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27/11/2018
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Aroha Awarau 13:29, Nov 26 2018
JESSICA TYSON - MISS WORLD NEW ZEALAND 2018 / FACEBOOK
Miss World New Zealand, Jess Tyson is impressing judges at Miss World with her poi performance.
A contemporary poi dance performed by Miss World New Zealand has impressed Miss World judges, who've chosen the routine to feature during the final's telecast.
Jess Tyson, 25, flew to China three weeks ago as the New Zealand representative at the international pageant.
The success of Tyson's cultural Māori performance comes after a former Kiwi beauty queen, Deborah Lambie, performed a contemporary haka at the competition three years ago and received huge online criticism. Commenters said Lambie's haka was uncomfortable to watch and a Māori studies lecturer described it as "not right".
Tyson's poi tutor, seasoned kapa haka performer and broadcaster Peata Melbourne, said, "I didn't want Jess to be ridiculed or laughed at, I wanted it to come across as authentic and done in the proper way."
SUPPLIED
Miss World New Zealand, Jess Tyson. is impressing judges at Miss World with her poi performance.
Speaking from China, Tyson, a digital journalist at Māori Television, says she was selected to perform the poi at the MIss World live telecast after a gruelling day of auditions.
Only 20 of the 118 women competing were chosen. Tyson says her cultural performance is a great way to showcase New Zealand's indigenous culture to a mass international audience.
"A lot of people asked me if I had been doing the poi all my life because they thought I looked professional. But I only started learning the moves a couple of months ago.
"Years of watching kapa haka performances inspired me to learn the poi so I could gain the confidence to do it on stage."
Melbourne says, "My job was to keep the routine authentic and still allowing Jess to bring herself into it. I didn't recreate kapa haka that you do on stage. I gave her the basic moves and the fundamentals of performing, the body movements, the gracefulness and the feminity. She added the Jess Factor."
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Miss World NZ Deborah Lambie performed a haka that did not sit well with many.
This year, Tyson, originally from Whanganui, spoke for the first time about surviving sexual abuse as a child. She started BRAVE, an organisation that teaches young men and women self defence techniques. Before she left for China, she told Stuff she used beauty pageants as a way to heal from the abuse.
"I've been able to turn something really horrible that's happened to me into something that's really positive.
"Since I've spoken out about my experience, so many young women have reached out to me and told me that my story has changed their lives.
"I'm a lot more confident now and I'm not afraid to speak my truth. What I've gained from being a beauty queen is so much bigger than just wearing a sash and crown."
Major pageant websites and fan blogs predict Tyson as one of the favourites to win the crown during the final telecast on December 8.
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Jess Tyson, winning the title of Miss World New Zealand 2018
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