Passionate performers
Sadie Hansen, 5, (No48) and Phoebe Davey, 6, (No44) show off their Highland dancing ribbons. PHOTOS: ANDREW ASHTON
The Oamaru Performing Arts Society hosted its 86th Annual Festival at the Oamaru Opera House, last weekend.
There were six different categories — speech and drama, vocal and instrumental, ballet, tap and Highland dancing along with a new category, musical theatre.
Organisers said all events were strongly competed for by over 200 competitors from across New Zealand.
Lucy Mavor, Oamaru, won the Highland Dancing South Island Championship Seann Truihbas for competitors U18.
Oamaru competitors Toby McKeown and Freya Waite put in a performance at the Oamaru performing Arts Competition.
Organisers wished this year's National Young Performer Award nominees (modern dance, Rose Cudmore, Christchurch; musical theatre, Jemima Riley-Dudin, Oamaru; and speech, Teresa Steiner, Christchurch) the best for their competition in October and thanked sponsors and the group of helpers needed to run the festival.
"A very small organising committee is hugely supported by adjudicators, writers, a piper and Opera House staff."
Also thanked were parents and teachers for their support.
The festival was funded through grants from Waitaki District Creative NZ Communities and Waitaki District Community Group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Dancing of unusual merit
Norma Douglas, of Oamaru, winner of sword dance, Irish jig and Austin memorial cup at the Dunedin piping and dancing competitions. — Otago Witness, 7.7.1925 What I said . . . The championship competitions of the Otago Centre of the Piping and Dancing Association of New Zealand were continued yesterday morning and afternoon. At both sessions the audience was treated to good displays of these picturesque Highland dances. Dancing of unusual merit was witnessed and successful competitors were treated to hearty applause . To the editor: Sir, In a local in this morning's Otago Daily Times in reference to additional Sunday trains, I am reported to have said that the Port Chalmers railway workmen did not like the proposed additional Sunday work. What I did say was of a more general nature "that the New Zealand working men generally did not like the additional Sunday labour." — I am, etc, J.M. Simpson Scrum feed tweaked London, April 21: The small committee of experts set up by the Rugby Union to endeavour to devise some means of improving the method of getting the ball into the scrummage has quickly got to work. Two matches — between Birkenhead Park and Leicester, and Bristol and Bath — were made the subject of an interesting experiment last Saturday. The halfbacks in these games were instructed to put the ball in the scrummages with a double hand movement, so that it fell just outside the entrance and bounded in. The result was that when the experiment was properly executed the ball bounded over the out-stretched legs of the two nearest forwards. Under the old system the tendency is for the ball to strike their legs and to rebound to the halfback. Result: another attempt — sometimes half a dozen other attempts and general exasperation. The somewhat unaccustomed propelling, rather than throwing, movement baffled the halfbacks at the Birkenhead Park match on several occasions, but in the opinion of experts practice will soon remedy that failing. There was one spell when the halfbacks could not master the new throw, so Mr Freethy, the international referee, had a try. He, too, failed. After the match, Mr Freethy was invited to express his opinion on the experiment. He replied that he considered it had been a decided success. If persevered with, he thought it would go a long way towards removing a great source of trouble. "I believe it will show forwards that the only way to get the ball in future will be by honest shoving." he added. "In that sense there will be a return to the days when genuine scrummaging was a decided asset." "What effect will that have upon the modern winging forward?" Mr Freethy was asked. "His days are numbered," was the reply. Passengers on the line Exceptionally heavy traffic was responsible for the through express from Invercargill arriving at Dunedin nearly an hour later than schedule time yesterday. The train left Invercargill six minutes late, and so heavy was the traffic that additional carriages had to be added at several stations on the run north. Time was lost all along the line, and the express was 25min late in arriving at Balclutha. Milton was left at 11.5am, and the train, consisting of 17 well-filled coaches and two vans, made the run to Dunedin in 58min. This included a stop of about seven minutes at Wingatui, where over 350 passengers (southern race visitors) alighted. When the express arrived at the Dunedin platform at 12.3pm about 350 passengers were distributed among the 17 carriages. A large number of travellers joined the train here and the northward journey was resumed shortly before 12.30 — over an hour late. Wild West in the Catlins During the course of her address at the annual meeting of the Otago and Southland Auxiliary of the New Zealand Baptist Union last night, Mrs Ford, who carries on the work of the Baptist Church at Tahakopa, said she was sorry to say that drinking and gambling were rife in that district. She stated that whisky was sold almost as openly as cordials, and £1 per bottle was being paid for it. As far as gambling was concerned she admitted that her district was not alone in that respect. The behaviour of the people was much different to what it was when she first went down, and no larrikinism was now evident. She concluded by saying they would have to keep their eyes open and bring to justice those who violated the laws. — ODT, 4.6.1925 Compiled by Peter Dowden
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Ghillies on, aboynes donned, bagpipes ready
Highland dancers (from left) Eleanor McKay Vercoe, 10, Lara Mills, 8, Elise Cookson, 7, and Lucy McKay Vercoe, 6, are ready to perform at the 113th Annual Highland and National Dancing Championships at Otago Boys' High School today. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON While many of us will be blissfully sleeping in this weekend, hundreds of Highland and National dancers will be flinging themselves across a stage to the skirl of bagpipes. Piping and Dancing Association of New Zealand Otago Centre president Shiobhan Smith said about 120 dancers of all ages, from as far away as Auckland, would be competing in the 113th Annual Highland and National Dancing Championships at Otago Boys' High School. She said the Otago provincial competition had attracted so many competitors this year because South Island dancing titles were also on offer at the championships. "So there'll be awards for South Island level dancing as well as Otago level dancing, all in the same competition." She said it was also very popular because the competition had a very long history. "The actual Piping and Dancing Association of New Zealand started in Dunedin, hence why we have that long history. "A number of the cups and trophies that we give out, have been awarded since at least the 1920s. "They often have the who's who of Highland dancing from the last 100 years as winners [are] engraved on them, so there's a lot of prestige in doing well at these competitions. "It is also one of the best big competitions for competitors to compete in, in order to complete their preparations for the New Zealand championships in July." At the same time, the Otago Centre would be running the 113th Annual Solo Piping Competitions at John McGlashan College, where about 65 pipers would be vying for Otago, South Island and national titles, she said. "If we weren't doing this on a King's Birthday weekend, we'd be sleeping in. "But we're a passionate bunch. "I don't think any of us could see ourselves doing anything but. "There's no such thing as sleeping in on a weekend like this — not with all the bagpipes around." Entry to both events is free.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Dancers, pipers to converge on Dunedin
Junior dancer Lara Mills, 8, will compete in the Otago Centre annual Highland & National Dancing Championship competitions. Photo: supplied Dunedin will host hundreds of pipers and Highland dancers from across the country for the annual Championship Piping & Highland & National Dancing Competitions over King's Birthday Weekend. The Highland & National Dancing Championship competitions will be held this Saturday and Sunday, from 8.30am at Otago Boys' High School, and the Piping Championship competitions will be held at John McGlashan College at the same time. The dancing sections will include more than 100 competitors, coming from as far afield as Auckland and Invercargill, ranging in age from under 6 years to 18 years and over. The piping championship competition will involve about 65 competitors, ranging from under 16 years to open events. Organisers from the Otago Centre of the Piping & Dancing Association of New Zealand say competition will be particularly strong across the lower grades. The competition weekend will finish with New Zealand's top solo pipers coming together for the Double March, Reel and Strathspey event, to be held at the Leisure Lodge on Saturday night, June 1, from 7.30pm. All welcome, entry costs $10. @
