The Love to Dance Academy won big at the 2022 Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts. Earlier this month the studio received the following competition results for their video submissions that were sent last February.
Spanish Duet 16 & Under (Kate van Rensburg & Megan Voigt): 1st Place – 85%
Spanish Group (Avery Warren, Anina Miller, Kinley Stewart, Priya Sandur, Megan Voigt, Kate van Rensburg, and Madilyn Thorne): 1st Place – 86%
Classical Ballet Group (Avery Warren, Zoë Andersen, Lizette Nel, Kinley Stewart, Megan Voigt, and Kate van Rensburg): 1st Place – 87%
Avery Warren – Classical Solo on Pointe: 1st Place – 85%
Megan Voigt – Classical Solo: 85.5%
Kate van Rensburg – Classical Solo: 1st Place – 88%
Kinley Stewart – Character National Solo: 1st Place – 84%
Avery Warren – Demi Character Solos: 1st Place – 85.5%
Megan Voigt – Demi Character Solo on Pointe: 1st Place – 84.5%
Kate van Rensburg – Demi Character Solo: 1st Place – 87.5%
Avery Warren – Technique Class: 86%
Megan Voigt – Technique Class: 84%
“I’m very pleased with the results,” said Lizette Nel, program director for Love to Dance Academy.
“It was just a privilege for me to work with these girls because they are so dedicated and they are so keen to do well, understanding the value of working together as a team.”
The Kamloops Festival is an annual event which promotes dance, music, and speech through a three week showcase that takes place from February to March. Since last year, dance competitions have been done via online submissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Competitors submitted their entries before the February deadline to be reviewed by a guest adjudicator.
This year, the festival has brought on Sarah Brewer Clowes to adjudicate for the ballet and modern dance categories. Brewer is a 30-year professional choreographer who has been part of many dance companies including; Munich Ballet, Northwest Florida Ballet, the Banff Festival Ballet and The Vancouver Opera.
“Students received feedback called an educational session,” said Nel.
“Participants get an hour on Zoom with the adjudicator and she would give them feedback on what she saw during their performances, both things that she liked and things that could be improved.”
Apart from the standard awards, some of the students from LTD had received special recognition. Kate van Rensburg received the Ballet 1 Anna Grandia Memorial Award while Avery Warren was awarded the KFPA Ballet Level 3 Scholarship. Warren also received a recommendation by the Ballet adjudicator to take part in the Virtual Provincial Festival, along with Megan Voigt, from June 5-9, 2022.
“I spent many hours practising for the Kamloops Festival and my hard work paid off,” said van Rensburg. “This has also inspired me to keep working hard and I hope to inspire others.”
Warren said, “to be asked to represent KFPA in provincials is both an honour and a privilege.” “They’ve seen me grow from a scared little girl in a group to a confidant soloist, group dancer, and choreographer.”
“It is an honor, not only to myself but to my dance teachers and dance studio, to receive the recommendation to participate in the ballet provincial festival.” Voigt added.
“It was truly a great learning experience to complete all the dances and to receive valuable feedback from the adjudicator.”
With the Kamloops Festival now over, the Academy prepares for their next competition, this time, an in person appearance in the Shine Festival which will be held at the Cleland Community Theatre in Penticton from May 21-24.
