Sophia Purdon — who began dancing "really young" at the former Queenstown School of Dance and received 100% pass rates in jazz and hip-hop exams — says she created, directed and helped fund the awards as she wanted to give back to the dance community that supported her by giving opportunities to local competitive dancers.
"Back in the day I had to travel a long way to any dance comps, and there still aren’t many opportunities."
Her other aim’s "to put Queenstown on the map as a dance destination and bring dancers from all over to compete here".
These first awards held at Queenstown Memorial Centre brought 400 attendees from all over New Zealand.
She considers they were a huge success, not just for the calibre of the competitors and the community spirit engendered but also the opportunities they offered.
These included a full scholarship valued at $13,000 and placing two dancers with a fulltime dance and entertainment agency/school in Sydney.
Purdon herself, after moving to Auckland in 2019, joined a top NZ troupe which led to national and international comps, national titles, scholarships in Los Angeles and professional dance gigs.
Nowadays she also works as a national and international model.
She says her awards were also supported by local businesses Bermuda Pools, Custom Homes and Patagonia Chocolates.
"Going forward, we’d love to get more community and business support to grow the event and keep creating something really special for Queenstown’s young dancers." Purdon’s also already confirmed next year’s dates — September 4-6 — and an international adjudicator who’ll judge the event.
