Report by Sporting Elite Media Officer Jack.
It’s that time of year again, when students can audition to gain a place in one of the four Sporting Elite Academies and academy coaches, Mr Penney, Miss O’Connor, Mrs Carroll and Mr Grady, have the hard task of selecting which students will be chosen.
For students hoping to gain a place in the Dance Academy there are three options the first is yes, which means pupils are academy members from September, the second is no, which means students will have to try again the following year, and finally, going into the Elite which is a development opportunity for students hoping to be a part of the academy in the coming years.
Dance Academy auditions are challenging. To begin with Amy, the current captain of the academy, lead a warm up for the 19 hopefuls with complete confidence. During the warm up, Year 10s Eliza, Francesca, Rebecca, Lauren, Millie, Grace and Jess were all showing great confidence, as were Year 11s Harriet and Shannon.
After the warm up, the students began learning a routine to Chandelier by Sia which they would perform later on in the audition. Captain Amy went through the piece step by step. After Amy had run through the choreography a couple of times the group of students were split into two for a practise run. In the first group there were definitely some students to watch out for including Lauren and Eliza, who both showed great passion while they were dancing. When the second group took to the floor it was clear there were some brilliant dancers in the mix. Also in this group were the first boys to ever audition for the Dance Academy. Students Josh and Haydn are both in Year 10 and did a great job.
On the audition process, Academy Captain, Amy said: “Choosing new members is so hard this year! It’s definitely the hardest it’s been in a long time.”
She also offered those trying out for a place some advice. She said: “Just put all your effort into it! It’s not just about how you dance; it’s also about your attitude.”
Year 11 student, Hannah, who is a member of the Dance Academy said: “Try your best and if you miss something, just continue. If you don’t get into either the Elite or the Academy, just keep dancing and try again next year. Don’t stop dancing!”
Once the group performances had finished it was time for the dancers to go off and practise individually. Academy Captain Amy went around helping student after student to master the routine.
Year 10 student and Dance Academy hopeful Eliza, who currently attends Scream Theatre School, said: “I love to dance, I am already in the Dance Elite and I want to progress even further.”
Lauren, who is also in Year 10 and hoping to gain a place in the academy, said: “I do loads of dancing outside of school and I would love to do more.”
After rehearsing and running through the dance routine, it was time for the students to take the floor as Academy Coach Miss O’Connor tried to decide who would gain a place in the Academy and the Elite for the next academic year.
The students performed in groups of two or three. The first group included Year 10 Rebecca who delivered an impressive piece. The group that followed was made up of Sydney and Vicky. They both demonstrated high ability and had a smashing performance all in all. Following them was a group which included Year 10 Francesca. Francesca was completely in the zone and nothing could distract her. She led the way in her group with an emotional and fast paced performance. Next up were Lauren and Eliza and just like in rehearsals, they showcased their brilliant talents and were both perfectly in time to the song and each other. The final group had Ellie, Grace and Jess in it and all three pupils delivered a brilliant performance and a great finish to the auditions!
Miss O’Connor is going to have one hard job deciding who’s in the Elite and who’s in the Academy.
Other Images
Dance Academy Auditions 26th January 2015.
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