It\u2019s been great, the group of dancers and the hospice team have been super supportive.<\/p>\n
How do you think you will feel on the night?<\/p>\n
Nervous but I have a great dance partner so sure we\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n
What is your dancing experience?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve watched the film Save the Last Dance a few times, that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n
How would you describe your partner? Patient and dedicated.<\/p>\n
What is the highlight of the process so far?<\/p>\n
Getting off the couch in the evenings instead of watching Netflix and doom scrolling. Also seeing us and the other couples make progress.<\/p>\n
Harcourts Dancing for Hospice 2026 dancing couple Emma Clapperton and Scott Tipiwai. Photo \/ Megan Wilson<\/p>\n
Emma Clapperton<\/p>\n
Why are you dancing?<\/p>\n
While I have been lucky not to have needed Hospice personally, my friend Ingrid and her husband Jan lost their incredible son Jacob to a rare and aggressive form of cancer about a week before I got the call. He was only 21<\/a>. <\/p>\n He was generous, kind, selfless and wise beyond his years. He was the kind of person who brought people together, and he had so much good to offer the world. Hospice was there for Ingrid and her family in a way a lot of us simply wouldn\u2019t know how to be. Not just medically, but emotionally too. They walked alongside them through the hardest days of their lives with compassion, dignity and support. <\/p>\n Seeing that made me realise just how important Hospice is to our community. If I can help raise some money and give something back to an organisation that gives so much to families when they need it most, then it\u2019s an honour to be part of it.<\/p>\n What has the experience been like so far?<\/p>\n I am actually having a lot of fun. I\u2019m really enjoying learning something new. There\u2019s a bit of pressure and overwhelm right now, but I\u2019m trusting the process that it will come together by September. The Hospice team has been amazing too. They\u2019ve made it really social, everyone\u2019s so supportive, and it\u2019s become something I look forward to each week.<\/p>\n How do you think you will feel on the night?<\/p>\n I honestly have no idea. I\u2019m guessing I\u2019ll be a bundle of nerves, but hopefully we\u2019ll have practised so much that excitement takes over. I just want to enjoy it, soak it all in and remember that we\u2019re all there for a really good cause. We will only get this opportunity once.<\/p>\n What is your dancing experience?<\/p>\n None. Zero. Absolutely nothing. I\u2019ve never done dance of any kind before, so every single step has been new. It\u2019s been a steep learning curve!<\/p>\n How would you describe your partner?<\/p>\n Scott is awesome. He works incredibly hard, brings so much positive energy to every practice and somehow manages to make even the tricky bits fun. <\/p>\n He\u2019s also been really considerate of me throughout the whole process, making sure I\u2019m comfortable and helping me build my confidence as we\u2019ve gone along. <\/p>\n Outside of dancing, he co-owns NZHL with his incredible wife, Sally, who are also one of our event sponsors (alongside Dufty + Co Builders).<\/p>\n He\u2019s a great mentor as well as a dance partner, and I\u2019m really grateful we were paired together. I hope it\u2019s the start of a lifelong friendship for our family because he\u2019s just an all-round amazing human.<\/p>\n What is the highlight of the process so far?<\/p>\n He Tangata. It\u2019s the people. It\u2019s a privilege to be part of this amazing group of people and I am enjoying getting to know them all. Even though technically we\u2019re all competing, it\u2019s a very positive environment and we\u2019re all cheering for each other. <\/p>\n Getting outside my comfort zone has been pretty cool too. It\u2019s reminded me that we\u2019re capable of so much more than we think. If someone reads this and thinks, \u201cI could never do that\u201d, I\u2019d love them to know, you absolutely can.<\/p>\n Meet some of the other dancing couples:<\/p>\n David and Audrey here<\/a> <\/p>\n Dan and Siobhan here<\/a><\/p>\n