Some people associate March with college basketball madness, but for dance students at the Gold Coast Arts Center, the month’s most important contests were those at the 2019 Step Up Dance Competition, which took place on March 9 and 10 in Middle Village, and the EnerGy Dance competition on March 16 in Hauppauge. Students competed in the categories of small group, duos, and solos.
In the Step Up Dance Competition, Gold Coast Arts Center’s students won nine trophies, seven of which were awarded 1st place. The dancers performed in the genres of jazz, lyrical, and musical theater.
At the EnerGy National Dance Competition, GCAC dances won Platinum and High Gold awards, as well as winning 1st and 3rd overalls in their ages divisions. Juliet Sha also competed in the EnerGy improv dance competition and received a full scholarship to the Energy National Dance Convention.
The winners, who were coached by dance director Megan Clancy, included Madeleine Chin, Kyra Capodanno, Leeron Elian, Jillian Khadavi, Amanda Siony, Arianna Siony, Brielle Mairzadeh, Maya Millman, Brielle Nassi, Sophia Rosenberg, Juliet Sha, and Francesca Tsang.
Two of the winners, Sha and Capodanno, had an additional reason to celebrate. They were accepted into the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet’s intensive summer program for jazz and contemporary dance.
“Our dance students have a lot of fun during their classes and rehearsals, but they also work hard and take their skills seriously,” says Megan Clancy, dance director at the Gold Coast Arts Center. “Their medals, certificates, plaques and trophies are well deserved.”
The dance team has one more competition on the schedule for 2019.
For more information about the Gold Coast Arts Center, and its wide range of programs, call 515-829-2570 or visit www.goldcoastarts.org.
