Twenty-eight members of the Soul Funktion Dance Studio’s performance troupe earned seven gold medals in seven events at the New City! Dance Power competition in North Vancouver last weekend.
The dancers competed as troupes in jazz, tap and hip hop categories, and according to Soul Funktion Director Codi Dalen, showed a lot of determination.
"They actually did surprisingly well, although I shouldn’t say ‘surprisingly’ because they worked hard," she said. "They practised hard, their routines were clean, and they put it together in their dance numbers.
"They’re still learning skills, and they’re not where they’ll be at this time next year, but for the past two months they worked their butts to learn these numbers.
"In tap for instance, most of the girls are in their first year and they were competing against girls who have been in tap for five years. They didn’t have the same skills obviously, but they were together, they looked great, their faces were perfect, and the routines were pleasing for the audience to watch. It’s the kind of thing the adjudicators see and want to get up there."
Members of the Soul Funktion team include Stephanie and Francis Moody, Jillian and Meghan Duggan, Riley and Megan McSkimming, Ashlen and Makinna Coombs, Emily Barratt, Mackenzie Patterson, Anglina Manuel, Taylor Laidlaw, Rebecca Kinney, Jessica Craig, Jennifer Just, Jocelyn Kay, Tabitha Akama, Alexandra Arcalean, Bianca Duval, Lucy Brown, Chelsea MacDonald, Julianna Waters, Alix Rusimovich, Christine Brett, Emma Baker, Lizzy MacIsaac-Maric, Alli Wake and Niki Sadler.
Soul Funktion is also taking part in a dance competition in Whistler this weekend, the regional 5-6-7-8 Showtime event in the Delta Whistler Village Suites. Almost a thousand dancers from across Canada are expected to take part in dozens of categories.
"It’s pretty huge for Whistler," said Dalen. "The competition should be amazing, but we’re going to give it our best shot. You never know. We didn’t know what to expect at Dance Power either."
In June, the studio will also present its first big-scale production called The Sun Thief and the Cloud Queen…Elements of Love, which will take place from June 16 to 17 with all 200 dancers taking part, from age 3 to adults. Other guest dancers from the community will be taking part.
More information is available at www.soulfunktion.com.
