Dance Etc.Elite Teams Shine At EDA Nationals

The Dance Etc. Elite Teams from Dance Etc Studio of Dance in Prestonsburg traveled to Myrtle Beach South Carolina recently to compete in the EDA National Dance Team Championships. These 87 dancers had an amazing showing at the Championship and came home with lots of titles and hardware.

 The Dance Etc. Pee Wee Elite Team which is made up of dancers grades 2^nd through 4^th took first place honors in Youth Prep Pom, Jazz,  Lyrical and Hip Hop.

 The Dance Etc Jr. Prep Team which is made up of dancers grades 4^th through 6^th took first place honors in Youth Pom, Jazz, Lyrical and Hip Hop.

 The Junior Elite Team which is made up of 7^th through 9^th graders took first place in Jazz, Second place in Pom and Hip Hop and Third Place in Lyrical.

 The Senior Elite Team which is made up of 9^th-12^th graders took first place in Pom, Jazz and Lyrical and Second place in Hip Hop.

 53 dancers from Dance Etc were selected as All- American dancers and were invited to participate in the halftime performance of the 2010 Pro-Bowl in Miami, Florida.

 26 dancers from Dance Etc also competed in individual competition at Nationals with great success. In the Mini Solo category, Celeste Turner was the champion with Kaitlyn Wright as the first runner up. In the Youth Solo category, Savannah Little was the champion with Makanna Mason as the first runner-up and Sara Roberts as the second runner up. In the Junior Solo category, Kristany Setser was the champion with Megan Towles as the first runner up. In the Mini Duo category, McKinly Smith and Mackenzie Castle were the Champions. In the Youth Duo, Savannah Little and Kaleigh Kendrick were the Champions with Makanna Mason and Madison Smith taking 1^st runner up and Olivia Davis and Olivia Burchett taking 2^nd runner up. In the Junior Duo Kristany Setser and Julie Adams were the champions with Megan Towles and Carlee Smith taking 1^st runner up and Micaela Wicker and Lexi Bowling taking 2^nd runner up. In the Junior ensemble category, Cassady James, Courtney Skyles and Paige Ward took 1^st runner up. These dancers all did an amazing job and represented Dance Etc in a great way.

 All four Elite teams have now qualified for the U.S. Finals in Cincinnati on April 25^th. The teams will close out their season with the first annual “Elite Showcase” to be held at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg on Sunday, May 3^rd at 2pm The teams will perform all of their team routines as well as their solos, duos and trios. The public is invited to this performance and best of all it is free of charge. So bring your families and enjoy a day of great dancing as these local dancers showcase their talents.  For more information on the Showcase or about classes at Dance Etc  call the studio at 886-3111.

Dance Etc. Elite 2008 EDA Nationals Results

 1^st Place Youth Prep Pom

1^st Place Youth Prep Jazz

1^st Place Youth Pom

1^st Place Youth Jazz

1^st Place Youth Combo

1^st Place Youth Lyrical

1^st Place Junior Pom

1^st Place Junior Jazz

2^nd Place Senior Lyrical

2^nd Place Senior Jazz

2^nd Place Youth Hip Hop

3^rd Place Senior Hip Hop

4^th Place Junior Hip Hop

4^th Place Senior Pom 

50 Dance Etc Dancers were chosen as All Americans and invited to perform at the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii in February 2009. 

Also the Dance Etc. Junior Prep Team received a Paid Bid to Final Destination Dance Worlds for their Pom Performance. 

Dance Etc. & The Mountain Arts Center Complete 10th Annual Run of

“The  Nutcracker” Ballet

Dance Etc. and The Mountain Arts Center continued their Holiday Tradition this past week  as they presented their 10th annual production of “The Nutcracker”.  Over 250 dancers from Dance Etc. Studio of Dance participated in this year’s Production.  The dancers presented 6 Performances of the Classic Holiday Ballet, including 3 sold out matinee performances for local schools.  The dancers performed for over 5000 spectators throughout the week.

On opening night, Dance Etc. owner and Show director Jody Shepherd along with her assistant director Jennifer Smith commemorated the 10th anniversary by bringing on stage and recognizing the 10 dancers who have played the lead role of “Clara” over the years.  Shepherd said it takes all of the dancers to make a successful show but she thought that by recognizing the young ladies who had played the lead role it was a way to see how the dancers had grown.    Shepherd said that the most amazing part was that out of the 10 dancers, 9 of them still participated in her dance classes and were part of “ The Nutcracker” cast this year. 

Originally “The Nutcracker” was planned as a bi-annual production but the students fell in love with the show.  They look forward to it every year and by the time they are in High School many of them have played most of the roles in the production Shepherd said.

 This year’s show was also marked by some beautiful new costumes courtesy of costume designer, Mrs. Jenny Robinson.  All of the children in the Party Scene had  new costumes  made by  Mrs. Robinson.  Shepherd said the Party Scene costumes were very authentic and rivaled many worn by professional Ballet companies.  Robinson also made many other new costumes and accessories which really added to the production.

Dance Etc and the Mountain Arts Center were very excited to have completed another successful run of the Show.  Now after a short Holiday Break the dancers will begin preparing for their annual Spring Production which they will present at the MAC on June 7th.