{"id":391472,"date":"2026-04-22T03:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/391472\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T03:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:18:09","slug":"on-the-up-how-to-become-a-glow-fairy-napier-dance-classes-aim-to-boost-womens-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/391472\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Up: How to become a glow fairy \u2013 Napier dance classes aim to boost women\u2019s confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years later, that same outlet would help her through another life-changing moment.<\/p>\n

In 2022, at just 30, May underwent surgery to remove her uterus after being diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer. <\/p>\n

The recovery kept her away from dancing for nine months.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo suddenly not be able to move the way that I was able to for such a long time was really hard, and I actually had to train a lot of my muscles again because it was such a huge surgery,\u201d May said.<\/p>\n

The experience left her \u201cdepressed\u201d, but returning to dance became a turning point. <\/p>\n

Now, that journey is at the heart of what she hopes to pass on to others.<\/p>\n

Starting on May 5, she is launching Confidence in Heels weekly classes at Dance Express Napier, inspired by her own experience and the work of fellow performer Alesha Hunt, better known as Cherry Boomb, who previously ran burlesque-based confidence classes in the region.<\/p>\n

The classes are also closely tied to the Glow Fairies, a performance group May co-founded with Boomb in late 2025.<\/p>\n

Since then, the group of 10 fairies has performed at many events across the Bay, including Nuit Blanche, Outfield festival, the Christmas parade, as well as school visits, private functions and community appearances.<\/p>\n

\"AleshaAlesha Hunt, better known as Cherry Boomb (left), and Hannah May at Outfield Festival in January this year.<\/p>\n

Known for their glowing wings, the group began as a way to showcase local talent, and May said they wanted more fairies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a huge opportunity for them, as they can perform with us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe local talent that we actually have here is incredible, and it\u2019s basically showcasing what they can do, instead of hiring out performers from elsewhere. <\/p>\n

\u201cNapier needs a spot on the map now.\u201d<\/p>\n

May\u2019s classes are designed for beginners and focus on creating a safe, judgment-free space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no experience needed. It\u2019s about being yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Glow Fairies at the 2025 Christmas Parade: Cherry Boomb (left) and Hannah May in the front row, with Laura Atkins (left), Tessa Scapens, Crystal Kerr and Kathleen Urbahn.<\/p>\n

Participants must be older than 18 and can expect a mix of jazz, burlesque and hip-hop movements in heels, with basic dance techniques and light performance elements, with an emphasis on body confidence rather than technical ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what you wear or how good you are, everyone\u2019s just there to have fun and support each other,\u201d May said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a horrible world these days, so if I can help one lady feel better or more confident about herself or even in her body image, then I feel I\u2019m doing something right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group can be found online on social media under the name Glow Fairys the name was accidentally misspelled during the creation of the page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Years later, that same outlet would help her through another life-changing moment. In 2022, at just 30, May…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7229,6726,11231,14806,2950,2006,64574,25139,221,3607,111,43,139,69,90,223,61,810,2834],"class_list":{"0":"post-391472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-aim","9":"tag-become","10":"tag-boost","11":"tag-classes","12":"tag-confidence","13":"tag-dance","14":"tag-fairy","15":"tag-glow","16":"tag-how","17":"tag-napier","18":"tag-new-zealand","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-newzealand","21":"tag-nz","22":"tag-on","23":"tag-the","24":"tag-to","25":"tag-up","26":"tag-womens"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}