Hautapu School’s arts leader Isabella Bond (front left) with 2023 talent show award winners (standing, from left) Lucia Taylor, Celia Hawthorne, Madison Gibbs, Malikah Cummings, Ailsa Vipond, Lucy Silcock, Tristan Hoare and Ollie McKeon and front from left), Aliyah Hogg, Sophia Teddy and Isabelle McKeon.
‘Life is like a runway and you’re the designer.’
That line from Choose Your Fighter – a song from the Barbie movie soundtrack – said it all for Madison Gibbs, Malikah Cummings, Ailsa Vipond and Lucy Silcock, who danced their way to victory at Hautapu School’s 2023 Talent Show recently.
Ailsa, nine, choreographed the winning number.
“I felt like making up a dance and I picked a random song and it happened to be Choose Your Fighter,” she said.
She said it took about 10 minutes to create the energetic routine, but estimated about 48 hours had gone into rehearsing it with her three friends.
Malikah’s mum went on a shopping mission to source outfits, using her home printer to splash ‘Barbie’ across white t-shirts in neon pink.
Madison was “really nervous” before the performance.
“When you stepped on the stage you see everyone looking at you and you think, I can’t do this anymore, but after you start dancing you feel really good,” she said.
The four said they had been determined to win and screamed and jumped out of their seats when they did.
Second place went to dancer Isabelle McKeon and third to singer Aliyah Hogg. Tristan Hoare and Ollie McKeon were highly commended for their piano duet, Lucia Taylor and Celia Hawthorne won an entertainment award for their dance and the judges’ choice award went to Sophia Teddy for singing and dancing.
The Talent Show runs every two years, alternating with school productions, and this year’s was organised by student arts leader Isabella Bond and teacher Rachel Hogarty.
“All of the staff and whānau love to see the children demonstrate the value of courage by getting up on stage and performing,” Rachel said.
