Post card from Alana Haines Awards

 

Ariana Hond, a Junior Artist with Melbourne City Ballet, will return to her native New Zealand over Easter to appear as a guest dancer at the Alana Haines Awards Gala evening.
Junior Winner in 2009 and Supreme A Group Finalist 2011, Ariana shares her experience as a participant at the Alana Haines Awards.

 

What is your Alana Haines Awards story?

My very first Alana Haines experience was as J1 in 2007, the youngest competitor in the competition and a semi-finalist. Two years later I was back again, this time the Junior Winner and Audience Choice Award Winner.

The last AHA experience I had was in 2011 as a Senior Finalist. There were a lot more nerves, a lot of pressure but I was lucky to be surrounded by my amazingly supportive family, teachers and friends. We had an amazing selection of judges that year, and I remember being in awe of them.

 

What do you remember most about competing at the AHA’s?

One of my clearest memories is as J1 and being in the adjudicated class at the start of the competition weekend. I had only done one or two open classes before and so I was standing on the front of the barre and I couldn’t concentrate on picking up the exercises because I was thinking too much about how I wouldn’t be able to pick up the exercises! It is funny how being quick to pick up choreography is now one of my strengths.

 

What are you looking forward to most going back to perform at the AHA’s?

Getting to perform back on home soil. It is the first time I have performed in New Zealand since the finals of the Genée International Competition in Wellington in 2012. In fact it was on the very same stage, the St. James Theatre, that we will be performing on for the Alana Haines Finals Gala.

 

As a dancer, what are the challenges and rewards of performing in a competition such as the Alana Haines Awards?

For me, working towards a big competition was the greatest motivator to improve and work my hardest. I think one of the rewards of performing in a competition like this is the amount of improvement and motivation you receive. The connections you make with other dancers and key figures in the industry are also great benefits of these types of events. However it can be hard not to get caught up in the results-based gratification circuit and lose sight of the big picture, which ultimately is gaining a professional contract, not winning every competition title.

 

What advice would you have for those competing in the AHA’s?

Perform! Show your personality on stage. It is not an exam; it’s a performance on a professional stage that you have all to yourself for a few moments. Push yourself to the limit and don’t “save some for later”. Give it your all for the entire competition weekend so you can truly say you gave it your best shot and be proud of your performances.

 

What are you working on next for Melbourne City Ballet?

Currently I am working on two seasons with the company: Our contemporary season, Echo, and our national tour of A Midsummer Nights Dream.

In the contemporary season I am working with two choreographers on two brand new works. We have been exploring with a lot of different movement that has really been pushing my physicality and I love it! This is always one of my favourite seasons of the year.

 

To see Ariana in Melbourne City Ballet’s contemporary season, ECHO, go to here.

 

For more info on the Alana Haines Awards, go here