Ballet still popular in the region

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 47, 14 May 1985, Page 3

Ballet still popular in the region

Over sixty children from all over the Ruapehu region travel to Ohakune once a week to learn classical and modern ballet. The youngsters are taught by Mrs Joy Wilson of Taihape. Amongst her pupils are nine four-year-olds who have been learning ballet

since the beginning of this year. Mrs Wilson comes to Ohakune two days per week to teach the children. She has been teaching ballet for over 20 years, having started by instructing younger children when she was only 12-years-old! As a youngster, Mrs Wilson lived in Ohakune and

was taught ballet herself by Mrs Wyman, who is now in her eighties and lives in Wanganui. For the past eight years Mrs Wilson has put on an annual show at the Ohakune Primary School, which always attracts a large crowd. Her pupils also participate in ballet competitions which

are held throughout the country. Last year one of her students, Raylene Sue oi Ohakune, came second in the jazz section at a Wanganui dance competition and third in the ballet section. One of Mrs Wilson's most successful former pupils is Lisa Norling of Ohakune, who is now a pupil at a ballet school in Wellington. Lisa was one of just six ballet students out of the whole of New Zealand who were accepted into the school this year. Last weekend several Ruapehu region ballet students attended a seminar in Palmerston Nofth and during the first week of the May holidays the senior ballet pupils will be attending a course in Wellington with Mrs Wilson where they will have five days devoted solely to dancing. Mrs Wilson will also receive training on how her pupils should eat to be in the best physical condition for ballet.