2017 at Dance Express has exceeded all expectations… 

Not only have we excelled on the competition circuit but we have also received some of the most outstanding exam results.  We are so proud of the love and support shown to each DE member especially the connection our Senior & Junior students have for each other. 

 

Many of the staff & students attended workshops and worked with many professionals during the year including Ready Set Dance/Ready Set Ballet, In2Dance, Virtuoso, Queensland Ballet, CSTD, RAD Graded & Vocational, Victorian Dance Festival, Australian Dance Festival, Tapatak Oz, Fraser Coast Dance Festival, Australian Musical Theatre Workshop, Nth Qld Taster Workshop, Sydney Tap Festival, Connect Workshop, Australian Ballet School, QCYB, Claudia Dean Coaching.  At these workshops many of the students were the recipients of awards..  Congratulations!!

We are very excited to announce that DYLAN ITZSTEIN has been accepted into the Australian Ballet School’s Interstate Program Level 2!! 

Congratulations Dylan!!

 

Our Exam students once again have received exceptional results in their Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary & Music Theatre exams.  We had 73 students sit their CSTD exams with Mrs Carolyn Gilby and the students received 26 Honours Plus, 24 Honours, 10 Highly Commended, 9 Commended and 4 Pass Plus..  Fabulous Results!!!

Once again the Director of Tapatak Oz, Christine Denny, travelled to Mackay to conduct our exams and once again our results were fabulous. 

3 Supreme Passes, 9 Distinction, 10 Honours, 4 Commended. Christine also gave the following special awards:

Most Outstanding Juniors – Zoe Anderson & Tyla Saron, Most Promising Juniors – Lucy Vickers & Mollie Fitzpatrick, Most Outstanding Teen – Kennedy Foley & Shontae Minniecon, Most Promising Teen – Kendyle Bryan, Most Outstanding Pre-Senior – Jayde Readman & Terah Hope, Most Promising Pre- Senior – Courtney Trace, Most Improved Students – Jayde Readman & Grace Brown.

Our RAD Graded students received 6 Distinction, 20 Merit & 1 Pass and the Vocational students receiving 4 Distinction, 9 Merit & 2 Pass marks.

Congratulations to Tyla Saron, Charlotte Spencer, Shontae Minniecon & Shelby Johnson who made the Finals of the Nth Qld RAD Bursary, with a special Congratulations to Tyla Saron who was awarded the Honourable Mention for Level 2….

 

2017 saw many special events involving our students with the most impressive being Shontae Minniecon performing the role of Hortenzia in the professional production of MATILDA the Musical showing in Brisbane and touring to Perth..  Congratulations also the one of our Junior students, Dylan Itzstein, who successfully auditioned to perform in the Brisbane City Youth Ballet production of ‘The Nutcracker’ for their 2017 December season..

Our Chinese Umbrella dancers once again entertained the large crowd at the MRC Chinese New Year Celebrations..  Our very cute tiny Ready Set Dancers performed like seasoned professionals at the St Joseph’s School Market Fair and Pink Ribbon Carnival.  Many of our students also use their skills learnt at Dance Express to perform in shows including lead roles in MMCP, Red Giraffe, and various school musicals and other dance related performances.  DE was very well represented with over ½ of the participants, when Mackay broke the World Record for Most Tap Dancers Tap Dancing at once….

 

Our competition results for 2017 are once again outstanding..  The students exceled in every competition they attended and bought home a swag of prizes, trophies and awards.  The following students Sullivan Goldsworthy, Amber Jenkins, Mollie Fitzpatrick, Naomi Buckley, Mia Chapman, Tyla Saron, Dylan Itzstein, Zoe Anderson, Kennedy Foley, Shontae Minniecon, Shelby Johnson, Ella Goldsworthy, Terah Hope, Jayde Readman, Lara Joblin, Courtney Trace, Lucy Fitzpatrick, Jorden Riggs, Amy Fitzpatrick, & Hayley Berck travelled to the Bundaberg, Emerald, Rockhampton, Charters Towers, Gladstone, Biloela & Palmerston (NZ) Eisteddfods.  Congratulations Travelling Bandits!! 

 

Over all of the 2017 competitions our solo performers collectively have won 93 First, 87 Second, 84 Third, 23 VHC & 90 HC placings… 

WOW that is very impressive…

 

Our students were also very successful in many Championship sections this year with TERAH HOPE – Winner Intermediate Modern (Emerald),  Winner Intermediate Modern (Gladstone), R/U Intermediate Modern (Mackay), R/U 13/14yrs Tap (Bundaberg), R/U 13/14yrs Classical (Bundaberg), 3rd Intermediate Tap (Mackay), SHONTAE MINNIECON – Winner Junior Modern (Mackay), R/U 11/12 Modern (Emerald), R/U 11/12 Tap (Emerald), 3rd Junior Tap (Mackay), KENNEDY FOLEY – Winner Junior Tap (Mackay), R/U 11/12yrs Tap (Bundaberg), R/U Modern (Bundaberg), 3rd Junior Modern (Mackay), DYLAN ITZSTEIN – 10yrs & under Classical (Bundaberg), 10yrs & under Modern (Bundaberg).

 

Award winners for this year have been RILEY ALBERT –  Encouragement Award 6yrs & under (MDF), SULLIVAN GOLDSWORTHY – Most Outstanding Junior Performer (MDF), Most Outstanding Performer 7yrs (MDF), Most Outstanding Classical Solo 11yrs & under (Mackay), MIA CHAPMAN – Most Outstanding Performer 10yrs (MDF), Most Outstanding Junior Choreography (MDF), TYLA SARON – Most Promising Performer 10yrs (MDF), DYLAN ITZSTEIN – Encouragement Award 9yrs (MDF), Korn Family Award for Outstanding Classical Soloist 12yrs & under (Biloela), Lions Club Dance Bursary (Biloela), Overall Aggregate 15yrs & under (Biloela), Sue Considine Most Deserving of Encouragement 10yrs & under (Mackay), Life Members Aggregate Trophy (Mackay), KENNEDY FOLEY – Most Outstanding Performer 12yrs (MDF), Wendy Gretton-Satti Memorial Award Most Deserving of Encouragement 11/12yrs, SHONTAE MINNIECON – Junior Modern Aggregate (Mackay), Junior Tap Aggregate (Mackay), Glen Rhule Memorial for Most Outstanding Modern Solo 19yrs & under (Mackay), ELLA GOLDSWORTHY – Most Promising Performer 13yrs (MDF), TERAH HOPE – Most Outstanding Performer 13yrs (MDF), Most Promising Jazz Dancer (Bundaberg), Most Outstanding Choreography Award (Emerald), Intermediate Modern Aggregate (Mackay), Butch Burnett Bursary Showing Most Promise as a Performer 11-14yrs (Mackay), JORDEN RIGGS – Rose Slipper Improvisation Bursary (Emerald), Lucy Bishop Encouragement Award 13/14yrs.  Also, the 12yrs & under SLOW MODERN GROUP ‘Yellow Brick Road’ was awarded the Most Entertaining Group 12yrs & under at the Mackay Eisteddfod.

 

Our groups had an impressive run this year at the Mackay Eisteddfod winning the 12 & under Cabaret Group, 12 & under Slow Modern Group, 14 & under Slow Modern Group,14 & under Tap Group, Open Cabaret Group,

Second in the 8 & under Novelty Group, 10 & under Classical Group, 12 & under Tap Group, 14 & under Classical Group, 14 & under Cabaret Group, Mature & Motivated Group, Open Tap Group,

Third in the 10 & under Novelty Group, Open Slow Modern Group, Open Up Tempo Modern Group, and

HC in the 12 & under Up Tempo Group.. 

What a wonderful job!!  Congratulations to all…

 

Also, Congratulations to the many students who this year who were chosen as student leaders at their respective schools, it is always lovely to see them achieve in so many other areas of the lives.

 

Congratulations on what has been a fabulous year full of amazing achievements due to everyone’s hard work and dedication to Dance Express, for this I thank you all……

Love Miss B  xx