Alannah Curtis and her daughters Shaylah (left) and Honey.
Alannah Curtis and her daughters Shaylah (left) and Honey.
Jodi Bryant talks with an inspiring Northland woman whose humble Kaikohe beginnings as a teen mum didn’t stop her from being the youngest person to start a business in her home town. Since then, she has been using her love of hip-hop to transform lives for under-represented communities – giving them a springboard into professional dancing careers.
Choreographing dance moves based on Michael Jackson DVDs in her Kaikohe garage was as far as a teenage Alannah Curtis ever thought she’d get with her passion for dance.
Her dream of travelling the world as a back-up dancer seemed so far-fetched, she never dared speak it aloud.
Today, the owner-director and head choreographer at Auckland-based DDF Dance Studio is about to head back to the Far North for two weeks where she’s been asked to run one of her pop-up classes, at Matauri Bay Holiday Park, leading holidaymakers through beachside classes culminating in a showcase performance.
Though Curtis has performed overseas and rubbed shoulders with big names in the industry, she still likes to give back to communities, especially the North.
“I feel like I always had the passion to dance inside of me from a very young age, but I was in the Far North so there weren’t dance classes growing up,” she explains.
“I was very active and sporty in other areas, but it sparked in my early teen years.
“My mum saw that I had a passion for dance, so I started with friends in the garage. We didn’t really have phones or internet or resources back then, but my mum loved music, so I used to watch Talking Heads and Michael Jackson [to learn moves].
“Mum had us performing at every local gig – every parade, Christmas in the Park – we were at every community event, so we had something to work towards and weren’t just dancing in the shed.”
Alannah Curtis pictured earlier in her career.
Curtis, 34, didn’t take her first dance class until she was 14; after only one term, she was hired to teach a class for Hardcore Dance Company in Kerikeri.
“That was crazy. Obviously, it was an amazing opportunity and I do remember my very first class teaching.
“There were parents outside looking through the window and I’m standing there with all these students and was given a book to read for guidance,” she recalls of the nerve-racking moment.
“I truly just think I’ve self-taught myself along the way and back then it was a lot of freestyle.
“Since then I’ve done a lot of study and personal growth, taking upskilling workshops both nationally and internationally, putting myself out there so I can fill my kete and bring it back to my students.
“I also get in a lot of professional choreographers to my studios to help implement styles and let kids see there’s a breeding-ground opportunity for dance.”
Shaylah has followed in her mother's footsteps and now dances for Parris Goebel.
By age 16, she was mum to daughter Shaylah and, two years later, opened her first business – the first dance studio and youngest business owner in Kaikohe at the time.
Her lessons from the Kaikohe East School hall in 2008 drew kids from throughout the Far North before she opened her first studio from the home garage and later leasing in Kerikeri.
In addition, Alannah would travel to small communities, such as Russell, Kāeo and Ōpua, from where kids struggled to get to her classes.
“My original goal from being a mum at 17 years old was to definitely not be on a benefit or working a job that I didn’t enjoy, so mum and I were determined.”
Daughter Honey Diamond, now 10, followed and Curtis continued to pave a career with her family and went on to perform and teach both nationally and internationally and has undergone workshops with idols such as Parris Goebel.
Soulful first open crew during Battle in the Bay.
Other accolades include starring in music videos and television series and opening for singers such as Annie Crummer, Titanium, Ginny Blackmore and Troy Kingi.
“Dance became a lifestyle for us as a family. Both my children have been raised in the dance environment.
“Shaylah was on stage by the age of 2 and by the time she was 11, I had nothing more to offer her.
“She’d peaked within my studio and was winning international awards, so I told her it was time to audition as part of the dance crew for the royal family.”
Shayla was accepted, so Curtis closed down the studio and moved to Auckland in 2019. For the first year she travelled north every weekend, continuing to provide classes in both Whangārei and the Far North.
“The students had nowhere to go, it was heartbreaking. It was a lot, but I’m just really big on giving back to the community.”
Then Covid happened, so she has since focused mainly on building a thriving dance community in the underserved region of Ōtāhuhu in South Auckland through her DDF (Demonstrate Da Flow) Dance studio to which about 80 dancers flock.
Alannah Curtis will be back in Northland taking classes at Matauri Bay Holiday Camp
A special kind of energy
DDF has classes for all ages, male and female, and caters for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels of dance.
It offers a 10-week workshop followed by an end-of-term dance showcase.
Apart from a variety of dance styles and classes, including burlesque and exercise classes incorporating dance such as mums & bubs and dancefit, it offers tutor hire for schools and events such as the wedding dance.
Those who want to take hip-hop more seriously can move on to Diva Academy, which is the face of DDF, and are given the opportunity to compete at regionals every year and other national and international dance competitions, plus performing at local community events.
“You can come as you are and we get all walks of life.
“It’s more about creating confidence first of all and, from there, if you get past being shy and build on that passion, then you can join the Diva Dance Academy and that’s where it gets serious where you can expand on the hip-hop into different styles and enter competitions,” Curtis explains.
“What sets our studio apart, I believe, is our wairua (spirit) energy. Being a Māori wāhine toa (female warrior) from the Far North with humble beginnings, I feel, brings a special kind of energy to the floor.”
Alannah Curtis started choreographing dance moves in her Kaikohe garage.
Dancers from DDF have gone on to make careers from dance, including Shaylah, now 17, who dances for Parris Goebel.
“It’s led her to being able to travel the world doing what she loves and earning a living. It’s inspiring for my students that there’s definitely a career in dance and dance has the power to transform lives.
“Coming from a small town, I felt like the dream of being a back-up dancer travelling the world was real far-fetched, so I never out-spoke it as who is ever gonna see a little girl from Kaikohe out there doing that in this big bad world?
“I would love to back-up dance for an artist but, having kids young and now getting older, I feel like my kids are going to live that dream for me. I’m pretty content and happy with what I’m doing for myself, my children and my community through dance as there’s so many opportunities that come along the way.
“Dance has provided a lifestyle for my family and I where we dance, travel and continue to inspire while living out our dreams along the way.
“Humble beginnings can lead to endless success in my eyes and everything you do is a blessing.
“No matter where you come from, you can be anything you want to be through hard work and hopefully, you’ve got the support to do it. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from doing it, I say – take the risk and go for it.”
