Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2022 winners Talor Kahu and Mahia Keepa-Hale. Photo / Andrew Warner
Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2022 winners Talor Kahu and Mahia Keepa-Hale. Photo / Andrew Warner
It was a graceful and elegant waltz that saw Mahia Keepa-Hale and Talor Kahu win the Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2022 trophy on Saturday night.
They and nine other couples danced at the Energy Events Centre to help raise money for Rotorua Community Hospice, which cares for and supports more than 420 patients with terminal illnesses each year.
The pair danced to Michael Bublé's 'At This Moment' - a song which Keepa-Hale said gave her "goosebumps" when she first listened to it.
Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post today, Keepa-Hale described the win as "unreal".
She said they had "tough competition", and it was "definitely an experience that I would do again".
"I feel like I was born for it... I felt like we went out [and] there was wairua about our routine.
After having their "worst performance ever" on Friday during their dress rehearsal, Keepa-Hale said Saturday night was "our best performances that we'd ever done."
Keepa-Hale said the pair did not find the Michael Bublé song until "really late" into their 16 weeks of practice. She was not happy with their original song choice, and once they found it, they "only had a few weeks" to practice dancing to it.
Coming from a musical background, "music was the big thing".
"I was sitting there at like 4am ... and I jumped straight on my phone because I couldn't deal with our song choice."
She did some "thorough googling" and came across the Michael Bublé song.
"I started playing it ... and literally got goosebumps 20 seconds into the song.
"I was like, that's the song."
Keepa-Hale was dancing in memory of her father, who needed hospice care.
"I dedicated that dance to Dad."
Talor Kahu and Mahia Keepa-Hale danced to Michael Bublé's 'At This Moment'. Photo / Andrew Warner
Talor Kahu said he celebrated on Saturday night with friends and family, which was a good chance to catch up with those who had supported him during the 16 weeks of practice.
He said there were no nerves on Saturday ahead of the dance.
"I've kind of got used to playing in big sports events where you've got a couple thousand of people watching. It just felt like another day at the office for me, really.
"I think I was just more excited to get out there and show everyone what I've been practising and chipping away for in the past 16 weeks with my amazing dance partner."
When the winners were announced, Kahu said: "There was a slight pause - I wasn't too sure if I'd heard the names correctly first of all and I was a little bit shocked."
He said the other finalists, Sabrina Mabagos and Blue Simpkins-Jones, were "absolutely amazing" and the win could have gone "either way".
"It was really surreal and it was such an incredible feeling."
Kahu gave a "massive shout out" to his family, friends, Keepa-Hale's family, and their sponsors VIP Plumbing.
The Energy Events Centre in Rotorua was packed on Saturday night as ten couples danced to help raise money for Rotorua Community Hospice. Photos by Andrew Warner.
Paige Poihipi-Fladkjar and Alex Evans were the People's Choice award winners. Photo / Andrew Warner
Blue Simpkins-Jones and Sabrina Mabagos. Photo / Andrew Warner
Craig McFadyen and Laura Falconer. Photo / Andrew Warner
Jenni McGowan and Arash Alaeinia. Photo / Andrew Warner
Ruby Arefin and Kirsty Nicholson. Photo / Andrew Warner
Kylie Isbister and Richard Trask. Photo / Andrew Warner
Kyle Fergusson-Hughes and Nanu Turner-Sarah. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rose Stewart and Frank Baker. Photo / Andrew Warner
Moana John Eruera and Annemarie Gallagher. Photo / Andrew Warner
