DC Dance of LA Wins Scholarships at Radix Dance
Reprinted from the Santa Monica Observer and Culver City Observer
By Adele Ciociola
This past weekend, dancers from DC Dance of Los Angeles attended Radix Dance to compete and take classes with today’s top choreographers in the industry. This was their first regional competition since the pandemic hit, and dancers were overjoyed to be back on stage and taking classes in many different styles of dance, including ballet, hip hop, jazz fusion, and contemporary.
The event had to be reimagined for safety. In the past, hotel ballrooms would be filled with 500 dancers ages 5 to 18, there to improve as a dancer, gain knowledge, and ultimately, win a scholarship or award. While the ultimate goal was the same, the event looked a lot different: ballrooms were at 50% capacity with dancers in masks and dancing in socially-distanced squares, no spectators allowed, health screenings every morning, and temperature scanners at every door.
After more than 14 hours of classes and auditions on Saturday and Sunday, learning several dance “combos” from top choreographers and being surrounded by many of the best dancers on the West Coast, the scholarship awards were announced.
Two dancers from DC Dance, Sakura Amano and Delaney Davis, received the biggest convention scholarships admitting them to all Radix Dance conventions in the coming year. Sakura also received a near perfect score and 6th place overall for her solo dance. Two other dancers, Reese Taylor and Meina Amano got “runner up” scholarships, admitting them to the National Dance Awards. Lastly, one class scholarship was given to Adele Ciociola from the Musical Theatre class.
About DC Dance of Los Angeles
For over 25 years, DC Dance LA has been helping students ages 3 to 18 develop the skills, discipline, and artistry to be successful in dance and life. Led by Diane Collins and her elite team of teachers and choreographers, DC strives to inspire and motivate students to learn and grow and become the best dancers they can be in a creative and nurturing environment. DC offers a wide range of dance styles depending on age from Classical Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Hip Hop, Acrobatics, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, plus Sculpting and Conditioning classes.