Seven east Auckland students will put their moves to the test when they represent New Zealand at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, next month.
Pakuranga College’s Liam Jennings, Bianca Poru, Peyton Haugh, Emily Cooper and Skyler Vollenhoven will compete in four different dance crews.
While the competition at the worlds is intense, the rivalry is friendly at home, with Liam, Bianca, Peyton and Emily all collaborating in the Pakuranga College hip hop group.
Howick College year nine students Georgia Delany and Max Homan will also be competing.
More than three thousand of the world’s best dancers from more than 55 different countries will come together for the World Hip Hop Dance Championship from July 30 to August 6.
For Bianca, this will be her third trip to the worlds, competing with megacrew Republic for the second time. Her first experience was in the junior division in 2019, with her group Beast placing 13th.
“Having experience at Worlds is definitely an advantage. Knowing the processes will really allow me to focus on my dancing,” she says.
“Megacrews have up to 30 dancers so it’s very important that we’re all laser-focused on our moves and timing.
“Right now, the crew is rehearsing four hours a week together, but that will ramp up massively in the next month.”
For Liam, Peyton, Emily and Skyler, this is their first time at the worlds. However, Liam will have 2022 Pakuranga College alum, Tate Miller, for guidance as they dance together in Yung ID.
The group placed second in the Junior Varsity Megacrew division at the worlds last year and expectations for another podium placing are high.
“Currently, rehearsals are 20 hours a week, it’s huge, but I can’t wait,” says Liam.
The group has already had a taste of success locally, winning their category at Hip Hop International (HHI) New Zealand, the competition to qualify for thew worlds.
Emily and Skyler will be dancing together in the junior division for the all-girl group, Scouts.
Emily has been dancing hip hop for four years and has an extensive dance background, while Skyler is a natural talent, having been involved in hip hop for a year.
The girls’ Sundays from now until the competition are taken up with dance bootcamps, on top of six hours of training during the week.
“We’re both very excited to represent New Zealand at worlds. Rehearsals take up a lot of time, but it’s worth it to experience dancing at this level,” Emily says.
Skyler adds, “We both hope to be able to come back to worlds in future years and keep representing New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, Peyton will have a full schedule in Phoenix, competing in two groups, the megacrew Saintz, which won its division at HHI New Zealand, and Lil Saintz competing in the varsity category.
“I’m training 22 hours a week across both my groups. Not just choreography, but fitness and strength too.
“If I’m not at school, I’m training, basically. It’s very full-on but I can see improvements in my dance already and I hope it will give my crews an edge and a top result,” she says.
Peyton is looking forward to experiencing dance culture from around the globe while she is at the worlds. As well as the competition, there are workshops for dancers to learn new moves and styles.
“It will be great to learn from the best and bring some new moves back to the college to share with our hip hop group,” she says.
