one on one PHOTOS: World of Wearable Arts Ltd
Dedicated to dance Former Cantabrian Malia Johnston has been wowing audiences throughout New Zealand for years. She talks to Lynda Papesch about dance moves from tippy toes to WOW shows.
T
eaching children’s dance classes first showed Malia Johnston that her true career lay not in science and animals, but dance. As the creative director at WOW, she is now fully embracing her artistic talents. “When I was 22, I was studying zoology and environmental science at Canterbury University. “On the side, I was running a dance school for children, which I loved. “I was teaching and managing 13 classes a week, making shows and
MALIA JOHNSTON 8 22 July, 2021 Metropol
putting the kids through exams, yet in my mind this was my hobby, my fun time. “What was supposed to be more important were all the university classes that I was actively avoiding. “When I accidentally came across a full-time dance programme that I could audition for, it was like finding gold. “I had never thought training full time in something that I loved was possible.” Malia took the plunge, left university and never looked back.
