Best Costume
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 Costume
Jersey Cape Dance and Gymnastics – “Birdland”
Cape May, NJ
jerseycapedance.com
Nearly 25 years ago, Stina Smith, with help from a friend, opened Jersey Cape Dance and Gymnastics. With love and support, the studio was a success, despite the fact that they are located in a very small community. With approximately 150 students, and 34 dancers on the competition team, the student body is small enough that each person has the opportunity to receive individual attention. Jersey Cape Dance and Gymnastics is a family-run business, and keeping with that theme, the studio has a tight-knit atmosphere, with incredible attention to detail. With four main teachers that teach a range from ballet and jazz, to hip-hop and contortion, and several former students returning as part-time instructors, the students have every learning opportunity available to them. While being a small school has its difficulties, like making sure performances look as big and impressive on stage as the larger studios, Jersey Cape Dance has certainly made an impression with its impressive contortion and acro expertise.
A true hallmark of Jersey Cape Dance and Gymnastics are its elaborate and unforgettable costumes. For this unique piece, titled “Birdland,” the bases of the costumes were made by a skilled seamstress from Canada in various colors, all with an overall neon foundation. After that, it was up to the dancers and their parents to design the rest of their costumes with bags of feathers and rhinestones supplied by Stina. The dancers received basic lessons on how to make the complicated patterns that gave the costumes one more dimension. Despite their complicated beginnings, and the difficulties involved in dancing in intricate costumes during the heat of the summer, these memorable, colorful, numbers have lived up to their first glimmer of imagination. The results are fabulous, and the dancers had the opportunity to perform this outstanding routine in costumes that held pieces of their own individual style and creativity.
Fun Fact: The Broadway show “Cats” lent inspiration to the detailed makeup.