BRANTFORD — From Friday, May 24 to Saturday, May 25, dance groups and models from Michelle Farmers Studio of Dance took to performing before loved ones and supporters within the Brantford Collegiate Institute auditorium for the studios 44th Stars of Tomorrow annual showcase.
From tiny tots to adult divisions, dance teams performed routines ranging from ballet and jazz to hip hop and lyrical, while models walked their walks and modelled several outfit changes.
“Overall I think the show went well,” said Hip Hop Choreographer Jazz Fuller. “I taught the hip hop for all of the age divisions.”
Fuller worked with fifteen of the youngest dancers and made a basketball themed routine. This year as well, Fuller re-entered the competitive floor himself.
“I hadn’t competed for [over ten years],” he said. “Me and Arielle Monture, who used to dance with me to compete, came back for another year because we both wanted to compete one more time.”
After doing well in Ohio a couple of months prior, the duo a long with five younger dancers serving rest of their group were given a first place platinum award. They make up the senior competitive team and Fuller said that he is “proud,” of the group.
After competing in Ohio for regionals, the teams went on to compete further:
“We went to two competitions,” said Director of the Studio, Michelle Farmer. “We went to Showstoppers, which we usually go to and we also went to Star Power in Toronto.”
Farmer explained that they had eleven routines for the Showstopper competition and the groups qualified for the National Finals in all. As for the Star Power Competition, only the younger mini and junior groups competed and they qualified for the National Finals taking place in Anaheim, California at the same time and place as the Showstopper Finals.
“We’re going to try to do two in one,” she said, as the Showstopper Competition is held at the Anaheim Convention Centre while the Star Power Competition is held at Disneyland, five minutes apart. “Which is exciting, because we’ve never done this.”
To top off their successes at Regionals, one of the groups was also given a surprise opportunity.
“While we were at Star Power in Toronto, a group that I have was given a special award and it was called a ‘golden ticket,’” she said.
Farmer said that golden tickets were awarded to the highest scoring dance troupe of each division, and gave the awardees the opportunity to compete at the world level in New Jersey just a few days after nationals.
“They will be representing Team Canada,” she said.
Therefore the studio has allowed a world level dance group to compete, but out of all of the dancers that Farmer has seen and taught, she said that she is proud of them all as a whole.
“Yes I am proud of my competitors, but I am also proud of the recreational students and the dancers that come to just a class a week and being able to see them grow,” she said.
The studio also hosted auditions for competitive and pre-competitive teams for 2019-2020 year on Tuesday for any dancers that are interested. For more information the studio is reachable at 519-717-9099.
On Friday, May 31, the competitive dance teams will be hosting a barbecue fundraiser within Veteran’s Park in Ohsweken from 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., or until they are sold out. They will be offering barbecue staples as well as macaroni and potato salad to help fund their trip to the Showstoppers National Dance Competition in Anaheim, California.
