Ray White Ferrymead Principal, Craig Prier and dancing partner Kath Cross from The Cornershop Bistro, represented Sumner Residents’ Association in this year’s inaugural Strictly Sumner. This local dance event was inspired by Strictly Ballroom and Dancing with the Stars, with the aim of helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars in support of local clubs and societies.
After 15 weeks of rehearsals and countless hours of practice, ten couples competed to win the coveted title of the best dancers on the block. Each pair performed choreographed dance routines in front of a supportive crowd and renowned judges, namely: Crystal Chenery, former Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars Contestant; Scott Cole, Canterbury’s own professional dance master, and Lisa Davies from TV1 News.
Black tie event, Strictly Sumner, was held in early May to a sell-out crowd at the Sumner School Hall. Craig said, ‘it was an amazing night’, each couple performed two dances plus a number of demonstration dances from professional dancers. The celebrity judges were entertaining with controversial comments, blood, sweat, tears from the dancers and lots of drama – the crowd loved it. Craig added, ‘although we didn’t win, Kath and I were rapt with our performance. It was a total blast!’.
During the weeks leading into the event, Craig and Kath ran a Givealittle page for their charity. With the generous community support, Craig and Kath raised over $3,400 which was passed onto the Sumner Residents’ Association as well as the Christchurch City Mission.
Craig and Kath were thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Strictly Sumner event, Craig said, ‘it’s nice to cross off ‘dance event’ from the bucket list!’.
View a video of Kath & Craig for The Sumner Resident’s Association | Strictly Sumner