Kiwis can fly!

Observations of an expat returned kiwi.

My home country is still the paradise I have always believed it to be.
Much has changed since I left in 1986 for what I thought was to be a short dancing O.E.
However, a realisation of my talent, a hunger for knowledge and success and a lifelong collaboration with the love of my life changed the course of my own history.
A fantastic dance career filled with the joys of dance and the delight of teaching others.
Then two years ago the move back to Aotearoa has now filled my life with the joy of whanau and time spent strolling the gorgeous coastline.
My great love for dance has created some confusion in my reflective, ever-reasoning mind because coming back to your country of origin after 35 years poses some interesting problems and observations.
Dance in New Zealand has always been a rather troublesome affair. Comprised of an array of individual entities protecting their own turf, a political arena where democracy is at times undermined.
Although the fact may be vehemently denied, Dancesport in NZ is still in its infancy, due to the outward focus on far away shores that have little in common with our insular, yet perfectly adequate, institution.
It is time to work together- as colleagues, as unified dance lovers and as guardians of the sport.

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent, 

A part of the main.

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

That’s food for thought; let not the bell toll for ballroom dancing in Aotearoa- working together will complete us!

How wonderful it could be if we would take the time and effort to look within our own structures, really seriously decide what is best for our glorious dancers within this tangled network whilst leaving the histrionics and egos at the door to our whare.

Kia atawhai x

Rachell van der Veek (Ngati Raukawa) is a former New Zealand Ballroom and Latin American champion, World showdance finalist, World 10-dance semi-finalist and advisor to the Dutch National Ballet Co.