The first couple of weeks in August were a blur of practice for our competition. Having seen the value of practising without mirrors, we found ourselves in carparks all around Napier, Hastings and Clive, practising at all hours to make it work for the team. Wherever we could find a space, we danced!
And Christchurch didn't disappoint. It was another amazing experience.
One of the highlights for me was catching up with so many people from around New Zealand that we'd met at the Dunedin Gala, as well as some Australian friends we'd connected with through the podcast, and of course all our local North Island line dance friends. It's pretty special when people you've only known online or have bumped into at different events start to feel like old friends.
It was a bit of a crack-up that the first Airbnb we went to stay in had been burgled. We didn't even really realise what had happened until it became obvious! Thankfully, the replacement was even better. Talk about party central!
Comp day dawned, and it was so neat being able to watch my teammates compete in their solo categories. Lily and I were up next for the duo, and if I was a bundle of nerves in Dunedin, Christchurch was even worse! Umm... how does a jazz box go again?
My advice for next time? Do a solo to start and get some of those nerves out!
While we didn't place, there were five in our category - Duo Under 30s (I know, I snuck in there because of Lily's age… bless!) - we had an absolute ball. The build-up, the choreography creation, the laughter, the cheers and the pride at creating something pretty special were all worth it.
Our team did a fantastic job in the Open Freestyle category too, coming in 3rd place out of 12 teams. And the nerves were a little less second time around, so I can definitely see the value in the more you dance in front of a crowd on the day, the easier it gets.
Catching up with Jaime Ngawaka in Christchurch, and then again on a fleeting trip through Hawke's Bay this month, we had a chat and she assured me that competition grief is a thing.
I woke up when I got home after Christchurch and thought, golly, what am I going to do now?
After returning to Hawke's Bay with the plan to finish our choreography for Kiss Me While It's Loud for the Hamilton choreography competition, we realised that Lily couldn't make the actual event on the day. And then we found out the exciting news that hubby and I are moving to Rarotonga in 2027 for his work, and I would be away that weekend too.
It clearly wasn't meant to be this time around.
But it also made me stop and look at why I create dances.
It's not for the recognition.
It's the joy of creating something. Of looking at the pieces of the puzzle and seeing how they can fit together. It's choosing a song I love and having the steps flow to it, then being able to share that creation with other people.
Kiss Me While It's Loud has been a process of so, so many hours, and we're looking at an Intermediate Phrased 100-and-something-count dance here! We'll release it come September and I can't wait.
Then, on the flipside of that, I wanted a dance I could teach my Absolute Beginners to a song I really enjoyed. And so What's Your Story? was created… literally in about 15 minutes.
It was fun trying out a few different versions of steps with my Monday night ABs and Tuesday morning Beginners to get the ones that really worked.
I love teaching. I especially love love my Tuesday morning classes. We have so much fun and so many laughs together as we dance together and sometimes fumble our way through dances together.
It has been great to see the social group collective of a Tuesday and how these most lovely people have created friendships outside of line dancing too.
There was also a performance at a retirement village for their hoedown mid-winter event, where we got to do a wee tribute to Dolly, who sadly had passed away earlier in the week.
One will never forget Dolly, a constant in my life growing up with my parents love of country music!
And then I spotted Here We Rodeo on Facebook and was instantly hooked. Choreographed by Maggie Stevenson to brilliant music by Kevin McGuire, this dance brings so much joy and really captures what I love about line dancing.
Otherwise, August was really about winding down.
Because we will be winding up soon as we prepare to pack up and leave our home for Rarotonga in January - a new destination, a new group of people and a whole new adventure.
Reflection
August has been a month of highs, nerves, pride, creativity and a few big life changes thrown in for good measure.
The competition reminded me that putting yourself out there is worth it, even when the nerves are ridiculous and the result isn't quite what you hoped for. The choreography journey reminded me why I love creating. And teaching continues to remind me just how much joy can come from helping someone else find their feet.
Perhaps most importantly, I'm learning that sometimes things don't work out because something else is waiting around the corner.
For now, I'm going to keep creating, keep teaching, keep dancing and keep enjoying the people who make this journey so much fun.
And as these boots prepare for a new chapter, I can't wait to see where they take me next.
🎶 Song of the Month
