Best Acro Choreography
About the Superlative Awards
The Year in Review 2008 Superlative contest on DancerUniverse.com got the online dance community buzzing with interest and anticipation. Dance studios from all over the country logged in and uploaded a total of 189 numbers. Then, they sat back and waited anxiously while thousands of readers like you voted for their favorites.
Numbers eligible for the Superlative contest contained anywhere from four to 40 dancers and covered a range of disciplines, from ballet to hip-hop and even a special Teacher of the Year contest to honor those hardworking and dedicated instructors. In addition, there are two winners of the special Editor’s Choice Award, chosen by members of the Dancer Publishing team. These videos did not receive top scores, but they were so exceptional in style, choreography and execution that we had to spotlight them.
Talent, creativity and true artistry abound, the Superlative contest gave studios the opportunity to display their work and readers the chance to express their opinions. The contest wrapped up on December 22nd, at which point we tallied the scores and determined the winners.
In the following you’ll find biographical information about each studio as well as the back-story behind each dance. Look out for the fun facts accompanying every article—they’ll give you a greater sense of just how much work went into creating these award-winning routines. We know you’re itching to see who won, so without further ado, here are the 2008 Superlative winners!
Best Acro Choreography
Jersey Cape Dance and Gymnastics – “Ghosts”
Cape May, NJ
jerseycapedance.com
For the advanced contortion class at Jersey Cape and Dance Gymnastics, the goal was to not only showcase the contortion capabilities of the students, but their dance abilities as well. With several students still recovering from previous injuries, choreographers Kendra Heminway, Annika Nash and Stina Smith had the challenge of creating a piece that was flexible enough to be fluid in the number of dancers. Four months of hard work from both instructors and students produced “Ghosts,” a unique routine that combines various styles of dance, acro, tumbling and contortions. Pale faces, wild hair, shabby clothes and jerky moves gave the performance a thrilling demonism, zombie-esque quality.
Fun Fact: The zombie theme was enhanced with the use of coffins at the beginning and end of the piece.