Complete with all of the nerves, determination and talent – the Tauranga Festival of Performing Arts is described as ‘Saturday morning sport for the performing arts'.

Instead of on a netball court or rugby field, more than 600 competitors from throughout the North Island will showcase their fitness and flair on the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre's stage these school holidays.

Kiarni Sperling, 8, and Paige Freed, 8. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

Tauranga Performing Arts Competitions Society Inc president Cathy Gifford says the festival from today to July 12 makes for excellent school holiday entertainment.

'This is participants' opportunity to perform on the stage, to get a critique from a renowned adjudicator and expert in their field – as well as seeing how they shape up against their peers.”

Now in its 58th year, the festival provides a platform for performers, aged three to early 20s, to show off their talent in eight art forms including singing, speech, piano, instrumental, ballet, tap, modern dance and highland dance.

Cathy says with more than 2000 acts on show this year, the festival – sponsored by TECT, Legacy Trust, Lion Foundation, Acorn Foundation and more – continues to grow.

'Last year we introduced the small instrumental ensemble group for youngsters aged under 18 and this year it's really grown.”

One of those performers is Poppy Fry. She's usually a quiet girl, but it's when the six-year-old steps under the spotlight that her big personality shines through.

'We call it her stage alter-ego,” says Poppy's mum Charlotte Fry. 'She's usually quite quiet, but she expresses herself through dancing.”

Poppy started dancing at Bay of Plenty Performing Arts at the beginning of 2014 and in the last 18 months she's begun to excel in her art form, bringing home top placings at competitions in her age level.

The six-year-old recently won first place in the jazz, lyrical, impromptu jazz and musical theatre Under-12 categories, a second place in the jazz championship category, and most outstanding item overall, at the competitions in Te Puke last month.

'The results are the icing on the cake but what makes me feel proud is to see her be proud of herself,” says Charlotte.

Poppy started with one weekly ballet class; now Charlotte drives her daughter to five dance classes a week.

'She doesn't have a lot of time to have her friends around but that's what she picks to do is dancing,” says Charlotte.

'She's obsessed with dancing. The pictures she draws are of dancers or pictures of her on stage, I read her writing book at school and everything's about dancing.”

While Charlotte admits she has no rhythm, her daughter dreams of becoming a dance teacher or a professional dancer at Disneyland.

'She's so young but she's got such a big personality on stage,” says Charlotte. 'She's so natural. It's why I think she's getting such a big response.”

Throughout the week, adjudicators keep a close eye on the modern dance, highland dance, speech and instrumental acts to nominate one stand-out performer aged 15-plus for the Young Performer of the Year.

Each art form will also run a Major Award Scholarship for senior performers.

The event ends with a Festival Concert at Baycourt on Sunday, July 12, from 2pm.

'It's a showcase all the art forms that have happened over the week from a variety of ages, from the littlies to the very experienced,” says Cathy.

The competition, from July 3-12, runs from 9am-9pm. There's a $2 entry fee for adults and $1 for students. Tickets to the Festival Concert cost $15 from Baycourt Box Office.