Choreography & Confetti

Avondale College’s dance leaders Asa Heenan and Ella Eketone continue to make waves in the dance world. Both familiar faces in our Heartbeat newsletter for their many awards for outstanding choreography, the two recently returned from Los Angeles with international titles to their names.

Asa’s hiphop dance crew, Yung ID, clinched first place at the prestigious World of Dance Summit, while Ella’s group, The Collective, took out first in their division and landed an impressive third overall.

Despite their long list of accolades, the thrill of victory hasn’t worn off.

“Every time you do a new campaign, it feels different,” Ella shares. “You put in the work and hope it pays off—and when it does—it’s the best feeling ever.”

To earn their place on the world stage, both groups had to qualify through the New Zealand World of Dance event at Due Drop Events Centre. The top teams are chosen to go over to LA - the birthplace of the hiphop style that Asa and Ella appreciate so deeply.

For Asa, who began dancing at age seven and has competed seriously for the past five years, choreography came naturally through years of mentorship and experience. He now leads his own nine-person crew. Ella stepped into choreography more recently, taking charge of the school’s Mega Crew this year.

Their shared journey started years ago at primary school—though they didn’t know each other well at the time. Fast forward, and the two now co-lead choreography for the Avondale College dance crew, blending their distinctive approaches. “It’s cool to step into leadership in this way, alongside Ella,” Asa says. “We brainstorm a lot of ideas together.”

Director of Dance Miss Schmidt says it has been an honour to watch the two collaborate creatively. "Asa and Ella exemplify the values and vision we hold for all our dance students at Avondale College," she says. "Having worked with them since they were juniors, it has been incredible to witness their growth — not only as outstanding performers, but as inspiring leaders."

When asked about their influences, both dancers point to their teams. “The people in our crew are really supportive,” Ella says. “They push us to do better every day.”

Victory in LA felt hard-won and emotional for Asa.

“We’ve had a thing where we kept coming second at these comps,” Asa recalls. “To finally come first and kind of break that curse—it felt amazing. There was crying, laughing, jumping and cheering.”

He attributes the success to their team’s unity: “We did lots of bonding exercises. We felt calm and ready going on stage, like we had each other’s back.”

Both Asa and Ella are determined to carve out names for themselves on the dance scene in New Zealand and abroad. For Ella, dancing is a way of expressing herself in a way that's different to any other —“It’s an outlet for expressing emotion."

Asa would love to pursue a career in dancing, but hasn't got the details worked out quite yet. The challenge of coming up with inventive and aesthetically pleasing choreographies will keep him dancing long into the future. “It requires you to think deeply... creating and being original is so fun."

Watch Yung ID & The Collective's winning performances below: