This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Mon Jul 1 3:20:41 2024 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Caledon teens bring home trophies and medals from World Dance Challenge --------------------------------------------------- By ZACHARY ROMAN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Local dancers made Canada proud at the World Dance Challenge last month. From July 22 to 29, Kassandra Seymour, Hannah Bell, and Kat Tanga competed in the International Dance Organization's (IDO) World Dance Challenge as part of the Canadian National Dance Team. The challenge was held in Monterrey, Mexico at the Cintermex International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Seymour, 13, and Bell, 16, are from Caledon, while Tanga, who is 19, is from Brampton. The three dancers all train at the House of Fame Dance Academy in disciplines like contemporary, lyrical, jazz, hip hop, and ballet.  Bell explained the week before the challenge, they would train for eight to 12 hours every day. When it came time to fly to Mexico, the dancers packed all of their costumes and dance gear in their carry-on baggage to ensure they did not lose them. However, with over 10 dances to compete in each, this made the bags very heavy.  Since there was jewelry in the bags, the dancers got stopped at security and then had to repack everything, which was quite a challenge. Combining that with the usual long waits one can expect at the airport, the dancers were relieved to finally get on their flight.  The flight itself went well and they arrived in Mexico on time. When they got there, each country competing in the tournament had a hotel to go to, and the dancers said it was cool to land in a new country and see their flag at their hotel.  Before the competition began, there were classes where famous choreographers from around the world taught dances to the World Dance Challenge participants. To make things even more interesting, these choreographers were going to be the judges at the competition. “We got to learn a masterclass from them all,” said Bell. “We also got to learn what the judges wanted to see from us on stage, which was a really good experience and very helpful.” From Africa to Italy, there were choreographers from around the world who were there to teach the dance challenge participants. At the end of the competition, the choreographers even held a mock audition to help out those looking to pursue a career in dance, such as by joining a dance company. Tanga agreed with Bell and said it was great to apply what she learned from the choreographers in the competition. Bell said being able to meet with and learn from judges made the World Dance Challenge a really unique competition. “It inspired me to want to go into dance, it showed me there's a lot of different opportunities,” said Bell.  When the World Dance Challenge began, the three dancers said they were a bit nervous and certainly feeling the pressure to perform well.  Seymour said thankfully, they were able to feel out the stage a few times before the competition began so they could know what it's like to be up there. There were also warm up areas for all the dancers to get ready for their performances in. Seymour said right up until performance time, she and the other dancers would be working on their routines. Bell, Seymour and Tanga each competed in multiple different disciplines, as well as in performances with different numbers of dancers — from solo all the way up to group performances. With so many different routines and moves to remember, Tanga said practice is key. “Even when you're not practicing, you're running through the choreography in your head,” said Tanga. Bell and Seymour agreed, adding that repetition from practice helps them gain muscle memory for each dance routine they do. They all said even years after learning a dance to a song, whenever they hear that song again, they remember the routine they learned to it.  Seymour, who competed in the junior category at the World Dance Challenge, took home first place for her contemporary dance performance to the song Inner Light. She also came in second place for a lyrical dance performance, third for a hip hop performance, and fourth for a jazz performance.  Bell and Tanga competed in the senior category at the World Dance Challenge, and they took home first place for their contemporary dance performance to the song Rivers & Roads. They also came in second place for another contemporary dance performance, third for a lyrical dance performance, and fourth for a jazz performance.  The dancers were extremely proud of how they and their fellow Canadian National Dance Team members placed in the competition. Seymour explained that in addition to technical ability, judges were looking to see emotion in their performances.  “They wanted to see why you're dancing, why you love dance,” said Seymour. Before the World Dance Challenge, the dancers were training between 10 to 15 hours per week at their studio and an additional eight to 12 hours with the Canadian National Dance Team three to six times per month.  Seymour, Bell and Tanga all wanted to say a huge thank you to their coaches, Emma Searles and Jade Delaronde.  Tanga said the coaches worked so hard; that they were up before the dancers and going to sleep after them. She said when it was time to perform, Searles and Delaronde were always right there with them to provide support before they went on stage.  “You can tell when someone has a passion for it, and they both definitely do,” said Tanga. “They care a lot.” Seymour commended her coaches' efforts to make everyone feel like they were part of one big team. Bell said these efforts were a success as the members of the Canadian National Dance Team became fast friends and are all planning to keep hanging out even though the competition is finished.  “The connections that we made are going to last forever,” said Bell. “This past month, we've gotten so close.” Tanga said her favourite part of the World Dance Challenge was learning from new choreographers, and Bell agreed. They both said it was not only inspiring but a great opportunity, too. Seymour said the friends she made, and seeing the choreographers perform, was her favourite part.  “We gave it our all,” said Bell. “When we were dancing for the finals, those were the best times we'd ever done those dances. Our hearts are on that stage.” Tanga said it was a very fulfilling experience to compete at the World Dance Challenge, as well as to watch others perform.  “The feeling I had in the audience… I made it, I'm here, this is what I have been working for my whole life,” said Tanga. Being able to represent Canada was a big source of pride for the dancers. Seymour said being able to place well alongside her teammates meant the world to her because they did it together. --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2023-08-10 12:20:36 Post date GMT: 2023-08-10 16:20:36 Post modified date: 2023-08-10 12:20:39 Post modified date GMT: 2023-08-10 16:20:39 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com