Entertainment Extravaganza At Wellington Celebrations

Members of the Wellington Down syndrome community celebrated World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) on March 25 at The Dell in the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Following days of drizzle and heavy rain, the weather magically cleared on Sunday morning, and the sun came through, the wind stayed away and the ground was firm and dry. A wonderful crowd of 150 members and friends of the Wellington Down syndrome community enjoyed a day that was filled with an amazing programme of events and entertainment, and of course, plenty of food, including a cake decorated in purple and orange. One of the highlights was the first public gig of the Alex Walsh Band. Alex has Down syndrome and is an accomplished saxe man. The audience was not allowed to sit still and was soon invited by Dean from Dances for Schools to get involved in a Hip-Hop dance tutorial, which gave everyone a good workout. The entertainment just kept coming with two groups from Star Jam, City Jazzy Jammers and the Groovy Guitars, performing dance and musical sets. They were followed by the JDK Crew, who busted out a high energy and tightly choreographed routine that would not have been out of place at any professional dance event. While the music and dancing continued, the children were able to play on the equipment that was generously supplied for the day by Anatoa and Ariana from Compass Health.