More than 50 dancers, aged between 5 and 18, from Dunedin, Mosgiel, Milton and Invercargill, took part in the annual competitions, held at Sammy's Cabaret Theatre.
The competitions had usually been held at the Mosgiel Coronation Hall, but the historic venue (which opened in 1896 as the Agricultural Hall) had stepped up to the mark this year, Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Society member Anna Nees said yesterday.
"The kids loved dancing on such a majestic stage. It's an awesome venue for tap dance and it's got such a great acoustic.
It's a big venue, but even the little kids sounded fantastic." An enthusiastic crowd of parents, grandparents, siblings and friends encouraged the dancers.
"It's a great opportunity for the kids to have a chance to be in the spotlight. It gives them confidence and helps build their personalities," Miss Nees said.
"Tap has always been very popular in Dunedin. We've got very good teachers here and there's a fantastic tap-dancing community in Dunedin."
Dunedin tappers Polly Tenci and Sheridan Labes (both 15) were selected for the Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand 2012 national young performer awards in Invercargill in October.
The adjudicator was Lisa Gifford, of Tauranga.
