Rasa School of Dance co-owners Lisa Wilkinson and Tara James are excited that the school is marking this significant milestone with its first show at the town hall.
The large-scale event will feature dancers ranging in age from 3 to 87, performing as individuals, duos and crews and presenting a wide variety of dance styles, including hip-hop, breaking, Bollywood, jazz hands, contemporary K-Pop, musical theatre, Rasa Academy and the Rhythm of Life group for over 60s.
Saturday’s showcase will be divided into two sections — a junior show from 3pm and a senior show from 5pm.
"It’s going to be great for our dancers to get to perform on a large town hall stage, and we have been working hard to get grants so that we can keep the event accessible for everyone," Wilkinson said.
"Also, we have not asked our dancers to buy T-shirts this year, and entry to the show is koha of up to $5 — all to make sure that everyone can take part.
"We are excited to see everyone up there in their crews, showing the skills that they have learned and having a great time."
James said this year had been successful for Rasa dancers, with two Dunedin-based teachers Alice Cairns and Daniella Veenvliet travelling to Portugal earlier this year to the Hip Hop Unite World Championships 2024.
"They made the semifinals at the worlds, competing with hundreds of dancers from all over the globe, which was an incredible achievement," James said.
Cairns and Veenvliet will give a performance at Saturday’s Rasa Festival of Dance.
Wilkinson hoped that coming along to the festival, and seeing dancers of all ages and skill levels in action, would inspire local people to give dancing a go.
To this end, Rasa School of Dance has been running a series of free classes throughout Term 4, on Friday evenings from 5.30pm at King Edward Court, Stuart St.
"We want to encourage anyone who has ever wanted to find out about dance classes to come along and give it a go," she said.
For more information, find Rasa School of Dance on Facebook.
