Suncoast Christian College elite senior dancers win three categories at an international dance competition.
The International Dance Competition, Italy is a unique event, where dancers compete either in person or online (via recorded video). As much as we would have loved to send our dancers to the beautiful Italian city of Mesagne to compete in person, we had to settle for video submission to the competition.
Competing against full-time dance schools and elite dancers worldwide, our dancers achieved some incredible results with the judges awarding the following places:
420 Paris – Jazz group – 1st place.
421 The Once Left Behind – Contemporary 1st place.
427 America – HipHop – 1st Place.
398 Zia Husbands – 2nd place, with a prize – of one-week free tuition from the Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School.
Dance teacher, Patricia Jar comments: “After sacrificing hours of lunch breaks and extra rehearsal times during sport, hard work certainly paid off. Truly well deserved. The results are exceptional results; being proud is an understatement!”
Video Highlights
Student Reflections
“Getting the team together and entering the international competition has been one of the most rewarding challenges of this year. Coordinating practice times and filming the pieces repeatedly until we were exhausted were just a few of the challenges. We put in countless lunchtimes and weekend rehearsals to clean the dances and prepare for the school musical. All the hard work paid off in the end, and I couldn’t be prouder of the girls and how far we’ve come. The results are just a bonus on the things we’ve learned. We’ve become a stronger team who learned to work together, gained international experience, and learned from some incredible choreographers. I am truly grateful to the school and Miss Jar for the experience.”
Sienna, Dancer
“I enjoyed being involved with the international competition and being able to explore new movements. I was so grateful to be included in such a fantastic opportunity. It was also so awesome to see dances worldwide in our sections. I am so thankful for Miss Jar and Abby; we couldn’t have pushed harder without their constant positivity and encouragement. When recording these dance videos and my solo, I would mess up, and they would always make me feel better. I was privileged to perform with these incredible people and truly enjoyed every second. Overall this is an experience I will never forget, and I am blessed I was a part of it.”
Riley, Dancer
“It has been a great privilege to have been on this stretching but rewarding journey with our dance company girls. Although, at times, it was challenging to meet deadlines and have pieces polished to an international standard, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our team has dramatically improved due to this process and come together, bonding in ways unlike before. It’s been an incredible opportunity, and I am always grateful for what our company coordinator Mrs Jar does for us. It was her efforts and passion that got us over the line. I would also like to thank the Suncoast leadership team for their support and the talented girls I dance alongside. Congrats girls! We did what nobody thought was possible; a 3-time winner in the grand finals is something to be proud of!”
Hope, Dancer
“I enjoyed the Italy dance competition very much. It was a great team experience and bonding event for all of us seniors. Although we had to put in lots of extra rehearsals and practice, it was gratifying to be able to celebrate all of our talents in an experience such as this. I think the competition taught us that patience and hard work pay off, plus we got to hang out together and make many memories.”
Zia, Dancer
