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Levin East School took second place in the junior section of Showquest.
A school in Levin has shown its prowess in the performing arts by impressing the jury with an exhibition themed on conservation.
Horowhenua’s Levin East School came in second in the junior division of Showquest, the nation’s largest performing arts competition for schools showcasing art, music, dance, drama, culture and technology.
The competition held regional digital shows from May and ended with the final live online at 4 p.m. on Friday.
The primary school, which took first place in the competition last year, based its achievements on the worldwide extinction of animal species.
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Judge Van Horn said Levin East School’s performance touched him emotionally and he was impressed with their performance.
“The performers were connected and engaged, which showed me that they all really believed in the message they were telling.
“This is super important, and it had an emotional impact on me. Great stories.”
Describing its emergence, the school said climate change, pollution, overfishing and trophies hunting have left humans at risk of extinction of a million plant and animal species, many in a matter of decades.
“Our actions of greed, selfishness and excessive indulgence cause death and destruction.”
Teams were judged by a panel including Suzy Cato, Elektra Shock, David Van Horn and Fasitua Amosa, on their technical and production skills, performance, movement and overall theme.
The school also won the overall junior award for best choreography, best costume and improvement, as well as a joint award with Te Awamutu Intermediate for best theme.
Student Isabel Mcminn won the award for outstanding rangatahi.
In the senior section, Whanganui High School took third place and won best costume and improvement, sharing the ZM Soundtrack Award with Rangiora High School of Canterbury.
Showquest producer Kelsey Moller said this year’s contestants had shown great enthusiasm in creating, performing and sharing their stories on stage.
“Being involved in Showquest gives students a goal to work towards and an opportunity to express themselves creatively.
“It was great to see so many rangatahi perform on stage and feel fulfilled despite the setbacks of Covid-19 along the way.”
Rangikura School in Wellington won first prize in the junior category for its essay on the migration of the Pasifika people to Porirua.
With their play based on the life of Frida Kahlo, Auckland’s Epsom Girls’ Grammar School won the open section, which was available to teams of students from ages 9 to 13.
Showquest is produced by Rockquest Promotions with support from the Ministry of Education, World of Wearable Art, Rockshop and ZM.