Journey to Dance Masters of California (DMC) Competition

So here we are gearing up for the November DMC competition!  This year Zoe will be competing for Junior Miss Dance of California in addition to competing some group numbers with her junior competition team.  It's a lot of fun but a lot of work too!  Zoe is busy learning a new solo with Shely two days a week for the "Solo Title Competition" (aka: Junior Miss Dance of California) choreographed to a song from the musical The Fantasticks called  "Soon It's Gonna Rain".   Zoe is also dancing 6 days a week in group classes working on technique and rehearsing the group numbers for the team competition.  In addition to learning and practicing her various routines, we just completed the application process which was quite extensive.  There were many forms to fill out, a resume to develop and submit (yes a resume for a (almost) 10 year old!) and a copy of her birth certificate that was needed.   Last Sunday we went to the photographer to get head shots done which will be displayed in the lobby the night of the solo competition.  We also got her oufit for her interview with the judges as well as her dress for the awards ceremony.

But my favorite part of prepping for the competition is Zoe's solo costume!  We got lots of great ideas from the national dance competition in Florida this July and Zoe is great at sketching out our ideas.  Last weekend we went to pick out the fabric and color of the costume and also had an initial appointment with the costume designer, Lorna.   Today we went back to see Lorna for Zoe to have her first costume fitting.  We are so excited about her costume and think it's going to be beautiful!  Here's some pictures of our journey so far:

Lots of paperwork to submit the application

Here's my resume

This fabric is pretty

I like this color

Oh, blue is nice

I think we found it!

Initial fitting of the skirt

Now the straps

The back will be beautiful!

Let's add some detailing here

Now we're ready to pick out some crystals
for some extra sparkle!

So many beautiful colors to pick from!

This is my favorite part!

This one is so pretty.  But wrong color. 
Maybe next costume!

Ok, back to rehearsals!  Will blog again as we get into October and Zoe begins practicing with the other contestants for the opening number to be performed the night of the competition.  Until then, when life gets you down, just dance!

San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article & Relay for Life Performance

Last Saturday the San Francisco Chronicle did an article on Zoe's dance teacher Shely Pack and it included some pictures of Zoe and her dance class.  Here's a few pictures that the SF Chronicle photographer took and that you can also see posted on the SF Chronicle web site. If you are interested in reading the article, I have included the link below.  In order to see all the Chronicle pictures on-line click on the first picture in the article and you will be able to see all 11 of them.  https://webmail2003.lpch.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/08/13/DD7U1KKSF8.DTL

SF Chronicle pciture of Zoe leaping!

Shely teaching class

Shely and Zoe's best friend Callan

That's Zoe's feet!

Now here's the top half!

Also, yesterday some of the Shely Pack Dancers performed at the American Cancer Association Relay for Life fundraising event in Half Moon Bay.  It was a cool, windy summer day in HMB and only 4 of the girls from Zoe's junior competition team performed.  So here's some pictures:

Zoe, Jasmine, Callan and Hillary

That's Zoe in the front

Rock and Roll High School

Hillary, Callan, Jasmine and Zoe

Our next dance star

Ballerina in training

Jordan's got rhythm!

Final post for Nationals 2011

So we are home now!  Up at 4:30am ET after getting to bed at midnight.  It was a fabulous trip but we are both so happy to be home.  As Zoe put it last evening as we were walking back to the room from the closing banquet, "It was fun but it's time for the journey to end."   My sentiments exactly!  The closing banquet/party was very cool.  All the top winners performed.  Some amazing stuff!  Unbelieveable.  And Jordan had a fabulous week in Chico with Memere, Pepper, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Tom and her cousins Lily and Luke.  She couldn't stop talking about all the fun she had.  We are so lucky to have such an amazing family!  So here's a few pictures from our final night as well as our homecoming.  Daddy sure was happy to have his girls back home again!

Zoe before the closing banquet

Zoe made a friend at the party

Final shot of Zoe and Shely

At the airport and ready to get home!

Zoe and Jordan happy to be together again!

Daddy had flowers and balloons to congratulate Zoe

Final awards ceremony brings more success for Zoe!

This evening they held the awards ceremony for the whole PAC (Performing Arts Competition) portion of the Dance Masters of America competition.  At this ceremony they gave the High Score awards for the 12 yr. old and under division & 13 yr old and over division.  Zoe ended up getting 6th place overall in the 12 and under division for her solo out of 200 solos!!  Pretty huge!!  I could not be more proud of her!!  She has worked so hard and has been dancing 15 hours a week this past year and it all paid off.  Especially impressive considering this is her first time ever to Nationals!!  Here's a run down of her awards for the week: Gold score for her duet w/ Jackie in Preliminaries.  Platinum score and 3rd Place in the category for her duet in the Finals.  Platinum score and 2nd Place in the category for her solo in the Finals (she did not have to do Prelims. for her solo because she had previously qualified at the California title competition in November where she got First Runner Up).  Plus a Judges Special Award titled: "You Are Amazing" given for her solo.  Then a High Score award and 6th Place Overall for her solo in the 12 and under division.  Right on Zoe!!


6th place out of 200 solos!!

All her awards for the week! 

Jackie wins some awards at the Miss Dance Competition!

Last night Jackie competed in the Miss Dance of America title competition.  She did an amazing job!!  The talent in the competition was over the top!!  Man can these kids dance!  And do acrobatics!  They blow your socks off.  And although Jackie did not place in the competition, she did get the congeniality award that was voted on by all the contestants (girl has a fabulous personality and one of the sweetest people you could ever meet) and she also got the award for the top essay that they all had to write.  The topic was "What dance has done for me."  Next year she is off to Arizona for college and she will be a pre-med major (she wants to be an orthopedic surgeon because of all the dance injuries she has had in her past) and she will minor in dance.  Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of her last night (it's been a long week and I slacked off  in the final hours!!).  But here are a few of the Miss Dance contestants and one of her parents before the competition.

Miss Dance of America contestants

Jackie was contestant #9

Don and Jan prior to Miss Dance competition

Day of dance workshops

Today was all about taking dance workshops.  Zoe did a ballet, a hip hop and a tap class.  Fun to be able to learn from different teachers and learn some new moves.  It was a busy morning!  This afternoon there is a big thunder and lightening storm with pouring rain and wind.  Perfect for taking a nap prior to getting ready to watch Jackie compete in the Miss Dance of America competition tonight.  Will try to blog again late night to let you know how Jackie did but expect we will be out until way past midnight.  The competition goes from 8pm to 11pm and then we plan to go out with Jackie, Ms. Shely & her parents to celebrate! And now, the pictures and a few short videos from hip hop and tap class. 

Writing a good luck card for Jackie!

Off to dance classes

Taking a break between classes

Some more pictures from competition

Here's a few more shots from Zoe and Jackie's duet performance as well as a few from Zoe's solo.

Another amazing day of competing!

So I realized I never explained how the scoring and awards work here at Nationals.  Well let me explain.  Each number in the competition gets an individual score.  And that score translates into a Bronze, High Bronze, Silver, High Silver, Gold or a Platinum.  Then based on your score, they give a First, Second & Third Place for each category.  Categories are based on the number of people in the routine (solo; duo/trio; small group numbers; large group numbers), the type of dance routine it is (lyrical; ballet; jazz; tap; musical theater, acrobatics, contemporary, hip hop, pointe) and then the age(s) of the dancer(s) in the routine (and ages are divided into 6 divisions).  So Zoe competed in Solo Lyrical Division 2.  And Zoe and Jackie competed in Duo/Trio Lyrical Division 5 (and it was Division 5 cuz Jackie is 18 yrs old so they were in a higher division then Zoe was for her solo).  So anyways, on to the news for today.  Zoe and Jackie got a Platinum individual score (only 3 given in their category) and 3rd place overall in their category!!  We were thrilled!  For Zoe's first time to Nationals this has been amazing.  So once again, some moments from our day in addition to a few cool shots that were taken from the professional competition photographer during their duet performance.

Ready to go in my fully stoned costume.
(that's dance lingo for glued crystals on a
costume which took me many hours to do!)

Girls get Platinum!!

Time to celebrate with a rootbeer!

Zoe's substitute dad for the week
(aka: Don who is Jackie's father)

Shely joined us for lunch to celebrate

Let them eat cake!  And ice cream, and tiramisu, and.........

Now it's time to watch the video of the performance and get
the teacher's critique.  Always more to learn and to do better!

Performance pictures. 
Number was called: Angel Standing By

Beautiful shot and perfectly synchronized!

The routine was gorgeous! 

Running leap.  Nice height girls!!