What's the Pointe!

Creation Dance Competition

2008-06-03T13:11:00.002-04:00

On Saturday May 31st, my dance studio and I attended our last regional dance competition at which we did fairly well. There were two different award ceremonies--one for solos and the other for groups, trios, and duets.

Chelsea’s jazz solo was the first dance of the day and she did very well and placed 1st. Then Taylor performed her tap piece and also earned 1st place. Out of all the solos (ages under 12) Taylor and Chelsea received overall best awards. Chelsea won 2nd runner up and Taylor won 3rd runner up. Everyone was very proud of them.

Next came the age 12 and up solos where all the girls placed first; Katie, Anna, Caitlyn, Nicole and Rebecca. I, on the other hand, received the Ultimate Victory award for my solo! (Ultimate Victory is just like platinum: the highest award you can receive) I also received a special award called “Pretty Pointed Toes.” Then, I won 1st place overall of the age 12 and up solos and was crowned with a pretty tiara and huge trophy that comes up to my waist! It was a very exciting day for me.

After all the solos were over, it was time for duets, Anna and I performed our jazz duet followed by Katie and Caitlyn in their jazz duet. Both of our pieces received 1st place and both got special awards. Our special award was called “Blue Tongues” because Anna and I came up with this idea to eat blue Airheads so our tongues would be blue. We did this because in our dance we stick out our tongues and the song is called "Let's Go Crazy"; so we did!

Katie and Caitlyn’s special award was called “Best Kicks” because they do a kick-line in their jazz duet. Finally we performed all of our group dances and received 1st on all of them. The younger girls got a special award for their tap piece because of their funny facials. This was a great competition to end the regional season. We all had so much fun, but we are glad we don’t have to worry about competitions anymore--until nationals in the Baltimore Inner Harbor in July.

Ticket to Broadway Competition

2008-05-14T12:53:00.001-04:00

On Saturday May 10th members of my dance studio and I went to Baltimore to participate in a full-day dance competition called, Ticket to Broadway. The event started at 10 a.m. and ended around 9:30 p.m.

Chelsea’s jazz solo to Shake your Groove Thing was the first performance and she received High Gold. Taylor’s tap solo called Hip Hip Chin Chin was next and she also scored High Gold. Chelsea placed 6th in the junior jazz category. Taylor placed 3rd in the junior tap category.
Later in the day, the juniors performed our jazz dance called Saturday Night and we earned High Gold. Then the juniors performed a tap dance called Let the Drummer Kick and we also earned High Gold. Our jazz dance placed 8th in the teen jazz category and our tap dance got 4th place in the teen tap category.

Anna and I performed our jazz duet to Let’s Go Crazy and received 3rd in the teen jazz duet/trio. Then Katie and Caitlyn who were also in our category performed their duet to Mama I’m a Big Girl Now and received 2nd in the teen jazz duet/trio category. They also placed 4th overall in the teen duet/trio group.

The younger girls performed their group dances. Their tap dance to Little Shop of Horrors was first: They received High Gold and placed 2nd in the junior tap small group category and placed 4th overall the junior small groups. Next the younger girls did their jazz number called Privacy and earned 5th out of the junior jazz small group and scored High Gold. Getting closer to the end came the lyrical small group called I’ll Stand by You. We received High Gold and placed 1st in the lyrical teen small group.

To finish out the long day, everyone performed their solos. My solo was the first to go from my studio. I did very well with my modern dance called The Lioness Hunt and earned High Gold and 9th place out of all the other solos in the senior division. Rebecca performed her jazz dance to Steam Heat and earned High Gold. Right after Rebecca, came Anna, she did very well with her jazz dance to Knock on Wood. She also received High Gold. Then Katie performed her open dance to Oh So Quiet and received again another High Gold. Next Nicole performed her tap dance to Mambo Italiano and received High Gold. Finally Caitlyn was the last soloist to go from our studio. Her tap dance to Mambo Lido went very well. She got High Gold and placed 1st in the senior tap solo category.

The most exciting news of all is that Anna, Katie and I were all invited to Nationals to participate in the Circle of Stars. We are all very excited! I was invited there last year, too, and I had so much fun and met so many people! We have one more competition this month on May so I will let you know how our studio does.

On Stage America Competition

2008-05-08T13:26:00.001-04:00

May 3rd, 4th, and 5th, my studio and I attended a dance competition called On Stage America in Baltimore. It was a three-day event. Anna, Caitlyn, Nicole, Rebecca and I performed our solos on Friday night. Anna, Caitlyn, Nicole, and Rebecca all received Gold and I received High Gold. On Saturday morning, Chelsea and Taylor performed their solos. We all returned to Baltimore to support them. Chelsea received High Gold for her jazz solo and Taylor received Platinum for her tap solo. (Platinum is the highest honor)

On Sunday, Katie performed her open solo and received Gold. Later on, Anna and I performed our jazz duet and received Gold also. Our duet was very good but was not very together and that is what hurt us. Next, was our lyrical small group which again was very good, but not together, so we received Gold. Finally it came down to everyone’s group dances. The middle schoolers received High Gold for both their jazz and their tap. The juniors (us) received Platinum for tap and High Gold for jazz.

This competition made the weekend very long but we all still had a lot of fun. Even though it was not our best, we always have May 10th to make up for it. We have yet another competition this coming weekend called Ticket to Broadway held at Severna Park, Maryland so I will let you know how that goes. It is Saturday, May 10th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

TJHS Dance Showcase

2008-04-29T13:36:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend, Friday April 25th, Artistic Dance Centre and the TJ High School dance team participated in a dance showcase at Governor Thomas Johnson High School (TJHS). The following dances from my studio were performed:
-My Modern Jazz solo to "The Lioness Hunt"
-Me and Anna's Jazz duet to "Go Crazy"
-A Lyrical small group to "I'll stand by you" with Anna, Chelsea, Taylor, and I
-Caitlyn's Tap solo to "Mambo Lido"
-Chelsea's Jazz solo to "Shake your Groove Thing"
-Taylor's Tap solo to "Hip Hip, Chin Chin"
-Anna's Jazz solo to "Knock on Wood"
-Katie's Jazz solo to "Oh so Quiet"
-Katie and Caitlyn's Musical Theatre duet to "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now"
-Our prep company Jazz dance to "Privacy"
-Our Prep company Tap dance to "Little Shop of Horrors"
The showcase went very well! Although we didn't have a large crowd, everyone still had fun. My solo went well and so did our duet, but according to my mom, our small group wasn't very together so we sill have to work on that dance the most.

It was our studio's first time seeing the TJ girls perform, too. They did an excellent job. I really enjoyed their one baton duet to "The Great Escape." I was amazed at what they were able to do when I can't even twirl a baton. My friend Callison is on the TJ dance team and she did a Tap duet with her little sister Katelyn to the song, "We Go Together." It looked great, but their mother was happy it was over because she was sick of their fighting.

It was my first time performing my Jazz duet with Anna and my Lyrical small group because of my injury. I found that this showcase was good practice for my upcoming competition this weekend, On Stage America. This event will take place on Friday, May 2nd-Sunday, May4th in Baltimore Maryland. I will let you know our results soon!

Applause Talent Competition

2008-03-31T13:50:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, March 29-30, my dance studio attended the Applause Talent Dance Competition in Fairfax, VA. Since I was still not able to dance because of my injury, I still went to support the studio and my friends. The choreographer of our small group, Michelle, decided that since I couldn't compete this time she would change the dance to a trio starring Taylor, Chelsea and Anna. This change made me feel a lot better because they were able to compete this time. At the last competition, my injury kept them from competing that dance. (Speaking of my sprained ACL, I am seeing my orthopedic this Wednesday, April 2nd, to give me the okay to dance so I will be able to compete in my three competitions in may.)

Nicole, Katie, Caitlyn, and Taylor's solos received gold. Chelsea, Anna, and Rebecca received high silvers. Both our group jazz dances earned high silver as well, and both our tap dances received gold. The "trio" earned a high silver and Katie and Caitlyn's duet also received high silver. Again, I was upset I couldn't dance, but I am happy I'll be back soon and able to compete in the next three competitions and recycle my solo, duet, and small group for the two I missed competitions I missed this year.

This weekend was a very good one not only including how well we did at Applause, but my aunt had a baby! My mom and I skipped the last awards on Sunday to go to the hospital and meet him. He is the cutest thing and the first boy in the family, so I know he will be very spoiled. Wouldn't it be nice if he liked dance?

DMA Competition

2008-03-18T13:40:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend March 14-16, I attended the Dance Masters of America (DMA) competition at Chesapeake college. Although I was unable to compete with the rest of my studio due to a knee injury that happened to me the past week in my school dance class, I had a great time and I think everyone was happy to see me there supporting them.

Our studio did very well at DMA. Our older company received gold on tap and high silver on jazz. Our younger company received high silver on their jazz and gold on their tap also. One of our duets got high silver and because I was not able to dance. Anna and I did not compete in our duet or our small group. Even though no one from my studio took home a title, I think everyone did very well and had a lot of fun.

The winners included a young boy named Sam for Master Dance, a young girl named Ramsey for Junior Miss dance, a girl named Melody for Teen Miss Dance, a guy named Matt for Mr. Dance and a girl named Angela for Miss Dance. These dancers were excellent in the pageants and their dances were absolutely flawless and entertaining. All of them, I felt, deserved their title.

It was very unfortunate for me to not be able to dance with my fellow dancers and friends. Due to my injury, we could not compete two dances, and the others had to be changed as a result of my absence. I couldn't participate in the title competition which disqualified me from the auditions, the interview, and the pageant all together. Although this situation was upsetting, I know that everything happens for a reason and that there will always be more competitions and more opportunities and I am okay with that.

Pre-Competition

2008-03-11T13:49:00.003-04:00

I spent this past Sunday March 9, in Baltimore with seven other dancers from my studio. The younger ones, Taylor and Chelsea had to learn a Disney dance as their opening number for their Junior Miss Dance pageant. While the rest of us, Nicole, Anna, Rebecca, Caitlyn, Katie and I were taught our opening Pirates of the Caribbean number for our Miss/Teen Miss Dance pageant. The pageant will be held March 15 at Chesapeake College.

The four-hour session went very well, and I think everyone from our studio is ready. The reason this blog is entitled Pre-Competition is because my competition is next weekend so this article is sort of an introduction, before it takes place. There are five different titles. Petite Mr./Miss Dance, Junior Mr./Miss Dance (Taylor and Chelsea), Teen Mr./Miss Dance (Anna, Caitlyn, Rebecca, Nicole and I ) and Miss Dance (Katie) . Each of these categories has some competition from other contestants, but Teen Mr./Miss Dance has 16 other contestants. Katie is against seven others and the Junior Mr./Miss Dance has 10 contestants.

I will be leaving school early on Friday so I can prepare for my solo rehearsals, my interview, and my auditions. We will be auditioning in three different styles of dance: jazz, tap, and ballet. Then, on Saturday our pageant will take place where we will do our opening dance, introduce ourselves, show our solos, and model in evening attire. On Sunday, the rest of our studio will come down and our groups, duets and trios will perform in the competition. I am most nervous about the auditions because the thought of someone watching me during a class where I'm just learning a routine, is pretty intimidating.

I will let you know how everything goes and maybe even provide some pictures. Wish me good luck!

Monsters of Hip-Hop

2008-03-05T13:18:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend (February 23-24) I atteneded a dance convention in Washington D.C. called Monsters of Hip-Hop. There I had the chance to learn from many professional choreographers such as, Jamal Sims, Dave Scott, Rhapsody, Marty Kudelka, Flomaster, etc. I had five hours of class a day for those two days. It was very tiring but worth it in the end. Not only was I able to learn from these inspiring people but I also got each of their autographs.

Since hip-hop is not my preference of dance I took the intermediate class over the advanced because I thought it suited me better. Even though I was in with dancers a lot younger than I, I still had a great time and learned a lot.

The convention provided auditions too, for those who won were awarded scholarships. I tried but did not succeed. I do not care though, I did it for the experience anyway. I have not had that many auditions so this one was good practice and will come in handy for future auditions. Overall I had a lot of fun and learned a lot there and I would recommend this convention to anyone who has a passion for hi-hop. If this is you be sure to check out their website for future tour dates:

Dancing difficulty exceeds many expectations

2008-02-21T13:18:00.003-05:00

At Linganore football, cheerleading and basketball are all seen as sports to care about and are mentioned regularly. But the subject of Dance as a sport never seems to come up at all. We are far more focused on the extracurricular activities. If you think they have it hard, here is the dirty truth. Dancing is harder work than most sports. Along with hard work, we dancers face pressure, injuries, and high costs. After twelve years of ballet, tap, jazz, everything, I should know.

Many hours of regular dance classes, followed by extra rehearsals for upcoming shows and/or competitions can take up a lot of time. On average, I spend 19 hours per week at my dance studio. With school and all my other activities I have about four hours for myself a day. Serious dancers have little or no social life and most of our free time is spent doing homework. When someone decides to dance, he or she must dedicate their life to it. For example, my sophomore friend Katie is a dancer and she had to miss the homecoming dance and Halloween because she was in a performance at her studio called Zombie Prom. Realize that I am not complaining because I love what I do, but I want others to recognize how much we sacrifice to dance. Other sports require dedication, too. Those sports are scheduled around major school events and last for one season.

Dancers face major pressure. Performing out on a stage with a group or worse, by ones self, can be very nerve-racking. Every performer deserves praise just for getting up the courage to even go out there in front of an audience, and, sometimes judges. This is different from other sports, let’s say football for an example, because although football players perform on the field they wear helmets to hide their faces and they can’t see the audience half the time, unlike dancers where the audience has the capability to see their faces during any accident or mess-up. We dancers have it hard because we have to multi-task. For example, not only do we have to memorize the dance/s but we have to memorize the counts the moves are on, make it go with the music, and still keep a smile on our face.

Next dancers pay much more than a school sport. My parents spend almost $180 a month which is not that bad for 14 classes because I am in the company and am part of the unlimited group. But for those who dance and do not acquire this at my studio, usually pay $40-45 a month per class so if you have 10 classes that’s $400. This amount does not even include shoes, make-up, costumes, props, etc. My pointe shoes for example cost around $80 and depending on how much I wear them, I need about 2-3 replacements. This is just one type of shoes too; this doesn’t even include jazz, ballet, tap, hi-hop, etc. shoes. Costumes at our studio are pretty reasonable prices we try not to exceed $100 but if you have 10 $50 costumes that’s $500; just for costumes. For those who compete like I do, there are also competition entry fees which range from about $50-80.

Dancers have a much greate risk of getting hurt. So do cheerleaders and gymnasts, but unlike them we are not always capable of using a mat. When we’re on a stage performing we don’t always get the option of using a mat. Meaning you could end up doing a round off, back handspring, back tuck on the ground, putting a dancer in a much higher risk of getting hurt.