Annual Competitions are Like Gigantic Concert

Imagine a concert with one thousand, nine hundred, and fifty-nine separate items presented simultaneously in four halls, filling eight days from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., not counting recalls and demonstration evenings.

Staggering, isn't it?

But these are the exact dimensions of the annual competitions festival of the Gisborne Competitions Society, which in the school holidays staged 221 classes for aspiring singers, instrumentalists, elocutionists, and dancers.

Backed by long hours of tuition and practice, bouyed up by confidence, or skill, or past experience, or harried by nervousness, or stage fright, or the jitters, each competitor in turn takes the stage under the glare of the lights, the judge's critical eye, and the approbation, favourable or otherwise, of competitors, mothers, teachers, and the audience in general.

It is quite a moment in a young artist's life. To show just a little of what is involved, "Photo News", lurking in the wings, turned its camera on one of the 221 classes and a few of those involved in it.

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Class 152—Dance Duo, under 12, not tap. The winners, Gail Griffin and Prudence Nalder, "An Old Time Flirtation". Waiting in the wings: Judy and Lyn Welsford.

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Competitors wait nervously by radiator at back of stage.

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Stage manager Jack Randle checks item

While "Photo News" was waiting backstage for the Dance Duo to start, about the cutest thing to be seen dashing out of a dressing room door was wee Lynette Welsford, aged five, and as pretty as a picture in her tiny ballet skirt. When we found that Lynette was really a picture in her item with sister Judy we started shooting, followed up by talking her mother, Mrs Ken Welsford, into letting us take our background pictures at her home in Elsthorpe Avenue, Mangapapa.

They show something of what is involved in preparation for just one of the hundreds of similar competition entries.

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Judge sits at lighted desk in Opera House circle as Judy and Lyn do item, "An Artist's Dream"

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Costumed for item, girls pose outside their home.

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With their teacher, Mrs Ian Kerr (Gretna Mahoney) are, left to right, Lyn, Gail (9), and Judy (10).

Behind the presentation of this one item lies many months of dancing instruction, the conception and creation of the dance itself, the making of the costumes, and numberless rehearsals to make the performance as near perfect as is possible.

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Lyn gets costume fitting from mother

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Making costumes requires many hours of work

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Suddenly tiring of her part as the sweet subject in the picture frame, Lynette shows us her conception of "a picture NO artist would paint"!

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In the evening after tea, Judy and Lyn run through their act.

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....At last the day comes. Here is "An Artist's Dream" as judge and audience saw it on the Opera House stage.

It is not possible, of course, for "Photo News" to print pictures of all the competition prizewinners. On this page are pictures of championship and scholarship winners available from Mr H. J. Dunstan's collection.

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Noel Laing, senior elocution championship.

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Janet Parker, intermediate elocution championship.

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Elaine Faulkner, senior dancing championship.

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Patricia Tonge (Auckland) and Mary McDonald (Palmerston North), open national dancing championship (equal). Miss Tonge also won the P.B. & E. C. Sword Dance championship.

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Suzanne Boyd, P.B. and E. C. Irish Jig (under 12) championship.

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Leigh Purcell, national dancing scholarship (under 15).

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Anne Taylor, national dancing championship (12 and under 15), also P.B. & E.C. Sailor's Hornpipe (12 & under 15).

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Cynthia Nunns, junior elocution championship.

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Valerie Penny, dancing scholarship (under 15).