Anyone who knows anything about the world of dance will know about So You Think You Can Dance, the well-known US TV show.
"We were lucky enough to attend the senior classes," said local dance teacher Abigail Geldenhuys who attended with three senior dance students, Angelique Dee, Joan Redelinghuys and Simoné Galand from the Diana Townsend School of Ballet.
Two winners and a runner-up of the SYTYCD show presented classes and taught dance routines to dancers of three different age levels. Geldenhuys explains: "Melanie Moore, winner of SYTYCD Season 8, taught improvisation classes with such interesting concepts that she had us twisting and contorting our bodies into the strangest positions - as only a hyper-extended Melanie can. She also taught us a stunning contemporary piece to Rhianna's Drunk on Love."
Tiffany Maher, runner-up of SYTYCD Season 9, taught a few control and balance exercises. "These are of such importance as a dancer. Tiffany's style is lyrical jazz and she choreographed a combination to Jessy J's version of the Rhianna song We Found Love. Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, winner of Season 9, took us on a soul journey to find a place of pain and heartache and to use those raw emotions in a very dark contemporary piece that he choreographed as we danced. It was incredible to watch this young man move as he only started ballet training at the age of 14. By 19 he was in the Royal Ballet School and at 20 he won So You Think You Can Dance."
The convention ran over two days and on the first evening the Georgians were fortunate enough to be invited to a dinner with the organisers and the three young dance stars. "Thirty of us spent the evening chatting with them, learning about their lives and their rise to fame. What amazed us most was how absolutely humble and unassuming they are. The grand finale was a public performance of the pieces taught and each of the three stars performed a solo. Melanie danced a Mandy Moore piece, Tiffany danced a routine from Season 9 and Chehon improvised the most breathtaking solo I have ever witnessed. Watching them perform live was the highlight of the weekend."
The convention was arranged by the Theatre Dance Association and this was the third So You Think You Can Dance Convention they have hosted.
Readers who love dance performances and who would like to support the local performing arts, should take note that on 31 May the Diana Townsend School of Ballet will be performing at the George Arts Theatre in a benefit show for Bradley Zeelie, who danced The Prince in the school's production of Cinderella last year. An amalgamation of the choreography from the convention will be performed.
So You Think You Can Dance star, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, given a lift by from left: Simoné Galand, Tiffany Maher, Angelique Dee, Abigail Geldenhuys, Melanie Moore and Joan Redelinghuys.
