Two Kiama song and dance events to hit high note for charity with workshops, shows

Two annual Kiama music events by Katandra Women’s A Cappella Choir are set to see voices raised and toes tapped in aid of South Coast charity organisations on 29 June.

The third South Coast Sings – Goes Latin was a combination of vocal workshops and a concert, with this year’s Latin theme expected to be popular due to the region’s strong Latin community, while the fourth annual The Big Swing was an opportunity for punters to have a dance.

Katandra music director Antoinette Raynal said the day would start with the four-part South Coast Sings – Goes Latin, which was a chance for singers of any age or vocal experience to explore Latin song and dance.

Antoinette said four workshops would run concurrently across two morning sessions exploring music theatre, how to sing jazz Latin, Sing Out! and dancing the Argentinian tango and Cuban salsa.

“We have Trish Delaney-Brown, who’s going to teach singing jazz Latin, and she’s for people who really love their singing and have had some experience, or for anyone who just wants to listen to what an experienced singer sounds like,” she said.

“For those with less experience who’ve never sung before, we have a workshop run by Kate Whitworth, and that’s for anyone who thought they might like to sing, but probably never had a chance to.

“It’s a really nice, fun workshop where you get to find what your voice can do, what voice you have and get the basic techniques about how to gain confidence in your voice and enjoy yourself.

“It’s all about singing so you can enjoy collaborating with others.”

Antoinette said another workshop was music theatre, with choreographer Kylie Morgan performing America from West Side Story for people who have always wanted to get on stage.

“I remember last year I heard her start with the group really tentatively and within 15 minutes they were on stage and moving, and the volume increased,” she said.

She said the final workshop on offer was dancing the Argentinian tango and Cuban salsa with Jenny Asquith and Andrew Yeo.

“It’s with the idea that when you sing, the energy literally goes from your toes up to your vocal cords,” she said.

Antoinette said workshop participants would also receive music and audio for two songs to rehearse together in the third session and perform as a mass choir during the fourth session of the day, which was a concert open to the public.

She said those who didn’t want to be part of workshops could attend the concert, which would include performances from Wollongong Conservatorium of Music’s youth choir Flame Tree, a salsa quintet, an Ulladulla group doing salsa dancing and the finale of all workshop participants performing.

“So they get this workshop experience, but they get drawn into an actual performance,” she said.

“Last year, we had 120 people singing in the finale … and they were genuinely surprised and excited by the experience.”

Antoinette said members of the Children’s Medical Research Institute would be providing food during the day, but their organisation would also be the recipient of funds raised from the event.

“About 65 years ago, there was a mothers’ group in Gerringong, and one of their friends had a sick child,” she said.

Asking what they could do to help, they worked with paediatric specialists in the Royal Prince Albert Hospital Sydney to raise funds for children’s medical research.

“So her own mothers’ group did all the fundraising for this particular child, but they kept going, supporting children throughout NSW,” Antionette said.

Sixty-five years on, they’re still going and based in Gerringong.

Antoinette said Jeans for Genes Day was one of their many fundraising endeavours, along with now catering for functions.

“It’s something that people don’t know about our area,” she said.

“Being a women’s a cappella choir, where we support each other in the choir, we also support women in our community who do this kind of work, so they’re a natural fit.”

Antoinette said the choir, now based in Kiama and Berry, also sponsored students in the choir and during South Coast Sings was sponsoring several free tickets for high school and university students, and parents and their children.

She said the second event that would happen on the evening of the same day was The Big Swing.

Now in its fourth year, it would feature Northern Beaches 16-piece band Beachside Big Band performing a cabaret mix.

People could book a table and bring drinks and nibbles, and had the chance to dance on a dedicated dance floor.

All proceeds will go to Salt Ministries at the old Bomaderry Primary School, which has six aspects to its church, from a domestic violence homeless shelter to a wellness farm for people recovering from addiction, and providing clothing for people attending interviews.

The South Coast Sings Goes Latin workshops and concert will be held at various Kiama venues and The Big Swing will be held at The Pavilion, Kiama, on 29 June.