Kristin Orr (centre) with new Bream Bay Ballet principal Elizabeth Harvey and senior ballet students. Photo / Tessa Paton
It is a new beginning for Bream Bay Ballet, as long-time principal and teacher Kristin Orr steps down after 26 years and new owner Elizabeth Harvey steps into the role.
Orr took on the school in 1994 as a branch of the Northland School of Ballet, run by the late Tess Graham.
"I remember the opportunity to teach dance to five girls and escape the busyness of two young sons for an afternoon being very appealing."
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So began the teaching journey that would lead to today's bustling ballet school of more than 100 students.
Orr has always been passionate about uniting the dance community and was instrumental in organising the annual Bream Bay Dance Extravaganza which brought local dance schools Pulse Dance and Highland to join with Bream Bay Ballet in a showcase of dance genres on stage at the Bream Bay College auditorium each December.
The shows became local calendar highlights, known for fabulous costumes, entertaining choreography and eclectic music choices, she says, and provided dancers with the chance to perform on stage.
Orr recalls one concert where many of the dancers performed, in tutus, with their skin still covered in salt and sand after helping to rescue stranded whales at the local beach right up until the show started.
Classes in the 1990s until around 2005 were held at the Ruakākā campground hall.
"On hot summer days ballerina girls and ballet boys would run around sprinklers on the lawn, then come inside with damp feet to skip around the kauri floor."
The school then moved to the larger Ruakākā Hall on Sandford Rd. Barres and wardrobes were built by friend Ian Alison and large mirrors installed.
"The home garage started to brim with costume boxes as the storytelling recitals began." Community support has always been important to Orr, and she offered classes for local special needs children - also an opportunity for her to put her occupational therapy training to use.
In turn she is grateful to the support families in the community have given her.
"When our son Andrew died in a car accident five years ago, teaching ballet was my saviour to distract my grief with classical music, classical movement, to find my purpose cradled in the love of children's purest hearts and be surrounded by ballet family support," she said.
"I was able to find the inner resilience to keep going."
Now, she says, it's time to step away from the school.
"To spend time with my husband, enjoy dinners together after an absence of more than two decades of Ken eating cold dinners."
It takes a special man to be a ballet teacher's husband, she says, one who is very patient, considerate and kind.
"One of my delightful students recently said so poignantly: 'Oh, he must be so lonely'."
She looks forward to spending time with her granddaughters and elderly mother and "to go skiing while my knees can still roar down the ski mountain".
"And most importantly to find peace with my inner self before I embark on those other projects in my head."
She's grateful to the support from local primary schools and businesses over the years, particularly Orr's Pharmacies which she constantly raided for cosmetics, false eyelashes and hair accessories.
Orr says new teacher Elizabeth Harvey brings an excellent level experience of professional dancing and teaching prowess to Bream Bay, and she hopes the local community will "shine its light" on her.
She will help Harvey as needed.
"I cannot imagine not ever dancing, just like the wee 3-year-old I will always waltz around the kitchen floor and bop to the right bouncy music."
Bream Bay Swimming Club youngest members swam up a storm last weekend at the Swimming Northland Rising Stars meet in Kawakawa.
Coach Richard Dunkerton says Rising Stars is the best Northland meet of the season in terms of atmosphere.
"The crowd are alive," he said. "You don't have to be watching to know there is a close finish happening."
Most of his swimmers swam personal best times over the weekend, with an overall 70 per cent personal best rate.
"It was a great meet," Dunkerton said.
Swimmer Grace Kemp (16) broke six Rising Stars race records and qualified for four national Division 2 age group swims, and Izaiahs Linton (13) broke three records and made two Division 2 qualifying times.
Keyah Tana (16) broke five records and made one Division 2 time. Sophie Broughton (16) and Emma Dutton (16) both went under the record time for 200m breast.
Dunkerton says Dutton had an exceptional personal best rate, along with Alanna Brown (12) and Izaiahs Linton – along with all the new club swimmers: Alex Ball (9), Tayla Batten (11), Mahko Linton (11), Timba Linton (9), Stevie-Raye Ball (11), Jackson Whitehead (12)and Blake Forsyth-Hall (10).
Northland's only competing pipe band, NorthCal, which includes several Waipū members, is off to the National Pipe Band Championships in Invercargill next month.
The band are on song, getting good results at the Paeroa Highland Games in February. Grade 2 placed second in their division (and were first for uniform). Then with Grade 4, the development band, they paraded together in the street march and placed first.
The judges commented that they loved that the two bands went down to the competition, and the volume they produced.
Come along and give the band some support at their public practices before they head south to compete against 46 other pipe bands, with about 1500 pipers and drummers.
NorthCal practices at the Town Basin at midday on March 8 and at the Caledonian Park in Waipū on March 9 from 9am to 12pm.
Challenging conditions in the morning meant just a few paddlers took on Marsden Yacht and Boat Club's Snake Bank Challenge last weekend.
"We had 12 knots gusting to 15 knots of wind," said commodore Alan Alcock. "On the long leg with an incoming tide and the wind in their face it was very hard work."
Conditions improved during the day and the number of sailors taking the challenge was up on last year.
Winners were: Juniors – Liam Hay; Short Sail – 1. Sue Wilson, 2. Lee McClelland, 3. Jess Newey; Full Sail – 1. Penelope Wilson, 2. Ken Marment, 3. Misha Skovlund; Paddle 2km – 1. Nyree Pool, 2. Emily Dainty, 3. Penelope Wilson; Paddle 4km – 1. Andrew Wright, 2. Geoff Spence, 3. Mark Smith; Paddle Challenge 8km – 1. Gordon French, 2. Jonathon Twyman, 3. Craig Shepherd.
Saturday's strong winds also played havoc at the Ruakākā Community Summer Festival. Organiser Christine Thirling, from Ruakākā Recreation Centre, says they had to pull the plug on two planned bouncy castles as the wind made it too dangerous to operate them.
However, the pony rides were unaffected and proved popular as was the face painting and other children's activities. About 1500 people visited the festival throughout the day to sample the offerings from 34 stalls and enjoy the entertainment from various musicians and the Bream Bay Music Club which was celebrating its 30th year.
Thirling is grateful for the community support and the many local businesses who helped make the day a success, including Matich Transport which provided a curtained truck trailer as a stage. Thirling says they hope to make the festival an annual event but would love more volunteers to help organise the day.
• Email Julie Paton at moojoy@xtra.co.nz if you've got Bream Bay news to share with Advocate readers.
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