First Wgtn Hip Hop dance champs huge success

20 March 2009

First Wgtn Hip Hop dance champs huge success

Six hip hop dance crews from Wellington are on the road to glory, winning places to compete in the New Zealand hip hop dance championships.

The inaugural Wellington Regional Hip Hop Dance Championships were held March 14, at Lower Hutt's Little Theatre, with six crews wining entry to the SDNZ New Zealand championships to be held April 3-4 in Manukau City.

Winners at that level have the opportunity to take on the best from 30 nations, competing in the neon paradise of Las Vegas for the World Hip Hop Dance Championships to be held in October this year.

Veterans of the World Championships, Legacy Dance Crew confirmed their status as Wellington's premier crew by taking out the Adult division (aged 18+), while the winners for Varsity division (age 12-17) were Explicit.

Varsity Division:

1st Place: Explicit (Wellington Champions)

2nd Place: Emerge

3rd Place: Authentic

Adults Division

1st Place: Legacy (Wellington Champions)

2nd Place: Infinite

3rd Place: Habit

Event organizer Liston Peilua said the competition was a huge success, with fierce competition and the venue selling out before the doors opened.

"The first-ever hip hop dance championships in Wellington was a huge boost for the sport in the region," he said. "We were overwhelmed by the skills on display and obviously the full house packed with cheering fans was great to see – we'll be needing a much bigger venue next year!

"A lot people have said we need a bigger venue, and they want to see more. People who were there to watch their kids and friends perform now have more of an appreciation of the art form.

"Previously we had one team represent Wellington at the Nationals, which was Legacy. Now we have six, which will have huge benefits for the growth of hip hop in Wellington. The quality of the crews were right up there with Auckland, so I’m sure our teams will do very, very well.

"Hip Hop Aotearoa NZ looks forward to bringing the event back next year – even bigger! We will be doing some work to help crews develop and help people develop new crews so we have more teams entering next year.

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