Anthony Wilding village residents got their groove on at a DJ set from More FM that aired nationwide this morning. The residents’ styley dance moves went down a storm in front of DJ Lana Searle, a host of the The Breakfast Club.
The station’s Breakfast Club recently revealed the opening act for ‘Spice Girls royalty’ Melanie C’s sole New Zealand show will be Lana, also known as DJ Dargavillain.
Lana certainly proved a hit with these fun-loving Ryman residents, who loved her style, energy, and multi-coloured tracksuit. They were called upon to be her first live test audience ahead of the exclusive Auckland event, with one resident saying it was the ‘earliest dance party’ he’d ever been to.
Mel C is gracing our New Zealand shores for one show at Studio The Venue in Karangahape Road on Friday evening, 10 May.
Yesterday it was all about Lana trying out her DJ skills in front of the residents for a pre-recorded Breakfast Club slot, with everyone enjoying the village’s recently renovated activities and events space.
Lana warmed up the crowd with some tunes, and residents, including Gerard and Judy Willems, couldn’t resist making their way onto the dance floor.
Gerard and Judy said they’d long been dancers, and while that had included a lot of ballroom they also enjoy younger musicians like Taylor Swift. “Oh yes, I think she’s fantastic,” Gerard said.
Lana launched into her DJ set with Tom Jones & Mousse T’s Sexbomb, mixed it up with Abba’s Dancing Queen and played other popular tracks like Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off, much to Gerard and Judy’s delight. The Bee Gees’ Tragedy sounded out a backdrop for a gorgeous conga line.
Lana’s slot stems from her 2023 New Year's resolution to become a DJ, with the well-wishing Anthony Wilding residents shouting out “good luck in Auckland” at the conclusion of her set, she was ready to go.
Lana’s fellow More FM host Adam Percival said the Anthony Wilding event was a way to help ease her into her new live performance role, after Lana admitted she’d been practising ‘non-stop’ at home.
“Because, throwing you in the deep end we know that you will swim, we know that you will succeed, but we feel like we need to throw you into the paddling pool before the big transition... so get your DJ feet wet,” Adam said.
Lana replied: “I haven’t actually done it (DJ-ing) in front of people yet... I appreciate the transition.”
Ryman Chief Executive NZ Cheyne Chalmers, speaking with the Breakfast Club hosts on Wednesday morning, predicted that the Anthony Wilding audience would be up for this departure from the usual entertainment.
“It’s quite interesting, because we’re a bit of a party bunch at Ryman Healthcare and we do have lots of parties. We have really cool spaces for events, and we often have bands, choirs and a bit of Karaoke happening, but I’m not entirely quite sure we’ve had DJ Dargavillain before,” she joked.
Resident Ken Austin helped conclude the event by saying a special thanks to Lana and the crew, followed by producer Speedy (Chris Goodyear) saying: “It’s the earliest dance party I’ve ever been to, it’s probably the most colourful one too. Anyway it’s proved older people can have fun, even if it needs a few young ones to act as catalysts. Thank you.”
