This month, four CityDance Conservatory Dancers traveled to the May New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) regional convention! Rebecca Stewart, James Potter, Reese Canterna and Tseilla Essama-Ayi spent the weekend in Baltimore, Maryland taking classes with the NYCDA faculty and performing solos in the regional competition. These students were accompanied by CityDance School & Conservatory teaching faculty member Alicia Canterna.
For their performances in the competition, Tseilla received a High Gold award, and Rebecca, James, and Reese received Platinum awards. Rebecca was the highest scoring Teen soloist of the weekend, performing her contemporary solo “Strange Fruit”, choreographed collaboratively by Rebecca, Lenaya Williams, and CityDance School & Conservatory Founding Artistic Director Lorraine Spiegler. Reese was also recognized by NYCDA faculty member Grace Buckley with a Faculty Rising Star Scholarship!
At every NYCDA regional, the convention hosts an audition for their Outstanding Dancer Awards, in which students learn both a ballet and a jazz combination and perform for multiple judges. Students presented with the Outstanding Dancer Award receive special scholarships to New York-based dance studios like Peridance Center, Steps on Broadway, and Broadway Dance Center, as well as year-long NYCDA regional scholarships for the following season and invitations to the 2021 NYCDA Finals. In Baltimore, Rebecca Stewart was selected as one of two female Teen Outstanding Dancers, and James Potter was a runner-up for the Junior Outstanding Dancer Award!
Congratulations to all, and thank you to New York City Dance Alliance for a fabulous convention weekend!