Dance teacher keeps troupes' toes tapping

In 1999 when Pauline de Lira was contemplating moving from Auckland to Taupo, one thing was holding her back.

During a visit to the town she met the late Andi Price, the Taupo District Council's community arts co-ordinator . They got chatting and Pauline told Andi that although she wanted to make the move, she was reluctant to leave her special dance group in Howick behind. Andi promised to help.

``She said `not a problem, you come to Taupo and I'll find a special dance troupe for you','' Pauline recalls. So Pauline found herself at Mountview School's special needs unit from which her new Taupo troupe, the Special Dancers, soon formed.

Pauline has had a lifelong involvement with dance _ she's been dancing since she was four and as an adult has always taught jazz and ballet _ and when she came to Taupo, she intended to continue.

Her interest in teaching special dancers came about after she fostered two children, one with special needs. Philip didn't like sport, but he did love music.

``I noticed if you put music on he was tapping his feet, so I approached his teacher and put him in with the normal class to see how it went, but it didn't work so I said `let me take on a special dance group'. That was 25 years ago and it went from there.''

Pauline says people often think that people with special needs can't dance, but they're mistaken, and the special dancers are enthusiastic about wanting to dance. For them, it's a real achievement to go on stage and perform a number.

``That to me is everything.''

Pauline teaches the Special Dancers based on an adjusted version of the jazz ballet syllabus. Her Howick group passed a jazz ballet exam.

``They're a fabulous group to work with. When I taught back in Howick, I always said to the teachers `give me the special needs, don't ask me to teach teenagers'.''

Pauline also put together the Gaiety Girls, a group of women, who originally got together to exercise but then wanted to do a bit more.

``So I started giving them routines and the group started going around the rest homes entertaining residents.

``They just enjoyed going out teaching the elderly people and giving them some enjoyment.''

There is only Pauline and fellow dancer Val Veitch in the Gaiety Girls and Pauline says there must be other adults in the community who are experienced dancers who would like to join in.

Pauline also teaches dance at Mountview School and Tauhara College's special needs units.

While she does receive some money for teaching, the concerts she organises, including a yearly fundraiser for Lake Taupo Hospice, are all done on a voluntary basis.

She runs two concerts a year, a Community Variety Concert on Wednesday September 11, which raises funds for the dance groups and is a hit with local rest home residents, and a fundraising Variety Concert and Tea Dance on Saturday, October 12, which benefits the Lake Taupo Hospice and Taupo SPCA.

Pauline's award citation said that she is a teacher with special gifts, and her dancing troupe demonstrates that in performance there is no restriction to dancing and singing, no matter what your age or disability.

Pauline says receiving a Community Service Award was a lovely surprise.

``I never look for things like that. My reward is those kids going out on the stage or the Gaiety Girls going out and being told `we enjoyed that afternoon, that was fantastic' _ that's my reward.''

She says she'll always love dance and stagework and will keep sharing it with others as long as she can.

``If you're enthusiastic about it and you go out there, it helps them also, it gives them the boost that they need.''