students to have fun.
