DANCING FOR LIFE EDUCATION

I'm a 17 year old student, currently attending Trident High School. I found my passion for performing in 2018, when I first took to the stage in Trident's production of 'Dreamgirls'. Since then you may have seen me in Theatre Whakatane's 'Mamma Mia!' and most recently Trident's production 'Grease'. I have also performed at a number of events in the Whakatane area either as a solo musician or as part of a group. As a performer I am always wanting to get out there more, so I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to be involved in Dancing for Life Education 2020.

Teachers: Dan & Kirstin Wilks - Liberty NZ

Dan and Kirstin are a married couple from Katikati where they run a dance studio teaching Ballroom, Latin, New Vogue and Jazz. They also compete professionally in Ballroom and Latin.

This has taken them all over the world, including Europe and Australia, for competitions and training.

Before discovering their love for Ballroom dancing around the ages of 20/21, Dan spent most of his childhood riding horses competitively while Kirstin trained to a high level in Ballet and competed in many different sports.

Kirsty owns and operates Steps Dance School in Whakatane that teaches Hip hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap and comp crews.

Originally from Scotland, Kirsty now calls Whakatane home along with her husband and 3 boys.

She tutored the 2018 Dancing for Life Education Eastern Bay of Plenty winning couple Virginia Jeeves and Richard Hamer to victory and says it excites her to be helping and teaching people who don't dance... to dance.

Entry to Dancing for Life Education EBOP  is based on your full agreement with these basic Conditions of Entry*, which have been designed with everyone's safety and comfort in mind. Management reserves the right to refuse entry to any person, and to remove from the premises, without refund, any person who violates any of the conditions listed below.  We also reserve the right to inspect any bag and/or articles of clothing via screening equipment and/or bag search checks. No ticket refunds or exchanges will be provided upon violation of any of these conditions.

COVID-19

Stay home if you are unwell or if

• You have any symptoms associated with COVID-19 (e.g. fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, sneezing/runny nose or loss of sense of smell)
• You have COVID-19 or if you awaiting the results from being tested for COVID-19
• You have been in contact with any known or suspected cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days
• You have returned, or been in contact with anyone else who has returned, from overseas in the past 14 days

CUSTOMER SAFETY

• Obey instructions from our staff at all times.
• You may only occupy the area and/or seat indicated on your ticket.
• Do not attempt to enter a restricted area.
• Climbing on barricades and crowd surfing are not permitted.
• Shoes must be worn at all times.

BEHAVIOUR & ETIQUETTE

• Drink responsibly: Anyone intoxicated or using drugs will be removed from the building without recourse.
• Use of smartphones or other devices must not cause distraction or annoyance to others.
• iPads, tablets and laptops may not be used during events.
• Unruly and antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, verbal/physical abuse of staff and other customers, attempting to enter a restricted area, climbing, defacing, littering, throwing objects, and blocking thoroughfares or fire exits.
• Everyone is encouraged to enjoy themselves, and it is expected that people will want to stand and dance at certain points in the show, however, aisles and walkways must be clear. Standing on seats and sitting on the shoulders of others is not permitted, please be considerate of others.

PERMITTED

• Personal effects such as coats, bags, collapsible small umbrellas (no golf umbrellas allowed), so long as they can be carried with you and easily stored under your seat.
• You take responsibility for any permitted personal items you bring to the arena. We do our best to return lost property, but we are not liable for any loss or damage that may occur.
• Phones, and other such personal devices (please see etiquette note above).
• Registered Guide Dogs, mobility equipment.

PROHIBITED

• Food and drink, including commercially branded and homemade.
• Alcohol in any type of container.
• Bottles
• Gang patches or colours.
• iPads/tablets, and laptops.
• Firearms, fireworks, flares, and laser lights.
• Smoking or Vaping.
• Weapons of any kind, including items such as mace and tasers.
• Illegal substances.
• Musical instruments, rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, bicycles, and sporting equipment.
• Marker pens, spray paint, and tagging equipment.
• Signage and promotional products.
• Animals, other than Guide Dogs.
• Professional-type cameras and other video or audio recording equipment.
• Steel-toed boots.
• Selfie sticks, SLR type-cameras, and hi-res video recorders such as Go-Pros.

SECURITY

Dancing for Life Education EBOP operates a thorough security regime and enhanced security checks are already in place. Security is monitored at all times to ensure the safety of all our guests.

Our staff are well trained and observant and they are doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Please show them the respect they deserve, as they carry out their roles.

A NOTE ON ALCOHOL

Following are the only accepted forms of ID for the purchase and consumption of alcohol:

• A valid passport
• Valid New Zealand Drivers Licence
• Valid Kiwi Access/HANZ/Hospitality NZ 18+ card

Alcoholic beverages must not be taken in or out of the venue.

You may not supply alcohol to anyone under 18 on our premises.

Anyone intoxicated will be removed from the premises and will not be re-admitted.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographs​ ​and/or video will​ ​be taken at​ ​the event

By ​agreeing to the conditions of entry, you ​also ​grant the event organisers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity or other purposes. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.

If you do not wish to be photographed please inform an event organiser.

Richard is a Whakatāne based community worker and mountain bike coach that loves to ride and take risks! In 2018 year he threw himself on stage and at the mercy of an audience as a Dancing for Life Education Eastern Bay of Plenty contestant. 

“Being partnered with the lovely Virginia Jeeves was a lot of fun, we’re both very extroverted and were given hip hop as our dance genre. We both had the time of our lives, met new people, learnt some new skills and had so many laughs. Incredibly on the night, we were not only awarded the People’s Choice award but we also WON!!”

Richard says it was the most stressful, scary, yet rewarding thing he’s ever done! He swore never again so now he’s on stage as a judge!

“I know exactly how these dancers will be feeling leading up to their performances. I wish them all the very best.”

Dean has Directed / Choreographed and /or produced many shows including Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, 42nd Street, Broadway bigger than ever! with Jackie Clarke, The Rocky Horror Show with Richard Long and the touring Chicago starring Michael Barrymore and Tina Cross.

Based in his studio complex, Dean McKerras School of Dance thrives with over 500 dancers passing through its doors each week.

Having gained a Diploma of Teaching and Bachelor of Education, Dean has created and implements a ‘Dance in Education’ programme which has seen him share dance with over 50,000 school children. He currently shares his ‘passion and energy’ for dance with students through master classes which see him travelling around New Zealand, and internationally has taught in Vancouver, London and the Philippines.

Dean is the creator & director of DanceNZmade branding which runs competitions and workshops around the country for studios and schools, and provides Hip Hop, Contemporary and Performance (jazz based) Levels- a syllabus being danced in studios around the country

Cole is overjoyed to be making his judging debut back in his hometown. Cole started his performance training here with Theatre Whakatane, where he is credited for winning the Best Choreography award for his work on “Evita – the musical” before going on to graduate the New Zealand Institute of Applied Creativity with a Diploma of Performing Arts (Dance).

After Graduating, he travelled to Los Angeles to pursue an international dance career with the illustrious Princess Cruises Entertainment Team. Three years later he has now returned home after working as a professional dancer in over 80 countries around the world and is looking forward to seeing these fantastic volunteers demonstrate their newfound flare for the arts.

Cole would like to remind everyone that, “Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion”.

Formed over a decade ago HALO have performed internationally and throughout New Zealand for a variety of corporate and private events. This 6 piece band never fails to get people up out of their seats and on to the dance floor.

HALO features some of the best entertainers in NZ including:
Michael Murphy - lead vocals.
Michael hails from Taupō. Since finishing runner-up in the inaugural series of New Zealand Idol, Michael signed to BMG records. Michael has spent the last few years working as a session singer after working overseas for a number of years with his band. He also has performed nationally for corporate audiences and at events such as Coca Cola Christmas in the Park.
Sebastian Lloyd - lead guitar and vocals
Also hailing from the Central Plateau, Sebastian has spent the past 20 years working as lead guitarist alongside many of our top performers as a live musician. He has also toured internationally with bands from both Canada and Australia.

Walter Neilands has been hosting and writing Television since 2010 and in this time, gained a large connection with NZ audiences. Well-known for his creative activity on shows such as TV3 ’s Cadbury Dream Factory and Sticky TV, NZ’s most popular youth Television show. He  brought his boundless energy to the ballroom competing in the 2019 Dancing with the Stars and is well-known for his upbeat energy. Walter is a Life Education Trust ambassador and is supporting this event by giving his time free of charge.