The Wrap

2013 New Zealand Open Dance Championship

by Martha Williams

Christchurch were fantastic host the 2013 New Zealand Open Dance Championship considering the great disappointment of 2011.

The Christchurch Earthquake struck in February 2011 which caused widespread devastation. Many venues were destroyed and the Pioneer Stadium was used as an emergency shelter. It’s almost an understatement to say every person in and around Christchurch was affected and unfortunately dancing was no exception. In view of the circumstances at the time it was decided to move the National Titles to Auckland. So you can imagine how exciting it was for this Championship to return to Christchurch.

The Pioneer Stadium really is the perfect venue to showcase Dancesport. Offering both table and elevated seating, spectators have a great opportunity to witness the very best dancing in New Zealand. This year it was certainly very pleasing to see competitor numbers had once again increased. In fact it was noted competitor numbers where now back to pre-earthquake when Christchurch last hosted the Nationals in 2010.

The atmosphere in the stadium was full of anticipation from early morning and the competition intense. Entries were received from all over New Zealand and it was also lovely to see a large number of competitors making the trip from Australia. Couples in all age groups and levels competed with the Adult divisions having the largest entry fields. New Zealand allows Masters couples to dance in the Adult age groups which boosts numbers in these fields and in turn give the couple the opportunity to dance through more rounds – a great way for the couples to gain experience in this country.

Winners of the Adult Level 5 and Open Standard were Lynham Forrest and Eleanor Van Der Zwan from NSW Australia with the closed New Zealand Closed Champion trophy going to Shae Mountain and Samantha Gemmell. Matthew Coulson and Natalie Virag won both Adult sections in New Vogue, Blair Pettard and Melanie Scott became the New Zealand Closed Champions. In the Latin section both the Adult Level 5 and Open competitions also produced the same result, in first place was Mathew Nicholson and Yuanxin He from NSW Australia and in 2nd place and earning the NZ Closed Champion title was Brian Dibnah and Sarah Nolan from Christchurch.

In the Professional, Ian and Cushla Gillard took home both the Standard and New Vogue trophies. In the Latin section a very popular win went to local favourites Jonny and Kristie Williams.

And after two days of dancing (and I do mean a lot of dancing!), the Adult 10 Dance Trophy went to Shae Mountain and Samatha Gemmell. Congratulations guys and to all the other couples that danced round after round, they must have been exhausted after the weekend.

You can check the full results here...

The biggest highlight of the weekend was however the floorshow by Andrea and Sara Ghigiarelli from Italy. They performed both days showcasing all five dances in the Standard style. Andrea and Sara are a very young couple that are mesmerising to watch, they have a beautiful smooth action that enables them to just glide along the floor. The crowd certainly loved every moment and rewarded Andrea and Sara with numerous standing ovations on both nights.

A very big congratulations must go to Maurice Edwards, he is one of the hardest working Organisers I’ve ever seen. His dedication and attention to detail was appreciated by all and he certainly proved once again he is a great asset to the dancing industry in New Zealand. Oh and by the way... Happy Birthday Maurice!

Looking forward to the 2014 New Zealand Open Dancing Championships to be held in Wellington.