Hip Hop Unite World Finals
On 31 October, Rīan Gounder competed at the Hip Hop Unite World Finals in Tauranga, New Zealand. This international dance competition ran over three days and drew dancers from over 20 countries with thousands of performers.
Rīan, with his co-dancer, brother, and 2025 college alum, Raūl , competed in the Duo category of the Youth Battles and won 2nd place. Rīan also competed in the Solo Battle category, which he won with a dominant performance!
Upgrade Dance Championship Finals
On October 10, Year 12 students, Ruby Muir and Sonia Poru, and 2025 alum Emily Muir, competed at the Upgrade Dance Championship Finals on the Gold Coast, Australia. Their team, Retaliate (Red Studios), had qualified earlier in the year as a selected New Zealand representative for the finals. They competed in the Varsity Crew division against 23 other teams and claimed the silver medal!
Ruby, Sonia, Emiy and Year 11 student Maddy Story, also competed in the open age Mega Crew division, with their crew, Republic (Red Studio), and earned 4th place.
Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand (PACANZ)
Year 12 student, Emily Cooper, was nominated by top national dance competition judges to compete in the Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand (PACANZ) at the end of October in Palmerston North. At the end of the four-day event, Emily placed in the top six for her Tap solo, from over 60 competitors.
Ka pai tō mahi to all our dancers – what incredible results!
