By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Thursday, June 03, 2010

NEWS RELEASE

STUDIO DANCE ARTS

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Studio Dance Arts takes top honours in Chicago

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Studio Dance Arts competitive team recently returned home from the Showstopper American Dance Championships in Aurora, Illinois, bringing home numerous awards and accolades.

This prestigious three day competition hosted forty different schools from the US and Canada, all vying for top honours.

The Sault Ste. Marie studio travelled with an entourage of close to one hundred half-time and full-time company dancers and their families, and had a total of seventy routines entered into the competition.

Inside the beautifully restored Paramount Arts Center, the four judge panel scored and ranked routine after routine for three straight days.

And at the end of the event, Sault Ste. Marie’s Studio Dance Arts came out on top!

SDA’s stunning routine Turn To Stone received the highest average score of the entire weekend with a mark of 98 and was awarded the DanceStage Future Star of America Award.

With this win, Turn To Stone, choreographed by SDA faculty member Matthew Caruso, is now a nominee for the 2010 Future Star of America contest.

Sponsored by DanceStage.com, a group of celebrity judges, including SYTYCD’s Brian Friedman, Mandy Moore, Gregg Russell and Nappytabs will select five finalists from all the regional high score nominees.

On June 6, voting will open for all members of DanceStage.com and the winning routine will be named the 2010 Future Star of America!

Incidentally, Turn To Stone was also an MVP winner (most valuable performance) at the Hall Of Fame Dance Challenge in Detroit, Michigan two weeks earlier, as well as the NUVO faculty’s studio pick award winner at the NUVO Convention and Competition in Detroit this past April.

Other overall top 10 winners at the Showstopper American Dance Championships this past weekend:

Mini Rec Division (8 yrs and under)

Winner overall solo – Ava Zachary

2nd overall solo – Cassandra McCauley

Winner overall small group – That Face

4th overall small group – Route 66

Winner overall large group – The Hat

2nd overall large group – People’s Dance

Mini Division (8 yrs and under)

Winner overall small group – Bridgette Bardot

2nd overall small group – The Washingtons

Winner overall large group – Eggs and Ham

2nd overall large group – The March

3rd overall large group – Blue Suede Shoes

Junior Rec Division (9-11 yrs)

Winner overall solo – Morgan Ruscio

Winner overall small group – At The Roxy

Winner overall large group – Gypsy’s Waltz

2nd overall large group – Swing Set

3rd overall large group – OMG

Junior Division (9-11 yrs)

3rd overall solo – Averi Bodnar

5th overall solo (tie) – Kristin DeAmorim and Shawn Metzen

9th overall solo – Liana Hryniewicz

3rd overall small group – Walking On Air

Winner overall large group – Enjoy Being A Girl

4th overall large group – Breakable

7th overall large group – The Dolls

Teen Rec Division (12-14 yrs)

Winner overall solo – Kaleigh Browne

Winner overall small group – Straighten Up

3rd overall small group – Swan Lake Waltz

Winner overall large group – Can Can

Teen Division (12-14 yrs)

Winner overall solo – Sara Hinding

3rd overall solo – Lydia Heimonen

4th overall solo – Daniella Pastore

10th overall solo – Cassandra Lepore

6th overall duo/ trio – Bad Mood (Lydia Heimonen and Evan Bodnar)

8th overall duo/ trio – Are You Ready (Hannah Egerland, Candice Halfpenny, Brooke Skinner)

Winner overall small group – Dancin' Man

3rd overall small group – Colour Blind

4th overall small group – Happy Feet

5th overall small group – Esmerelda

Winner overall large group – Turn To Stone

5th overall large group – Viva La Vida

Winner overall super group – In Winter

3rd overall super group – Bad Romance

5th overall super group – Charlies

6th overall super group – Allegro Con Brio

7th overall super group – Fantastic Plastic World

Senior Rec Division (15yrs and over)

Winner overall solo – Melissa Cutler

2nd overall solo – Kat Sikorski

Senior Division (16-19 yrs)

2nd overall solo – Madeline Foster

3rd overall solo – Stephanie Dagenais

8th overall solo (tie) – Melina Killoran and Taylor Tait

9th overall solo – Dana Hinding

4th overall small group – Why

6th overall small group – La Bohemia

2nd overall large group – Rain

Being recently crowned the 2009 Showstopper National Champions last August in Myrtle Beach, Sault Ste. Marie’s Studio Dance Arts is rapidly solidifying itself as a key player on the national competition circuit.

With a home grown faculty of dance professionals that include; Richard Kim, Matthew Caruso, Jessica Charron, Tania Castellani, Pam Robins, Carolyn Caputo-McCauley, Melissa Santa Maria and Laruen Burch, Studio Dance Arts continues to develop and train sound technical and artistic dancers.

The summer of 2010 will see the expansion of Algoma region’s premier dance centre, as it brings its nationally award winning programs throughout the north shore with its new location in Elliot Lake – Dance Works.

This joint venture will be spearheaded by Richard Kim and Matthew Caruso as they form the new Dance Works Elliot Lake in association with DW’s former owner/director Christine Claridge-Brunet.

Studio Dance Arts current season culminates with its spectacular year end show SDA Live, June 19 and 20 at the Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre.

The school is now accepting pre-registration for its summer and fall programs, and will be having its competitive company try outs for new potential members at their intensive workshop August 11-14, 2010.

For more information regarding the school, please visit their website at www.studiodancearts.com or call 705-253-0800.

For complete Hall Of Fame competition results and to view SDA’s MVP Award winning routines, visit their website

For complete Showstopper competition results, visit their website

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