The spirit of Alana that is behind this competition, makes it that much more special to be a part of, as one realises that its intention is to not only perpetuate the memory of an obviously talented child (taken too soon) but also, to instil that spirit in our young dancers to continue to pursue their dreams. The format of the competition provides a challenge yet, at the same time, allows the dancers to be recognised for their age and stage of training. Performing for a highly accredited judging panel of immense standing in the world of dance - our young dancers can truly be grateful for such exposure. Your emphasis on a positive team spirit for ALL competitors allowed for even the most junior of dancers to feel confident, receiving wonderful applause. The weekend was run with efficiency and organisation - a credit to all involved. It most certainly sets a standard. The experience for our young dancers gained from a competition such as yours is truly immeasurable. All the best for the years ahead.

My daughter and I want to thank you and your amazing team at the AHA. We have never been to your event before. From when we first made contact to the end of the event and now beyond, yourself and your team have been nothing less then professional, well organised and supportive. Thank you again for such a great experience. Karen & El

Hi Katie

Just wanting to thankyou for all your work that was put in to the 2011 AHA Awards Chloe my daughter got into the semi finals and she said the whole experience has been amazing and she has got so much from.

Thanks again and we hope to be involved again in 2 years time what a wonderful event for dancers and parents

Katie and team
Astounded that anyone would complain or challenge any scholarship/money received, extremely rude. Are these same parents/teachers going to challenge a director when their child/student doesn't make the cut into company/show? Katie you and your team do an amazing job so please push forward beyond this sort of petty nonsense and those that want a New Zealanders only or Australians only competition can make one of their own. Thanks to you and your team and the oportunities you give to the young people in the dance world. A-M Colman

Hello to all of the AHA team!
I wanted to congratulate you on an amazing event.
My daughter (a first time junior competitor) had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed every second of her AHA experience as a competitor.
I was most impressed from a parents point of view. The organisation, the encouragement and support were stupendous.
The level of talent (and the vast numbers of those so obviously talented) was clearly a challenge to the audjudicators and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in their shoes. There were obviously going to be many enormously skilled and trained dancers disappointed but they were all made proud of just being there and being part of the experience.
Thank you so much we loved every second of this Australiasian event and I'm hoping we'll be back!
Cheers

I have read and re-read your letter regarding the scholarships and am still "shocked" to think that people cannot see what a great opportunity your event is for all students, and feel it is rather short-sighted of them to start "valuing" the scholarships in a monetary fashion rather than for the opportunities they are. You will probably find no matter how you allocate prizes and scholarships there is always going to be some people who are unhappy and find a problem with it.
Fortunately the majority of people appreciate the hard work and effort you and your team put in to make this event possible. Congratulations to you all

Thank you for the Scholarship opportunity and for hosting such such a wonderful event.

We come from from a small town on the mid coast of NSW and it was a truly amazing experience for my 12yr old daughter to be amongst such a talented group of competitors. She has come away from the Alana Haines competition with not only an exceptional scholarship award, but also a lifetime experience.

So thank you Katie and all your helpers, and also thanks to the scholarship donors who provide great opportunities to children who may not otherwise be able to experience them.

Well done AHA team!

Hi Katie

I feel quite sad that you have had to send out the attached letter and that you have had to deal with questions like this after the amazing event you have
organised, which gives students a chance to participate and further their training within the dance world. I would have thought that at this level competition there would be an understanding by parents and tutors as to the scholarship allocations and that students who obtained a scholarship should be truly grateful for any chance to develop and participate within another dance training facility.

I for one truly appreciate all the tremendous work you all have put in to make this competition the success it is. My two students had an amazing learning experience, being their first major competition, they have come back to class with further enthusiasm to work harder. I myself as a teacher had a wonderful time watching all the students and their abilities, the beautiful costumes and the
many hours that have gone into making them and overall enjoying the whole atmosphere of the competition. I commend you all.

Congratulations

kind regards Shona Bennett
Bennett School of Ballet & Jazz

Thank you for the Scholarship opportunity and for hosting such such a wonderful event.

We come from from a small town on the mid coast of NSW and it was a truly amazing experience for my 12yr old daughter to be amongst such a talented group of competitors. She has come away from the Alana Haines competition with not only an exceptional scholarship award, but also a lifetime experience.

So thank you Katie and all your helpers, and also thanks to the scholarship donors who provide great opportunities to children who may not otherwise be able to experience them.

Well done AHA team!

I would firstly like to thank you so much for providing such an AMAZING experience for me and my fellow dancers, even though I did not get through from the preliminary round, I found the competition gave me so much more
determination and willingness to strive for what I want to achieve.. The venue was really nice and comfortable and had great places to warm up.. A few of us used the railings up stairs as bars! :) The stage was great and I felt that backstage had heaps of room to practice side stage and tutus were easy to maneuver around.. :)

I just wanted to say a few things regarding the email about scholarships. I think it is kind of rude to question the scholarships as you have gone to so much trouble to organise them and they can not appreciate the value that lies behind them... the judges obviously had their work cut out for them but they are professionals and know what they are talking about. Especially Li, I found that he was such and inspirational person and respected every single performer by watching their every move. I had read the book prior to the competition and
seen the movie but on the Thursday night when watching the movie I found it gave me so much more inspiration and the atmosphere was amazing! The one thing that I kept repeating to my self the whole weekend was 'if you are here to win... then you are here for the wrong reason, you are here to learn...' These were the heartfelt words spoken by Li on Thursday night. I would have loved to have received a scholarship, it would be my dream to further my career in ballet and to those ungrateful of the success they achieved, they need to remember what Li
said. You put so much effort into providing for every body 'type' and dancing desires and I thank you for that.

The suggestion made to have a quarter-final would be a nice idea as it would give competitors more of a chance, if successful to get through, to showcase what we have.

Thank you for your time and I hope to compete in the Alana Haines competition again.. :)

Dear Katie
Thank you for your email. I assume there has been some issues which have arisen since the event this year - hence your email.
Arizona has just moved to Sydney this year from a regional area in NSW and we have very little experience with any competitions - however, our experience attending the awards was very positive, we were happy with every aspect of the event and would love to come back again.
The judging is I am sure, very difficult, and there will always be some disappointments. I think you do very well to secure such fabulous prizes and scholarships to offer the competitors, and I think that recipients should be grateful for that. I am sorry we are unable to give you any constructive feedback, but would like to recognise the huge job you all do, and express my admiration to you all for continuing to run the event which was I am sure is a huge job, and was thoroughly enjoyable for both my daughter and myself.

Kind Regards
Sharon Savage

Dear Katie,
I would like to take this opportunity to thankyou for such a wonderful event,
as first timers my two daughters Natalie and Emily had a fantastic time.

Our accommodation and Takapuna was a beautiful place ,we are only sorry we couldnt stay longer to see more of your beautiful country. Not only did they make some new friends across the sea they were also inspired by the talent that New Zealand and Australia has to offer. It is not often they can get the opportunity to dance in an all ballet environment so your awards has given them a wonderful opportunity to experience and participate in a competition which we found to be of such a high standard it was amazing!! Our money was well spent as we were entertained by a huge pool of talented ballet dancers.We were all made to feel welcome and found everything to be well run and organised. Even my husband enjoyed watching!!
My youngest Emily got the biggest thrill at being chosen for the finals and she revelled in the pomp and ceremony on stage xx we truly dont have such a wonderful competition solely for ballet here so once again thankyou!

The chance to compete and perform at this level only helps to inspire and motivate my daughters to work harder and hope that one day they will make it xx we will definately be back to perform and see the next generation of dancers xx

PS The scholarships on offer were astonishing and just the opportunity to receive one was thrilling, just performing in such a great setting with quality dancers from Australia and New Zealand was enough, so Emily receiving a scholarship was a bonus she is extremely grateful for. Once again thankyou for giving many dancers the chance to dance and be seen and enjoyed by many xx

Dear Katie,

In response to your e-mail 13 th. May re concerns with the AHA Awards Scholarships.It saddens me as a former Kiwi to read the concerns of some parents and tutors.Amanda's Academy took a tour consisting of 11 students and 7 adults.This was at a cost of $22,000.00, a large proportion of which was spent on Hotels,transport and food.This has greatly benefited the Auckland economy for the interest of those who do not welcome Australians!

Unless my calculations are incorrect didn't a student from the NZSD win the AHA in 2007 plus I understand Hannah O'Neill is a KIwi and was gorgous to watch this year perform.I can not see how only Aust. wins every year.

On the issue of poaching,how strange teachers should even consider this to be an issue.If they believed in their ability as a teacher they should encourage their students to experience other teachers ideas.Our students are encouraged to embrace all knowledge from many sources.Amanda has not had any losses from this practice.

How amazing to be offered international scholarships.A dream come true for any dancer wheather they be NZ or Australian.

As for NZ students "losing hope" against Australian competitors.It has come across as you only want to compete against your equal,never to be challenged!If you think the Australians are so much better then left your game and give us a run for our money next time.May I be so bold to say if you can't cope at the Australisia level then give up dancing now as the international scene is explosive with talent which if a career in dance is pursued you must meet that challenge to secure places in full time school and companies.

Thank you Katie for giving us all a wonderful platform to show our art and the opportunity to be competitive.To finalize come on people,lets all enjoy this fantastic event together please don't let a "them and us" attitude develope.We love to watch the Kiwis on stage ,we hoped you enjoyed watching our students work too.
We look forward to seeing you all in 2013 and lets hope all these "silly" ideas have been put to rest.We all want the same thing, a great opportunity for our students to develope and grow not only as dancers but as people as well.

Thank you,

Lee Houghton

Gold Coast
Australia.

It is sad to think that katie and everyone else involved in making the Alana Haines Awards possible are now having to explain themselves.

What an amazing job you have all done by taking such a tragedy and turning it into an amazing experience for so many young dancers, it is truly a selfless act from all involved especially those that were so very close to Alana. As a parent your strength is truly amazing.

When a read that people had problems with this years Alana Haines Awards, my first thought was "please dont stop this amazing opportunity for young Australasian Dancers" as no doubt that would be the easiest option.

Everyone involved in making these awards possible need to be congratulated not persecuted.

The people that have a problem will always have a problem no matter when, how or where. Thats the sad reality.

Donna
NSW
Australia

I would firstly like to thank you so much for providing such an AMAZING
experience for me and my fellow dancers, even though I did not get through form
the preliminary round, I found the competition gave me so much more
determination and willingness to strive for what I want to achieve.. The venue
was really nice and comfortable and had great places to warm up.. A few of us
used the railings up stairs as bars! :) The stage was great and I felt that
backstage had heaps of room to practice side stage and tutus were easy to
maneuver around.. :)

I just wanted to say a few things regarding the email about scholarships. I
think it is kind of rude to question the scholarships as you have gone to so
much trouble to organise them and they can not appreciate the value that lies
behind them... the judges obviously had their work cut out for them but they are
professionals and know what they are talking about. Especially Li, I found that
he was such and inspirational person and respected every single performer by
watching their every move. I had read the book prior to the competition and
seen the movie but on the Thursday night when watching the movie I found it gave
me so much more inspiration and the atmosphere was amazing! The one thing that
I kept repeating to my self the whole weekend was 'if you are here to win...
then you are here for the wrong reason, you are here to learn...' These were
the heartfelt words spoken by Li on Thursday night. I would have loved to have
received a scholarship, it would be my dream to further my career in ballet and
to those ungrateful of the success they achieved, they need to remember what Li
said. You put so much effort into providing for every body 'type' and dancing
desires and I thank you for that.

The suggestion made to have a quarter-final would be a nice idea as it would
give competitors more of a chance, if successful to get through, to showcase
what we have.

Thank you for your time and I hope to compete in the Alana Haines competition
again.. :)

WOW!people, we are amazing, how easy we have found to be honest, positive and grateful. Thank you to all who have articulated my thoughts. I second all these true people. In particular, I share the admiration expressd to Katie. I too, am in awe of you to turn an unbearable tragedy to honour and an amazing experience for others. It's not just a competition - we can all learn from you Katie, how we can make ourselves better people. I remember saying to my girl, dance your best for you and Alana and she did..Thank you with much love Katie to allow us to share your life experience and become better people for it.