Quick Showstopper Update

The kids and I are having a fantastic time in Anaheim at the Showstopper Competition. For the kids, all of their Solo and Group numbers scored in the Gold award category. Thursday was a full day with Sean and Savannah performing their Mexican Folklorico routines Then Savannah’s Polynesian class performed their number followed by Sean and Savannah’s clogging routine. Then Savannah’s Tap/Lyrical/Ballet/Jazz class performed a Lyrical and Jazz trio. Only three dancers from the class could come to the competition, so the class performed in the Duet and Trio category.

Thursday, the kids and I attended dance workshops all day long. We started with Tap, then Jazz, and then the kids did the hip hop class with Deena Rizzo, while I prepped for my Small Folkloric Norteno Polka. Our group performed right near the end of a huge block of Lyrical dances, so our really different Mexican Polka really got the crowd going. We actually won a Gold Award, but Julian gave us a Platinum trophy. When we went to exchange it, he said he actually did it on purpose saying the thought we deserved a platinum.

Today, we had had our solos. The kids performed Song and Dance, and Clogging, both earning Gold and First Place in their categories. After that awards session, Savannah performed her hip hop routine. I was very impressed with her “gliding” which I thought started to show some real hip hop technique. She earned one of her highest ever Showstopper scores. Sean also had some great scores on his Solo, topping his regional solo score.

The evening ended with my Song and Dance solo to New York, New York. That song has long been one of my favorites, so I really enjoyed the challenge of putting dance moves in with the song. The performance went better than I expected and I ended up not only earning a Platinum award level, but also won second place overall in the Adult Age division across all dance categories. It was a nice end to our busy schedule at Showstoppers.

Tomorrow, we head back home.