Best Adult 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 Adult Choreography
Dance Unlimited – “Friend Like Me”
Oceanside, CA
Danceunlimited.info
Dance Unlimited says it all in the name. Founded in 1989 by Erin Riley-Carrasaco, the successful studio now maintains a student enrollment of approximately 450 to 500 students a year, with 100 participants on their competition team. Their growth proved advantageous, and the staff is increasingly diversified, with 18 teachers across the different styles. Despite its size, Dance Unlimited has created a wonderful family and student environment, including a room for the dancers to do their homework, and their goal is to continue to be supportive of young dancers.
While at Disneyland enjoying various performances from Aladdin, choreographer Krista Hale had the sudden inspiration to create a routine that involved many Genies on stage at the same time. “Friend Like Me” was perfect for the father/daughter routine, and despite the fact that the fathers had little or no dance training, the daughters enjoyed working with their fathers on a piece both challenging and entertaining. Some of the girls, ages six to eight, had previous training in various different styles, and some had no training at all. Despite their different levels of experience, the family duos came together, and after five months of rehearsal, they put on a spectacular show. Fun Fact: The music went off during a big father/daughter production number so they just kept dancing and singing the words, for over two minutes. They received a standing ovation from the judges!