Salem wins a Pride Award

Salem giving his speech.

Great news, Salem won the Senior Creative Achievement and Innovation Award at the Pride Awards yesterday which were held at the Paramount Theatre yesterday in Wellington.

The Pride Awards recognise and celebrate the successes, achievements and contributions of young people in the Wellington region.

Before the awards.

Salem was absolutely thrilled especially as he wasn't expecting to win and to make it more special for him, his award was presented to him by Amanda Skoog who is the managing director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Salem made a great speech, he was very confident and looked great in a suit and tie.

He really can't help himself :-)

Salem received a trophy, a framed certificate and a travel voucher from The InterIslander, which is fantastic as Salem has never been down to the South Island yet, and a gift card from Westfield.

It was a great event, plenty of entertainment and food afterwards.

All the award winners truly deserved their awards, all very inspirational young people.

You can do acrobatics in a suit.

A big thank you to the Pride Awards Trust!!!!!  http://prideawards.org.nz/.

Check out their facebook page too https://www.facebook.com/ThePrideAwardsTrust.

Well done Salem!!!!!!

Lots of Exciting News

Salem with his Ballet Exam Certificates.

It's been a very exciting time for Salem lately, He's had his ballet exam results back. 
He passed with distinction with a mark of 96%. I am so pleased for him as he really worked hard. Because he got over 90%, he received a BTDA Platinum Award too.

Preparing for his exams

We have had lots of good feed back from the documentary about Salem on Attitude, you can watch it online at http://attitudelive.com/blog/dan-buckingham/documentary-salems-ballet .
We have people coming up to us to say hello and how much they enjoyed the doco.
There was a lot of lovely footage of him dancing.

At practice at the studio at City Fitness.

Salem is also a finalist in the Attitude Awards for Creative Achievement so they will be flying us both up to Auckland in December for the awards which is a black tie event. 
I will have to get Salem a new suit as he keeps growing out of all his other ones.
His old "Bond on Bond" suit is so small on him.

A film crew will be interviewing him some more in just over a week so he will be on TV again in October and December.  
You can check out the finalists at http://attitudeawards.org/2014_awards.html.

We have just found out yesterday that Salem is a provisional finalist for the Pride Awards for Creative Achievement and Innovation (Senior) Awards. He will be interviewed for that in the next week or so.  http://www.prideawards.org.nz/.

Tired out at the gym after having a fun practice in a grass skirt.

Plus Salem have two competitions coming up, the first in two weeks time up in Palmerston North where he will get to perform his new jazz solo for the first time. He's very excited about that, it's quite a funny dance. 
Then the next one in October, which is modern and tap up in Upper Hutt, Salem will be doing his first ever tap solo.  He has choreographed a tap dance and it is looking great.

Warming up at the Auckland BTDA Festival.

Straight before that he has his contemporary exams. 
For his medal exam he gets to do one of his own dances, "In the Shadows" which we have shortened.  He has to do two dances for the medals.

Waikanae Dance School Exam Awards Presentation

At his dance school in Tawa, Hayley Johnsons Academy of Dance, Salem been cast as Daddy Warbucks for the end of year production of "Annie". 
It's going to be very busy in Term 4!!!!!!