Half a planeload of Diamond Dance Academy dancers and instructors as well as family members jetted off to Las Vegas on the May long weekend to compete in the StarQuest dance competition and returned home with plenty of hardware as a reward for their hard work.
"We had 33 dancers that we took with us," says Noelle St. Pierre, one of the academy's directors, who both took the trip, along with five of the academy's instructors. "We took 65 dance routines. We took up a whole half of a plane."
"Ninety-two of us all went together," says Lynn Nakonechny, the other director. "I feel sorry for the first couple of people in the front. They'll remember Thompson, that's for sure."
The trip was Diamond Dance Academy's first time attending a competition in the United States, done in part to celebrate five years of operation.
"The experience was the experience of a lifetime for these kids," says Nakonechny, noting that the dancers ranged from six to 18 years of age. "Some students and some parents never even got on a plane before so to experience that, never mind Vegas. It's all about sparkles, big hair, lots of makeup. We fit in really good."
Diamond Dance has attended previous competitions throughout Western Canada, including Regina, Saskatoon, Red Deer and many times in Winnipeg.
"This is the furthest and probably the biggest competition we've ever been to," said St. Pierre. "This was all new territory for us because we're used to going to the same competition every year, so we're used to the same dancers and the same people we compete against every year so this was something completely new."
"It was our five-year anniversary being in business together and these kids work hard every day and we wanted to give them a dream," says Nakonechny.
The dancers repaid the investment made in the trip by returning with 22 top-five category placements and nine top-10 category placements in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary and hip-hop dance styles. They competed in solos, duos, trios, small groups, large groups and two lines consisting of 23 dancers. They also received seven special judges awards, two fusion awards, two costume awards as well as a top-five award for choreography, which the judges said was characterized by "seamless transition and fluid formations."
"They came and they danced hard, probably the hardest they've ever danced, and enjoyed themselves," said Nakonechny.
"We went big and they made us proud," says St. Pierre. "We are more than satisfied."
