21 July 2023, Issue 1169
High achiever! You can hear it in her voice, see it in her smile, and believe it from what she’s achieved. Pyes Pa youngster McKenna Hills loves highland dancing – so much so she’s overcome a foot injury to win her second national title at the tender age of nine. After three days’ worth of performances on
Matariki weekend, McKenna was named Under-10 champion of the Highland and National Dancing New Zealand Championships hosted in Tauranga. She beat more than 25 competitors for the title. This comes after winning the Under-8 title at the same competition
two years ago, when aged seven. What makes a good highland dancer? McKenna’s mother Jacinda Hills says you have to be dedicated. “In dancing they say ‘you don’t practice until you get it right – you practice until you can’t get it wrong’. So there’s a lot of thinking and athletic ability
in highland dancing. It’s a pretty hard sport in terms of fitness and coordination.” Jacinda reckons McKenna has grown in maturity “and is realising when you put in the hard work, it pays off”. Read McKenna’s story on page 6. Photo: John Borren.
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