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Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Time for a singalong
Local performers Harriet Moir (left) and Arlie McCormick will host monthly Bangers & Brews — Pub Singalong sessions from next Thursday at Errick's. Photo: supplied Pub singalongs have become something of a global sensation over the past few years and local performers Harriet Moir and Arlie McCormick thought it was high time Dunedin got in on the trend. From next Thursday night, the pair will host monthly Bangers & Brews — Pub Singalong sessions from 7pm at local venue Errick's. Doors will open at 6pm for refreshments, then Moir will provide a warm up, before McCormick takes over teaching the crowd two or three songs in harmony, from 7pm-8.30pm. You did not have to be a "good" singer to come along, you just had to want to sing. More said, in a statement, the song choices would range from numbers by Elton John, Adele, Guns N' Roses, Queen, The Eagles and Beyonce, to Kiwi classics, pop ballads and rock anthems. "There will be lots of variety and something for everyone," she said. Heading into the winter months, Bangers & Brews — Pub Singalong sessions could be a good opportunity to do something to lift your mood and release endorphins. The act of singing is scientifically proven to be a mood enhancer. "Bangers & Brews will give you the chance to find your inner singer and discover the benefits of singing and how it is so good for the soul. Think of it as massage for your voice and your mental health," Moir said. McCormick is a skilled performer, voice specialist and award-winning actress and is a lecturer in Contemporary Voice at the University of Otago. Dunedin audiences might have seen her in her stand out performance with the DSO at their ABBA concert last year. "There's nothing quite like the sense of community that singing can create," McCormick said. "There's so much stress in our lives, we need to find the joy," she said. Moir said she had done group singing with McCormick before "and she is just so positive and wonderful". "I am convinced that you will come out the other side feeling energised, refreshed, and like a bit of a rock star." Moir is a local entertainer, MC, comedian, celebrant actor and singer and she is looking forward to welcoming everyone and bringing the hype. Moir and McCormick are planning for Bangers & Brews — Pub Singalong to be a monthly event in Dunedin, and have scheduled the next two sessions for July 24 and August 28. Tickets are available via — APL
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Dance festival set to swing
Snappy steps and swivelling hips will get the party started when a popular dance event returns. The Dunedin Swing Festival is staging its 11th edition over King's Birthday weekend, offering big band energy, syncopated beats and buoyant revelry. Festival director Sibby Dillon said the event's core styles traced back to innovators of the 1920s-'40s swing era. "African-American communities in different parts of America were responding to the music of the time in different ways." Swing was freer than more structured forms of dance. "There's so much more personality, your own personality that you bring to the dance, and that makes it incredibly fulfilling. "It means that when you are dancing with someone else, you are actually bringing your personality to that dance and they are bringing their personality to the dance." The festival caters to a range of skill levels, from absolute beginners through to advanced classes. Age groups are also covered, starting with a free under-5s dance class. "A lot of us now have little people and we like to involve them in our community as well," Dillon said. Teaching co-ordinator Kieran Ford said although swing was popular in its own era, the dances had stayed in demand. "It is the same whakapapa that goes all the way through to hip-hop and disco and house music. "It is the same story, part of the same culture, one just led from one to the next." Six experienced tutors will lead 10 hours of workshops — John and Julia Wharington, Miya Miyazaki, Evan Hughes and Jessie Gordon, of Australia, will be joined by Lindy hop star Ramona Staffeld, of the United States. "She has won multiple awards at the International Lindy Hop Championships," Ford said. Social events include a blues dance night at Errick's featuring the Whirling Eddys band and the Josephine Ball at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, featuring Jessie Gordon and her Rinky Tinky Jingle Jangle Jazz Club — comprising local musicians. Gordon was a multiple Fringe World Music and Cabaret Award-winning singer, Dillon said. The festival draws enthusiastic dancers from Dunedin and beyond. Dedicated festival-goers can look forward to seeing familiar faces from previous years. "I think that community of people is a really special group that comes together once a year here. "It is definitely very much a party and a celebration," Ford said. The Dunedin Swing Festival is a supporter of LGBTQI+ nonprofit organisation the Safe Space Alliance. Funding from the Otago Community Trust helps ensure the event takes place. • The Dunedin Swing Festival will take place from May 29 to June 2. Visit for timetables, tickets and registration.
