Students at the Coast Academy of Dance (CAD) are still reeling with excitement over their great performance at the Star Talent Competition on April 25 and 26 in Vancouver. Three large groups of dancers: the advanced Street Jazz, the advanced Contemporary Dance and the competition Broadway Jazz, along with three solo performers, all travelled together to compete before an audience and professional adjudicators at the Michael J. Fox Theatre.
“They were very polished, very strong on technique,” said Julie Izad, the school’s artistic director. She explained that the academy didn’t always enter the many competitions like some schools that compete regularly, but this year they decided to give it their all. The students would stay overnight in Vancouver, watch the other performers, feel comfortable and go out there to win honours.
“They were self-motivated,” Izad said. It paid off.
They won eight platinum accolades (on a scale that runs silver, gold, high gold, platinum and diamond) and one diamond win, the highest score — 95 per cent or better. Becky Izad, one of the teachers at CAD, won diamond for the most unique choreography for a piece titled It’s Who I Am.
Three solos were performed by Kristie Sita, Jasmyn Evered and Molly Carpenter. The eight pre-professional program dancers who divide their time between academic studies at high school and dance lessons, put on two pieces. Poison and Wine was choreographed by teacher Christina Fitchett and a ballet piece was choreographed by Kathleen Holmes. The eight pre-pro dancers who earned recognition are Kristie Sita, Molly Carpenter, Zofia Baturin, Jaime Butler, Cora Nelson, Delia Anderson, Kali MacLean and Emily Stoddart. As the judges deliberated, they recorded their comments, and these were later emailed to the school for Izad’s review.
Izad attributes their success to the good balance at the school. “It’s a balance of doing syllabus, exams and a little bit of everything,” she said.
Because they needed to board a ferry to get home after the competition, dancers had to leave the theatre before hearing the results. Izad stayed to hear the adjudicators’ decisions. The dancers gathered on the ferry to hear the results broadcast by cell phone, and they gave a great whoop of joy on learning that they had done so well.
Many of the pieces can be seen again when the school presents Dance Under the Big Top on June 6 and 7 at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt. There are four performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are at the CAD office, Pretty Natty Duds, Lucky’s Smokehouse and Starbucks in Sechelt. Tickets usually sell out quickly. The entire school is represented at this June recital, from dancers as young as three years old to the adult students.
