Dance celebrated in Rotorua for New Zealand Dance Week

It was a day full of moves as Rotorua celebrated dance across the city.

This weekend kicked off New Zealand Dance Week and Lakes Performing Arts Company held A Day of Dance to celebrate.

The company ran free classes for the community yesterday which included preschool dance, hip hop, zumba, salsa, variety, lyrical, jazz, ballet and musical theatre.

It also held some performances at Te Manawa followed by a zumba workshop.

Harrison Roberts-Brake, 12, takes hip hop at Lakes Performing Arts Company and was in one of the groups that performed at Te Manawa.

Lakes Performing Arts dancers and the public get moving at the Zumba workshop at Te Manawa. Photo / Shauni James

He said he enjoyed expressing his movement and going hard using all his energy in the performance.

Harrison said it was great to celebrate New Zealand Dance Week because he thought there were a lot of people who had not given dance a go but might like it.

He said having these free workshops might help people figure out they enjoy dancing.

Mia Scott, 10, was also one of the performers at Te Manawa.

She said she enjoyed performing with her friends, having fun and doing her favourite subject - dance - at the same time.

She said she liked dancing and it helped her to relieve her stress.

Dancers put on a performance for the public at Te Manawa. Photo / Shauni James

Lakes Performing Arts Company managing director Rebecca Brake said the free dance classes had been busy all morning and there had been classes for all ages and abilities.

Brake said they had partnered with Dance Aotearoa New Zealand to present the day of dance.

She said they had also had soloists and groups competing all week in the Rotorua Dance Festival competition which had people from all over the North Island enter.

She said their Junior Crew Hypnotic placed fourth in the troupe section under 13 years out of a large group of performances, and their senior hip hop group won the performer of the year nomination to go to nationals.