Photos Provided by The Dans Company
A Pella-based dance company with several performers from around south central Iowa performed at the Nationals competition this past weekend.
The Dans Company sent 33 dancers, age five to 18, represented from Pella, Pleasantville, Knoxville, New Sharon, and Ottumwa, to the Wisconsin Dells to compete among some of the best in the country. Amanda Ritzert with the Dans Company says this creates a unique atmosphere for the team, bringing together “rivals” as a unified group.
“Our dancers call it their dance family and that is the atmosphere we try to create,’ she says. “We have really great families that all take care of getting these kids prepared for the competitions.”
Judge’s Choice awards included Phenomenal Focus for Bailey Knouse with her lyrical solo, Technique at Work for the Petite small group, Picture Perfect for Fear Is A Liar small group and Bad Boys of Dance Jr for Hudson Ritzert with his solo.
Members of The Dans Company perform this evening on the Tulip Toren in Central Park for Thursdays in Pella, starting at 6 p.m. Try outs for The Dans Company will be held this Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. Find more details here: https://www.facebook.com/thedansco/posts/2287118401550943
Students competed at four competitions this season prior to Nationals: Center Stage, The Movement, Midwest Starz and In10sity before attending Nationals with Midwest Starz.
Group Awards:
Petite New Starz Small Group Jazz (Great Balls of Fire) and Lyrical (Somewhere Out There)
received Platinums and 2nd Place in their category. Great Balls of Fire was also awarded the Judges Technique at Work Award and 2nd Place Overall.
Emma Flanders, Maelee Solomon, Isabelle Denner, Hudson Ritzart, Goldie Feldman, Lily Podmolik
New Starz Lg Group Hip Hop(Boom Boom Pow) was awarded Platinum
Emma Flanders, Maelee Solomon, Isabelle Denner, Hudson Ritzart, Goldie Feldman, Mallory Markley, Ella Van Waardhuizen, Sietje Beukelman
New Starz Lg Group Tap(Cooking Up My Order) received High Gold
Emma Flanders, Maelee Solomon, Isabelle Denner, Hudson Ritzart, Goldie Feldman, Mallory Markley, Ella Van Waardhuizen, Breckyn Ritzart, Lily Podmolik
Ellison Ritzert, Makenna Hall, Kendall Krichau, Breckyn Schilling, Peyton Seuferer, Calla Kerndt competed in Rising Starz, received Platinum and placed third in contemporary with You Say, platinum and ninth in jazz with The Way You Make Me Feel and platinum and thirteenth in lyrical with Hallelujah.
Teen Jazz Stuff Like That There was awarded High Gold and 2nd in Category
Kelsey Hall
Cole Denner
Tessa Hopkins
Emily Campbell
Peyton Podmolik
Fear is a Liar, intermediate small group lyrical was awarded a platinum, 2nd in group, 4th overall, judge’s choice “Picture Perfect”
Ally Livezey, Ella Van Waardhuizen, Emmalee Rankin, India Morgan, Lauren Winn-Fogel, Sietje Beukelman, Stella Stelpflug, Tess Hopkins
Think, intermediate jazz small group received platinum and 5th. Think – Ally, Ella, Emmalee, India, Sietje, Stella
Senior Jazz, Puttin’ On The Ritz and Senior Lyrical In The Air scored high gold and jazz was 5th in the category. Paige Buisick, Ella Jahner, Bailey Knouse, Megan Kramer, Danielle Mattox, Julia Smart.
