Urban Beat was off to the far north once again, and after a long drive up we were greeted with the usual warm welcome and happy faces. Our first day kicked off with the usual over enthusiastic and focused attention of the far north youth.  We started out with a few easy warm ups to loosen up those butterfly’s everybody was having, and also to warm up the cold bones and muscles before we got stuck into it.  

The first morning of a workshop is always a feeling out stage for Tui and her crew, as they determine what forms of dance and teaching would best apply to this set of dancers and youth.  In a very short time everyone was straight into the more advanced routines and exercises, with the youth of Kaitaia expressing their passion for dance.  Unfortunately for everyone the weather made it very difficult for everyone to keep up their fast pace energetic dancing.  By lunch time the continuous rain and minor flooding happening in Kaitaia at the time, had seemed to be having a negative effect on everyone’s energy levels.  Sure enough the UB crew pulled together with their very eager group of Kaitaia youth and managed to get through the long and hard first day of dancing.

After a mean dinner cooked by our number one chef Lance and a good nights rest, we were ready for our second day of teaching.  When we travelled to our venue the next morning, we discovered the flooding from the previous day was a lot worse then we thought.  With this in mind the UB crew set out to give the Kaitaia youth something fun and positive to take their mind off the bad weather.   

            

Straight into a warm up and a recap of what they did on day one, we had the youth up and dancing with a few new kids joining in filling up the school hall very quickly. By lunch we were into group work, with age groups separated into four groups to make the learning process a little smoother for each individual.  Before day two was over we put the kids into formations and started working on their own mix, which they would have to perform for their peers and parents the very next day.  After a few intense battles, a few games of add-ons and some free-styling work day two was over, and it was back to the whare for more R and R (rest and recovery).    

    

The third and final day was upon us in no time flat and we set out perfecting the skills and dance routines taught to the youth of Kaitaia.  Working hard to sharpen up their dance mix all morning, and practicing their best moves for the final battle, the youth really put in the hard yards to impress their audience who arrived just after lunch.  Showing how hard they had worked over the past three days the youth put on a very impressive showcase followed by a very close battle between the kids and their parents, with the kids winning by a slight margin.

Overall Urban Beat has all always enjoyed their time spent in Kaitaia, and this time was no different.
Teaching to such enthusiastic youth and working with such wonderful people such as Paulette and Lance from Te Oranga always make our job easier and enjoyable. 

Big shout out to all the youth up in the far north, and especially to Paulette, Lance and all the Te Oranga crew for all the amazing work you do with the youth and making our visit so enjoyable.