STAR QUALITY: Tina Cross and dance partner Aaron Gilmore on last year's Dancing with the Stars. Photos supplied/TVNZ. • Howick and Pakuranga Times THIRTY years ago, a singer from Otara had nothing but dreams on her quest to make it in showbiz. Tina Cross’ big break came in the 1979 Pacific Song Contest. She was chosen by composer Carl Doy to sing his winning tune Nothing But Dreams. To mark the anniversary of its release and song contest win, Cross and Doy are reuniting for a special TVNZ performance concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at Auckland’s Aotea Centre February 4. It’s a big deal being invited to play such a concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). Where did the idea come from for the concert? Initially they approached Carl Doy, who is maestro on Dancing with the Stars. I have a history with Carl, he wrote Nothing But Dreams, 30 years ago this year. I sang Carl’s winning song. When they approached Carl to do a programme, the bulk of the work is Carl’s because he’s writing all the arrangements and will be conducting on the night. The next step was the singers and because of Carl’s connection with Dancing with the Stars, they were also looking at the lead singers Bella Kalolo and Grant Sullivan. There are many quality Kiwi entertainers who are probably deserving of such a collaboration with the NZSO, yet have not been invited. Do you feel it’s a tribute to you and Carl? That’s right, it is a real tribute. We’re absolutely chuffed. It’s great working with Carl, it always is. He’s such a professional and so fantastic. He’s a great musician and has such great ears. We talked on Dancing with the Stars about working together again. We were thrown together a couple of times late last year. One because of Rob Guest’s memorial service and funeral – we were both in Australia for that, but just after we worked together in a couple of shows, and that’s quite rare. I’m working all sorts of scenarios with [singing group] the Lady Killers, solo, jazz gigs, corporate concerts, but Carl doesn’t. He’s quite exclusive to Dancing with the Stars and a lot of recording – his Piano by Candlelight and all of the other recordings he does. So to actually nab him and work live with him is quite hard. I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve been working together, just Carl and myself, piano and voice, and now of course the big orchestral show. The arrangements are massive, the biggest part of his job. The song set programme for the symphony concert has been released and it’s very diverse. It’s testament to Carl’s talent as well. As in Dancing with the Stars, when you hear the songs they trot out, between ballroom and Latin, he can put a great arrangement together for anything. And in this instance, it’s for a big prestigious orchestra and it’s a huge buzz for Carl as well. He’s lapping it up to be honest. The upcoming concert is about dreams, but it’s also about three decades of memories, especially for you and Carl. Do you see it that way? Yes, it’s a trip down memory lane, nostalgic in many ways. A lot of songs are spanning the decades. We’re covering disco, some classics and jazz classics. I’m even doing a version of MacArthur Park. When you consider Richard Harris released it back in the day and Donna Summer made it popular in the late 1970s, a song like that really weathers the time. For us, it’s great looking back at the memories of Nothing But Dreams, which is the sort of song that has stood the test of time. People ask me to sing it all the time. The Sir Howard [Morrison] tribute that was on television recently, I was fortunate to be asked to sing that song on that show. I’ve been amazed at how many people have asked me since where they can get a copy. Literally the answer is nowhere, I have to send it to them on email. It’s an incredible song that’s for sure. How was the Dancing with the Stars experience?
