Dancers with the Xpressions Dance & Fitness Centre in Barrhead scored more than three dozen medals and awards for solo, duet and group performances during the Evergreen Dance Festival in Sherwood Park from April 10-14.
The Evergreen Dance Festival is hosted by Showtime Promotions, a company that has organized festivals across Canada for the past 25 years.
According to a website for the event, Evergreen is meant specifically for rural and recreational dance studios and is meant be more fun and safe than the usual high pressure dance competition.
While each dancer (or group of dancers) receives a medal based on their score, there are also additional awards: Outstanding, Most Promising and Adjudicator’s Choice.
“Our dancers received many medals and awards (at the festival),” said Xpressions studio owner/instructor Melissa Preuss.
Ashlyn Preuss had a stellar run at the festival with her solo performances. Ashlyn won high gold and outstanding awards for her jazz, lyrical, ballet and tap dances, as well as a diamond medal and an Outstanding award for her contemporary dance. She also received a iDance scholarship at the end of the festival.
Coraleah Larson won high silver for her jazz solo.
Two pairs of local dancers — Malaki el Mouallem and Tzeira Jevne, as well as Jaden Kaus and Joeli Abrams — won high silver for their jazz duets.
Xpressions also won the following group awards for their performances, which are named: Na na na (tap) – gold; I won’t give up (jazz) – gold and most promising; Walk through fire (jazz) – high silver; Old friends (lyrical) – high silver; The story never ends (lyrical) – gold and most promising; Joker (hip hop) — high silver, most promising and choreography; Changes (hip hop) – high silver; Let’s go to the mall (jazz) – gold and choreography; At the Mariott (hip hop) – gold and adjudicator’s choice; Egyptian fantasy (ballet) – gold; Beetlejuice (hip hop) – gold; Kill of the Night (jazz) – high silver; Last train to Clarksville (tap) – high gold and Most Promising; Bad (hip hop) – high silver; Let’s go (hip hop) – high silver.
Last week, dancers from Xpressions also took part in the “For the Love of Dance” festival in Fort Saskatchewan from April 17-20. Results were not available due to publication deadlines.
They will also compete in the VIVID Dance Festival in Morinville from Thursday to Saturday, April 25-27.
The studio’s year then ends with the “Xpress Yourself” year-end dance recital, which will be held Friday, May 3 in Morinivlle.
Melissa said the year-end recital includes all the groups, duets and solo dancers that are part of the studio.
She noted they have some groups from Westlock this year, as they have begun offering hip hop classes in the community.
