Kapiti Dance Festival or The Kapiti Comps

Rehearsing for Sh-Boom.

What a long weekend it has been.  The Comps are still going now as I am writing this.  Thank goodness we only had three dances.  Others are there all weekend with sooooo many more.  There is so much waiting around, but at least you can go and watch the other dancers perform.

Sh-Boom, the group contemporary dance went well and they came second.  They looked really good on stage and you couldn't even tell that there were a few of the girls missing.

Du Hast - Contemporary Costume

The next morning Salem had his contemporary solo which is to Rammsteins "Du Hast" which made a nice change to all the "girly" music that the girls were dancing to.  I don't know what the judge made of it.

Salem and Caleb

Salem got a commended marking with the comments of "You have a good sense of line and a good sense of energy.  A promising performer."
That's not too bad considering that because of being nervous about being judged, Salem's mind went blank about his dance near the start so was basically doing an impromptu dance and not even his contemporary teacher noticed.  He managed to do the proper finish though.  I thought he did so well.  It also cured him of his nerves.

Kannan, Salem and Tegan

His classical dance went brilliantly and he was relaxed and confident.  His teacher was pleased with his performance and we got so many lovely comments afterwards from people we didn't even know.  And of course from people we did know :-)
Salem looks so grown up now.

Ready for his Classical Dance

He got another commended and the comments of "You have a strong presence on stage.  Nicely turned out legs and feet."

He was up against very tough competition, his friends and well seasoned competitors.

It was a very good experience for him and he can't wait until the next competitions.

Comps, Costumes and Practicing

Salem and the girls in Russian Winter -  Kapiti Comps 2010

I've been doing a lot of hand sewing for Salem's costumes to get ready for tomorrow and Monday.
I've had to put new elastic in his leggings so that they are tight enough and don't fall down.  And had to take in his old waist coat he wore in Russian Winter to make to more fitted and took off the buttons.
It's looking quite cool now.

Contemporary

He had another brilliant practice at the gym this afternoon and is really going to enjoy himself at the comps (Kapiti Dance Festival).
I'll let you know how he does with the group contemporary dance tomorrow.

Kapiti Dance Festival and Practices are going well

Salem had  rehearsals for his group contemporary dance yesterday at Kapiti Dance Centre.  I think having a break from his usual dance practice did him good as he had a really good practice today and is feeling very confident.  And having cake and a cup of tea at Over the Tea Cups tea shop is always good for the soul.  He did everything perfectly, got all the timing sorted and smiled the whole time.
Roll on the comps!!!!

Record field for dance festival

TALIA CARLISLE

A record number of dancers will perform this weekend for the 27th annual Dance Kapiti festival at Southward Theatre.

Colourful costumes and tutus will feature throughout the four-day festival starting on Saturday.

A record 722 items will be performed, featuring 145 individual dancers as well as groups.

Dancers will represent Judith Fuge Dance School, Kapiti Dance Centre and Praiz Studios in Kapiti, as well as studios from Wellington, Napier, Hastings, Hawera and Palmerston North.

Students will showcase a range of dance styles over four days, including ballet, lyrical, character, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop.

Kapiti Ballet Society spokeswoman Valerie Andrews said the festival was a great way to while away a couple of hours while watching a high standard of performers.

A highlight of the festival will be on Sunday evening where the top dancers will compete for a place in the National Young Performer Awards to be held in Invercargill in October.

The public are invited to attend the festival, with events running from 8.30am till 9pm over the four days, excluding breaks.

- Entrance by donation.

- Kapiti Observer