Twelve people who have never danced on-stage before – including a principal – are set to shine next Saturday as Pillans Point School’s “A Sky Full of Stars” fundraiser unfolds.
Similar to the Dancing with the Stars TV show, the Pillans Point version has paired up 12 unsuspecting members of the school’s community to dance their way to glory to raise funds for a new turf cover.
The event is at The Cargo Shed, Downtown Tauranga, from 6.30pm on August 2 – and will be streamed live to satellite site CBK Tauranga on Spring St – such is the demand to see the highly-polished production and raise funds for the school project. Plus, the couples will not reveal their dance style or song until they’ll perform!
A collaboration between the school’s Parent Teacher Association and Board of Trustees, creative director Tahlia Charleson said each couple had been paired with a professional dance tutor from studios around the Bay of Plenty.
“Each pair has received one hour of tuition per week for the last 15 weeks, and the rest is on them to perfect and learn their 2.5 minute routine.”
Charleson said all 12 dancers are connected to the school in some way – “we’ve got teachers, BOT members, PTA members, parents and former parents – we’ve got also former NZ Warriors player Henry Fa’afili from the Youth BOP Development Trust”.
Charleson said the show would basically run to the same format as DWTS. For each couple, a behind-the-scenes journey reel would be shown, the couple would dance, and be interviewed by parent and BOT member-turned MC Clay Fulcher before three celebrity judges give the couple their final score.
“The top two dance off at the end of the night for our first crowning champion.”
Charleson said couples would be judged on their whole act – from stage performance and presence, technicality of footwork, personality and character to costume, lighting etc.
“They’ve had 15 weeks to learn it, and this is it,” said Charleson, who with two children at the school, and now 30 weeks pregnant, came up with the idea more than a year ago. Since then 15-plus committee members had been very busy. “It’s a huge labour of love from many people wearing lots of different hats!”
She said the show is something fun and unique to bring to Tauranga “and to our school”.
School principal Jacq Price, who will dance with Classic Group’s general manager of finance and school parent/BOT member Liam Geraghty, said: “All of us have started from ground zero if you like...”.
Pillans Point School parent and BOT member Liam Geraghty, who works for Classic Group, and Pillans Point School principal Jacq Price. Photo / Alisha Taylor
Learning her dance, Price said: “I have to say it’s been a very humbling experience to learn something from scratch as an adult – but incredible too! It’s been a lot of fun – but now we’re getting close and the thought of actually having to not only perform, but it’s a competition, the costumes and the whole shebang…it will be pretty amazing.”
With the black tie event at The Cargo Shed sold out – CBK Tauranga, owned by school parent Billy Emeny, on Spring St had become a satellite venue.
Charleson said the show will be livestreamed to CBK Tauranga, which would be “fully kitted out with glitz and glamour” – and have appearances from dancers, “so it’ll be an interactive experience between the two locations”.
Businesses had donated prizes to the fundraiser’s live auction. “We’ve got a fundraising app that will be live, so people can bid on auction items – there’s really big ticket items including a once-in-a-lifetime Warriors experience.”
Extra entertainment at both venues was organised by Charleson’s musician husband lining up acts.
Price said her school, with a roll of 530 Year 0-6 students, would greatly benefit from the new turf cover increasing out-of-class learning experiences, outdoor and sports events “and would also benefit the wider community after-hours, too”.
Tickets to ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ at CBK Tauranga on August 2, cost $40 each from: https://pillanspointstars.online