Kate Coates
The 18-year-old is focused for at least the next 15 years on going as far as she can with her dance, literally and metaphorically.
She has her eyes set on moving to Australia to join a dance company fulltime for about two years and then hopes to land a contract to dance on a cruise ship.
She loves Dunedin but said there were not enough opportunities for dance in New Zealand.
‘‘If I want to do it properly, I have to go to Australia.’’
Next year, Kate intends working as many jobs as possible to fund her future in Australia.
Dancing was her way of expressing her feelings and ‘‘talking’’ to people.
Kate has been dancing competitively since she was 11 with Meenan Dance Centre in Mosgiel.
Since then she has competed nationally three times.
She began training in ballet to complement her rhythmic gymnastics.
But soon she moved into the more modern forms of dance - jazz, contemporary and rhythmic gymnastics began complementing her dancing, helping with her flexibility and co-ordination.
Kate was head girl at Taieri College this year and although it meant juggling a lot of responsibilities, she embraced the opportunity.
Initially it was ‘‘nerve-racking’’ for her but became a lot easier when she started relying on the people around her for help.
Achievements
Head prefect (2024); junior form leader (2024); reader writer for Learning Support Centre; Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Bronze Award (2022); Junior Dance Club leader (2023); Junior Dance Club leader (2023); academic blues (2022 and 2023); dance teacher; national level rhythmic gymnastics (since 2021).
Role model
Brother Tim Coates.
Hopes for the future
Go as far in dance as possible and then run a dance school.
Keira Wallace
Earlier this year, the 17-year-old evoked just such a strong emotional reaction from a woman in the audience at a concert.
They could not help but feel a little bad knowing they were about to belt out another sad song.
Keira said they were quite a reflective person and a critical thinker which made their music a lot deeper.
Despite their early success including being selected as a finalist for Smokefree Rockquest several times and winning the Play It Strange national secondary school songwriting competition, Keira was not sure whether they wanted turn music into their livelihood.
‘‘The special thing about it is it’s relaxing for me and doing music doesn’t feel like a chore,’’ they said.
Music was something they wanted to keep doing for the rest of their life.
‘‘I do feel proud of myself but I also know I have so much growing to do and I’m so excited for that.’’
They had always been musical with their mother who sang all the time and began writing songs when they learned how to play the guitar at the age of 11.
Initially they started making pop songs but transitioned slowly to independent folk music.
‘‘I used to find folk and country too hillbilly but I’m leaning into it now and I don’t condone the country slander any more.’’
As well as studying music and marketing at the University of Otago next year, Keira was planning on starting a psychedelic folk duo with a friend.
Achievements
Environment prefect 2024, organised beach cleanup 2024. Academic: level 1 NCEA certificate endorsed with excellence (123 excellent credits) and level 2 endorsed with excellence (96 excellent credits); Eco warrior 2022-24; Bandquest mentoring 2021, 2023, 2024; junior form leader 2024; Arts council 2021-24; wellbeing ambassador 2023-24; academic blues; music blues 2021-23; performing arts ambassador 2022; RockQuest solo/duo top 10 national 2023; Lion Foundation songwriting 3rd place 2023; 2023 national top 10 finalist solo/duo Rockquest; Song Hub 2022 - youngest ever participant; opened for international artists on NZ tour 2023; Over 210,000 streams for six released singles globally; guest youth artist at Whare Flat folk festival; hosted song writing workshop AMPED 2023; 90+ solo live performances 2020-24
Role model
Musician Mount Aries.
Hopes for the future
Produce lots of albums and play in a band and tour around small venues like pubs around the world. Playing the banjo on her deck.
