Chris Collins and his company co-directors Jennifer Meyer and Tiffany Hopper are very active members of Dance Master of America which has chapters throughout the country. In fact, Miss Tiffany and Miss Jennifer are on the board of directors for Mid-Atlantic Chapter 17 of Dance Masters. DMA primarily promotes education through special workshops with master teachers, but also hosts competitions. In September, a mini-workshop was held at CCDS. In November, a big workshop, with students from all over Virginia and Maryland, was held in Williamsburg. Catherine Quidas and Charlotte Rizzi each won scholarships at this workshop.
for a DMA workshop in Maryland. At this workshop, student Orfa Barrios was presented a four year scholarship to the DMA Teacher Training School in Buffalo, NY! There was also a competition for solo performers. We are very proud of our company solo performers who debuted brand new routines. Special Judges Recognition was given to Hannah Arleth, Blair Gilmore, and Charlotte Rizzi. Congratulations to overall winners in their age divisions! 1st Overall, Division 1: Evie Muntu; 3rd Overall, Division 3: Blair Gilmore; 3rd Overall, Division 4: Piper Kelly; 5th Overall, Division 5: Amani Muntu
In March, at the DMA Performing Arts Competition, each of our groups debuted brand new routines and all of them gave outstanding performances! Congratulations to our groups who were in the overall finals:
Special judges’ recognition awards were presented to the following routines: So Hot, Cats, Magic, Jungle Book, and I Got You.
On that same March weekend, the Mid-Atlantic Dance Masters Chapter 17 held the annual Title Pageant and we were excited to be a part of it. The Title Pageant scores students through an interview process, auditions in each dance subject, as well as their chosen talent.
In the Petite Miss category, our student Amina McKinney won the overall tap scholarship! Student Evie Muntu won the interview scholarship, a jazz scholarship, and was first runner-up to the overall Miss Petitie title! In the Junior Miss category, student Charlotte Rizzi was a top ten finalist out of 28 girls. In the Teen Miss category, student Piper Kelly placed 5th out of 33 contestants and Mia Muntu won a special award as the most talented non-finalist! It was a great learning experience for all our students and we are extremely proud of each student who participated in all divisions.
We are extremely proud of all our performers’ achievements on stage and are equally proud of them off stage. During three days of competition and over 500 acts, we had huge success with Diamond awards, overall awards, and special judges’ awards. However, with all of the plaques, trophies, and medals brought home, at CCDS, We Measure Success in Smiles!
Congratulations to Miss Meghan’s contemporary group Tethered which was the overall highest scoring routine in age 16 and over! Special recognition to the winner of The Ultimate Technique Award—These Four Walls featuring Amani and Mia Muntu and Haley and Tehya Moss. A big shout out to our Miss Tiffanys’ musical theater routine Seussical, which won the Outstanding Entertainment Award!
Congratulations to those who won top honors in their divisions and age groups! Soloists Hannah Arleth, George Gross, Alex Mills, Haley Moss, Amani Muntu, Evie Muntu, Catherine Quidas as well as the duos of Mason Hopper & Jaelynne Menacho and Haley & Tehya Moss. We also had top scoring group routines: Artist’s Life, Cats, Clue, Coffee Break, Harriet, Home, Jailhouse Rock, Jungle Book, Let it Go, Little Red, Long Time Traveler, Magic, Man With a Hex, Seussical, So Hot, Tethered, That’s Life and These Four Walls.
Special Judges Awards were presented to duet Orfa Barrios and Erica Glover, and soloist Chloe Morgan; and group routines Monster Mash, Let It Go, Stand By Me, and Artist’s Life. It was definitely an exciting and memorable weekend!
Since 2005, the company teachers at CCDS have always recognized students after competition weekends. After DMA and Beyond the Stars, our company teachers presented special Teacher’s Choice awards to: Jackie Canning, Alexi Caruso, Angela Gentile, Moira Jamberdino, Haley Moss, Amani Muntu, Alexander Myers, Catherine Quidas, and Julia von Fahnestock.
During three days of competition with twelve studios from the DMV area, our dancers had great camaraderie with their peers from other studios and gave outstanding performances! From our young Twinkling Stars to our Sensational Seniors (and our adult tappers and Dancing Dads) it was an award winning weekend!
Congratulations to Miss On Point, Amani Muntu, and to Petite Miss On Point, Evie Muntu! Kudos to Piper Kelly who was runner-up to Teen Miss and to Amina McKinney who was runner up to Petite Miss!
Congratulations to our own Miss Tiffany, who won the top choreography award for the senior lyrical piece Home and also won the Outstanding Entertainment Award for Seussical. Mia Muntu was a top-ten finalist for her solo, and special Judges Awards were presented to Kailah Doles, Blair Gilmore, Evie Galvan, George Gross, Catherine Quidas, Katie Woods, Coffee Break, Clue, Embassy Waltz, Jungle Book, and That’s Life.
Special recognition to our group routines that were Dynamic Award winners (tops in dance subject) included Tethered, Magic, These Four Walls, and Home.
Back at the studio, Teacher’s Choice Awards were presented to Kailah Doles, Blair Gilmore, Mira Henry, Dylan Hurley, Erin Kelly, Madison Lookadoo, Alex Mills, and Evie Muntu.
In July 2017, we will attend On Point Nationals in Virginia Beach, and many of our students will be featured in the opening number of the finals showcase!
The teamwork of the students and parents makes the company a success. We are proud of our accomplishments on stage, and just as proud of our reputation off stage. It is a joy to watch the growth of our students through the years as they become confident performers. The young students look up to their “big sisters and brothers,” and years from now all the performers will remember the fun and camaraderie they had more than whether a routine was silver, gold, or platinum.
We have a Facebook page for Chris Collins Dance Studio alumni. In a few years, many of the current company members will be on that page. We hope they have spectacular memories to share just as their predecessors have had. It has been another memorable year. Thanks for making our 40th year so wonderful. Go CCDS!! #ccdsspirit
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