Danscene's 2013 season heads into final weeks
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There was definitely a turning point in Danscene’s 2013 competitive dance season.
Ten of the Tillsonburg dance studio’s seniors and three intermediates, taking a few moments after a conditioning class last Wednesday night, agreed it was Terpsichore, their third competition of the season, and second at the Sanderson Centre in Brantford.
It was at that competition – just before or just after – that the senior team put it together.
“The last couple of competitions we improved the most I think,” said Andrea Lofthouse. “That’s when we came together the most.”
“Miss Angie gave us a talk,” said Rebecca Temple.
“After the second,” said one of the dancers.
“I feel like the third,” said another.
“Definitely after the third,” another agreed.
Aside from their studio director’s ‘talk,’ Terpsichore marked the return of Elyse Pelland.
“Because Elyse came back,” noted one.
“We had our hole.”
“I had a concussion,” Pelland explained, “then I came back for the third competition.”
“And then we were whole,” they laughed.
“One big family.”
“We needed to work together and work harder,” said Temple. “When we realized that, we realized that we had to push ourselves but also help push each other so that we stayed together as a unit.”
“We had to listen to each other,” said Lofthouse.
But there was yet another turning-point theory, and it had something to do with conditioning.
“When we did the leg things, that’s when things started to…” said Taneesha Larochelle.
“The lunges!” the group chimed in. “The lunge exercises. You can’t feel your legs afterwards.”
“Seriously, after that it came together,” said Larochelle.
Electrical Hype, the senior acro number, seemed to be the group’s consensus favourite.
“There were really cool lifts and there’s always something going on, and our costumes were eye-catching,” said Temple.
“The music almost intrigues you to watch it because you’re just like, ‘oh, what’s that?’ said Shelby Smith. “And you’d look.”
“It was really in-sync too.”
“It took a long way to get there,” said Temple, “but once we got it, it was really good.”
“Yeah, remember second competition?” Jillian Donck smiled.
A round of laughter and smiles.
“It was like, ‘oh dear, you guys really got to clean that up,’” said Callie Berlet.
“It fell apart,” grinned Hope Dekeyser.
“We just progressed from our second comp,” said Donck. “A lot.”
“I liked how sassy we became in jazz,” said Lofthouse.
If Electrical Hype was the favourite, the jazz number was consensus ‘Most Improved.’
“Bom Bom,” Dekeyser nodded.
“It improved a lot,” said Smith.
“So much,” said Temple.
“It was just really messy the very first few competitions,” said Lofthouse.
“Bom Bom’s from the Joe Fresh commercials – it’s just like a high energy, almost club-like song,” said Temple.
Like the seniors, the intermediate jazz number also had its moments – and improvement.
“For the intermediates, our jazz was just so, so messy,” said Rebecca Moore. “And then in the end, we got together… like probably one or two hours before.”
Danscene’s competitive team, consisting of juniors intermediates and seniors, 40-plus dancers in total, competed in a total of five competitions in April and May – Kick It Up in Niagara Falls (April 4-7), On Stage in Brantford (April 19-21), Terpsichore in Brantford (May 2-4), Star Catchers in Niagara Falls (May 10-12), and Dancefest in Peterborough (May 24-26).
“I like Brantford, the Sanderson Centre,” said Pelland, with a half-dozen agreeing almost at the same time.
“It’s nice going to the same stage,” said one.
“And it’s big,” another agreed. “We have room to do turns.”
“It’s the largest stage we dance on,” noted Rachel Hanson.
“I also like knowing different stages and having to work around it,” Lofthouse.
“It is a challenge because every theatre you go to the stage is different,” said studio director Angela Farkas.
The variety in venues gave them a chance to see the same studios in multiple events, and at times new studios.
“Sometimes in Brantford you see the same teams, but then when you go to other places, you get different studios from different places,” said Pelland.
“It’s nice traveling, too, going to a hotel and spending time with your team,” said Temple.
“Swimming,” said a teammate, which triggered laughs, sharing memories, a lot more laughs.
“During the competitions we have to meet someone different,” said Moore, noting Farkas encouraged them to make new friends, “or compliment someone, like ‘I like your costume, or I like your hair, or I like your makeup.”
“It was a suggestion,” said Berlet.
“It was encouraged,” said Pelland. “Highly encouraged.”
“Our studio, we always got the ‘nice studio award,’” said Temple. “We got a lot of sportsmanship awards and studio spirit.”
“We’re always talking to other studios backstage, like we’re friends not competitors,” said Jane Walker.
“It’s fun,” said Moore.
At Dancefest in Peterborough, the Spirit Award was renamed in loving memory of Danscene’s Brittany Wardle and Meagan Lofthouse. And in a memorable presentation, Danscene was awarded the 2013 Brittany and Meagan plaque.
The dancers agreed there was some extra pressure for the final competition in Peterborough.
“It’s the last one, so it should be the cleanest,” said Dekeyser.
“I think it’s mostly self-pressure,” said Pelland. “I always put more pressure on myself because I want to leave on a good note. But I don’t think Miss Angie puts any more pressure on us because it’s the last competition. I think it’s mostly self-pressure.”
“She tells us to have fun,” said Callie Berlet.
“Yeah, have fun in the last competition,” said Pelland.
“So we just give it our all because it’s the last competition,” said one.
“Go out with a bang,” said Temple.
“Kind of…” Berlet smiled.
And now the season is winding down with only a few more weeks before the year-end Extravaganza on June 28th.
A group from Danscene will perform at Tillsonburg’s Relay for Life this Friday, June 7th, at Annandale School after the Survivor Lap.
On Saturday, some of the junior dancers will perform at a St. Joseph’s Catholic School fundraiser.
Then on Saturday, June 15th, Danscene will be back on the stage at Turtlefest performing at the Lake Lisgar venue from 3-4 p.m.
Then it’s Extravaganza at the Sanderson Centre in Brantford, the true ‘end of season.’
“It never really hits me until like the final number of the year-end show,” said Lofthouse.
“Yeah, the finale,” they all agreed.
“The energy on the stage before finale… it’s ridiculous.”
“You can like feel it backstage.”
“We just have so much adrenaline.”
“Right before the opening is my favourite part,” said Pelland, “when all of us are back behind the curtains. And everyone is just really excited, hyped, it’s really good.”
“Usually we scream.”
“We do scream.”
“We scream right when we go on,” said Moore.
Then it’s good-bye for the summer, and for some, like Tandi Chabwa, ‘graduation’ from Danscene.
“It’s sad because there’s people leaving,” said Temple, “people who have been here forever.”
In addition to marks awarded at dance competitions varying from superior-outstanding-high excellence to gold-high gold-platinum-ult. platinum, there were several overall and special awards earned by Danscene dancers this year. Highlights included:
Kick It Up
(Niagara Falls)
Overalls
Carly Donker – Scholarship, 4th overall highest mark Junior acro solo
Callie Berlet – Scholarship, lyrical solo
Brooke Sanderson – Scholarship, 2nd overall highest junior solo mark
Electrical Hype – 2nd overall highest acro group mark (scholarship), best Acro group in competition 13+
Brooke Sanderson and Jillian McPherson – 3rd overall highest Junior jazz duet mark
Riley, Brooklyn and Georgia – 3rd overall highest jazz duet/trio mark
Rebecca Moore – 5th overall highest intermediate lyrical solo (13) mark
Special Awards
Brooke Sanderson – tap solo
Logan Donker – hip hop solo
Brooke Sanderson and Jillian McPherson – jazz duet
Rebecca Moore and Kelsey Sanderson – acro duet
Riley, Brooklyn and Georgia – jazz trio
Work Hard – Intermediate hip hop group
Callie Berlet and Hope Dekeyser – acro duet
On Stage
(Brantford)
Overall Awards
Mackenzie Simmonds: 3rd overall junior soloist
Hope Dekeyser: Highest Overall Danscene Mark
Special Awards
Brooke, Brooklyn and Georgia – Junior tap trio
Rebecca Moore – hip hop solo
Rebecca Temple – tap solo
Terpsichore
(Brantford)
Overall Awards
Callie Berlet and Hope Dekeyser – 3rd overall intermediate duet/trio
Andrea Lofthouse – 4th overall novice solo
Jane Walker – 6th overall novice solo
Gift of a Friend – 3rd overall mini small group
Electrical Hype – 2nd overall int. large group
Highest overall studio mark
Special Awards
Callie Berlet – lyrical solo
Hope Dekeyser – acro solo
Star Catchers
(Niagara Falls)
Overall Awards
Callie Berlet – scholarship
Callie Berlet and Hope Dekeyser – runner-up senior duet/trio
Carly Donker (acro) – scholarship, 1st place junior soloist
Rebecca Moore – scholarship, highest novice senior solist mark
Elyse Pelland – scholarship, 4th overall open senior soloist
Brooke Sanderson – scholarship, runner-up highest soloist
Electrical Hype – runner-up open senior line
Gift of a Friend – 2nd overall highest junior group
Most Promising Dancers of the competition: Carly Donker, Rebeccca Moore, Elyse Pelland
Special Awards
Swinging on a Star – choreography award
Studio Spirit Award
Jillian McPherson and Brooke Sanderson – jazz duet
Rebecca Moore and Kelsey Sanderson – acro duet
Elyse Pelland – acro solo
Brooke Sanderson – tap solo
Shelby Smith – lyrical solo
Bom Bom – senior jazz group
Callie Berlet and Hope Dekeyser – acro duet
Dancefest
(Peterborough)
Special Awards
Callie Berlet (Pointe) – most promising pointe, lyrical special
Callie Berlet and Hope Dekeyser - special
Andrea Lofthouse – most emotional performance
Brooke Sanderson – special
Electrical Hype – Special (highest mark of the season)
Brooke Sanderson and Jillian McPherson - special