A golden debut for the Macleans College Dance Academy
Posted on September 10, 2026
The Macleans College Dance Academy made an impressive debut at DanceNZMade, with two students earning Golden Tickets and team Sovereign placing fifth in its category.
The Academy’s 29 dancers joined schools from across Auckland for a full day of workshops, performance and competition.
The day began with workshops led by experienced dancers and choreographers from across New Zealand. Students explored different dance genres, learned new choreography and challenged themselves to try unfamiliar movement styles. The workshops helped broaden their skills as performers.
The evening brought the dancers together on stage alongside some of New Zealand’s top school dance teams and performers. Macleans College achieved an outstanding result, with two of the three major individual awards going to Academy students.
Karen and Lene Rekdal (Te Kanawa House) both received DanceNZMade Golden Tickets, earning the opportunity to travel to Palmerston North to compete against individual dancers from across the country. Only 10 dancers across the competition received Golden Tickets, with Macleans College securing two of these places.
The pair will also attend a New Zealand School of Dance Experience in Wellington. They will participate in workshops and gain insight into the training and environment of this prestigious dance institution.
The Academy’s team Sovereign also performed strongly, placing fifth out of 43 teams in its category. The team was awarded Excellence in Choreography, a significant achievement for its first DanceNZMade experience.
The competition provided an opportunity for the dancers to challenge themselves and gain valuable performance experience. Their achievements reflect the commitment and preparation they have shown throughout the year.
Special recognition also goes to student leaders Amber Thompson (Kupe), Karen and Lene Rekdal, Poppy Jackson (Mansfield) and Amy Wang (Hillary). Throughout the year, they have given their time to choreograph, teach and support the Academy’s dancers - helping teams achieve outstanding results.
The Macleans College Dance Academy can be proud of its achievements in 2026. With a successful first DanceNZMade experience behind them, the dancers will look to build on this momentum when they return in 2027.
