Fresh off their 2015 Competition Season, the Dance.tech Performing Arts Company painted the towns red in 4 cities in as many states, garnering high praise from judging panels and accolades galore.
Kicking things off in Charlotte, NC at the prestigious Hall of Fame Dance Competition, choreographer Caitlin Burton led her Senior Elite girls to an MVP Award and a coveted spot on the competition website with their performance of “Bones”. Emma Plafcan took the Charity Photogenic Award at the competition, courtesy of Clix Blacksburg. Also claiming their places in the spotlight were Hall of Fame All-Stars Erinn Stephenson, Katie Whitlock, Ella Stulce and Lexi Grigg, all of whom traveled home with a scholarship to Nationals and an invitation to perform in the opening number there. Taking home similar honors at VIP in Woodbridge, VA was Bria Snidow who joined her teammates in earning VIP Top Ten status and a position on the VIP website with their performances of “Bones” and “Silhouette”, both choreographed by Burton.
Before the season had even begun, Lindy Mesmer had secured a spot as an ASH apprentice at the Artists Simply Human intensive in Washington, D.C. This honor affords Mesmer the opportunity to compete at the National competition free of charge, to attend the intensive next season at reduced cost and to attend a summer intensive in California or Ocean City. Mesmer is in for an exciting summer at the renowned School of American Ballet.
For Dance.tech dancers, the honors are just getting started as the competitive season draws to a close. Dancers take advantage of every opportunity to hone their craft, and more often than not, scholarships are the result. Laura Hole earned a scholarship to Velocity dance convention at Tap University in Raleigh, NC, and was selected to perform in the intensive’s final showcase.
The Rotary Club of Blacksburg recognized graduating BHS senior Erinn Stephenson’s dance prowess with the Fine Arts Scholarship. Erinn plans to apply the scholarship to her tuition at Virginia Tech where she will join the ranks of the prestigious HighTechs dance team.
Complete listing of notable awards from Competitions this season were:
- MVP Award Winner at Hall of Fame Dance Challenge (video featured on website): Bones (performed by Senior Elite and choreographed by Caitlin Burton)
- Charity Photogenic Winner at Hall of Fame Dance Challenge: Emma Plafcan (pictures done by Cl!x Blacksburg)
- Hollywood VIP List at VIP Dance: Bones & Silhouettes (both videos featured on website), performed by Elite and choreographed by Caitlin Burton
- Idol Soloist at VIP Dance: Bria Snidow (scholarship to the National Convention and invitation to perform in the Opening Number)
- Hall of Fame All Stars- Ella Stulce, Katie Whitlock, Erinn Stephenson (there might be more, but that’s all I could find online…..) Scholarship to National Finals and invitation to perform in the Opening Number
Scholarships this year, in total, were:
- Laura Hole earned scholarship to Velocity dance convention this past weekend at Tap University in Raleigh, NC.
- Erinn Stephenson was awarded the Fine Arts Scholarship by the Rotary Club of Blacksburg for her excellence in dance. She will use it toward her tuition at Virginia Tech in the Fall. Erinn also recently auditioned for, and became a member of the prestigious HighTechs dance team at Virginia Tech.
- Lindy Mesmer earned the honor of ASH Apprentice at Artists Simply Human in Washington, D.C., which means she earned a half-scholarship to attend the workshop next season, a full scholarship to Nationals, scholarships to attend summer intensives in Southern California and Ocean City.
- Lindy also received a full tuition scholarship to the prestigious School of American Ballet and The Rock School this Summer.
It is the mission at Dance.tech Performing Arts Studio to offer professional training in the performing arts, and to enrich the lives of every student with a goal of sharing the love of the art of dance that grows into understanding the discipline of dance technique at every training level.
For more information, please contact Karen Stemen at 540.961.6666
