‘Humble beginnings’: Teen mum’s inspiring journey to dance success

“I feel like I always had the passion to dance inside of me from a very young age, but I was in the Far North so there weren’t dance classes growing up,” she explains. “I was very active and sporty in other areas, but it sparked in my early teen years. “My mum saw that I had a passion for dance, so I started with friends in the garage. We didn’t really have phones or internet or resources back then, but my mum loved music, so I used to watch Talking Heads and Michael Jackson [to learn moves]. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. “Mum had us performing at every local gig – every parade, Christmas in the Park – we were at every community event, so we had something to work towards and weren’t just dancing in the shed.” Alannah Curtis pictured earlier in her career. Curtis, 34, didn’t take her first dance class until she was 14; after only one term, she was hired to teach a class for Hardcore Dance Company in Kerikeri. “That was crazy. Obviously, it was an amazing opportunity and I do remember my very first class teaching. “There were parents outside looking through the window and...