Pauline Hiroti is passionate about dance
Former WHS student Pauline Hiroti started dancing with a YMCA programme when she was 12. Now she is about to obtain a Ph.D. from Auckland University in dance studies and could follow an academic career, but instead wants to give back to the community by inspiring others to dance.
Her first love was salsa and was soon dancing in events in places such as Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Japan and even on the Great Wall in China. She says, “We had to fundraise almost every weekend through performances, organizing discos, dance camps, stock takes, posting promotional stuff and even busking.”
At 18 she was asked to audition for the University of Auckland Dance Programme, was accepted and did a bachelor’s degree in dance over three years, expanding her repertoire to include Hip Hop and other contemporary forms of dance. To support herself she taught dance, especially private lessons.
She says, “You have to stay current and make dance your life and immerse yourself in shows. I wanted to be as versatile as I could be.”
She received a summer scholarship to do research and as she always came back to Whanganui in the holidays, she did a three week te wananga dance intensive based in the dance studio at City College. A one year’s university honours programme came next and then the Ph.D. dissertation which she hopes to complete by April. The first draft has been done.
Her dissertation is on ‘How community dance initiatives might foster understanding and connection to whenua for young people.’ She explores the connection of young people to their whakapapa and to the land, explores the relationship with that space with the intention of creating dance movements in response.
She hopes young people will be able to strengthen their identity through dance, “asking who am I, what do I like, to whom and where do I belong?”
Her connection with City College has strengthened and she now teaches dance at the school as well as volunteering to tutor their Hip Hop group which has won the National Secondary Schools Championships for two years in a row. The students were able to gain NCEA credits through Hip Hop.
Pauline has also been involved in leading a Whanganui wide secondary school ‘Mega Crew’ dance group which competed at the Nationals in 2018.
It has been a busy time as she has two children aged two and four. For 2019 she plans to complete her Ph.D., do some guest lecturing at the University of Auckland, write some journal articles, continue teaching dance and tutoring the Hip Hop group but also to offer Hip Hop to the general public. She also wants to explore a relationship between City College and the University.
If she is not already busy enough, Pauline also has a black belt in karate and enjoys running to keep fit.
River City Press 31/1/19