Junior April Moreau has been dancing since she was only two years old and will now be competing on March 15, 16, and 17. The competition will be held in Baltimore and is called “24-seven.”
She says that they have a bunch of different dances and styles. There are six total dances, but she is looking most forward to the contemporary dance. They will be dancing to “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridges for the contemporary dance. “Contemporary is a slow movement dance, but it could also be fast sometimes,” she explains.
Moreau herself has been practicing since the summer but the group is at the “studio [for] four days a week,” and they will do all of their classes, which consists of techniques and then run all the dances on Saturday. Classes last from 5:00-9:00, and on Saturday, they are there from 10:00 to 4:30.
She says for her, having stamina is the hardest part about dancing. She also gets nervous sometimes before she goes on stage, but she goes on anyway and takes on the fear.
Competitions all work differently, but this competition starts “on Friday with junior solos, followed by teen solos, senior solos, then awards. After solos, groups start that night.”
Moreau says, “Saturday starts with duo and trios, followed by the rest of the group dances, then awards. Sunday starts with mini solos, then awards. Then the convention starts again.”
Conventions are classes that are either before or after the competition; for this one, it will be afterwards. She says all ages do conventions, and it’s optional, but not for her studio.
Every age has a different schedule, but everyone has jazz funk, contemporary, tap, hip hop, contemporary jazz, ballet, and two auditions at this competition.
Moreau says that conventions are taught by guest teachers, where they teach you a combination in under an hour and then “you go and just dance it in groups a bunch of times. [It’s] mostly just for the learning experience and seeing how fast you can pick up choreography.”
For auditions, they get a number and learn two small combos and perform them in small groups in front of the judges. The judges will watch, and they’re done.
At the end, the judges announce scholarships for the auditions, which is “usually a certain amount of money that goes towards your next time at that specific competition; so, next year, you don’t have to spend that much money to enter.”
To her, one of the best parts about competitions is getting to make new friends and wearing fun bright outfits.