SOA dance wanted to share some exciting news about our dance students who recently attended the Regional High School Dance Festival in Norfolk, Virginia. Representing SOA this year were Julia Hartman, Lucie Parham Battle, Alexa Waters, Marin Lutz, Nathaniel Green, Sophia Blango, Emilia Hall, Ivy Brown, and Blakely Thrasher.

This festival hosts more than 65 performing arts schools and over 1,300 students, making it an incredible opportunity for young dancers to train, perform, and connect with college programs and professionals in the field.

Throughout the week and weekend, our dancers participated in an intensive schedule of 4–5 classes each day, each lasting 90 minutes. These classes covered a wide range of styles and disciplines including yoga, Pilates, improvisation, musical theater, ballet, ballet partnering, contemporary/modern, Afro beats, hip hop, heels, voguing, commercial dance, and repertory from BalletX, among many others.

In addition to training, students attended evening concerts featuring BalletX (a professional contemporary ballet company from Philadelphia) as well as faculty and student choreography showcases.

A special highlight of the festival was that Nathaniel Green’s Fall Thesis choreography was selected to be performed at the festival, performed by Sophia Blango, Ivy Brown, and Marin Lutz, an incredible honor and recognition of his choreographic work.

Students also participated in college and summer program auditions for admission and scholarships, and I am thrilled to report that between this talented group t, they received numerous scholarship and/or admission offers  and have earned WELL over $100,000 from a wide range of respected dance programs and institutions, including:

Winthrop University, Adelphi University, Point Park University, High Point University, Webster University, Troy University, Kennesaw State University, The Ohio State University, Bennington College, Converse University, Peridance, Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, Goucher College, Nazareth University, Shenandoah University, Columbia College Chicago, West Virginia University, Bates Dance Festival, James Madison University, Brenau University, Southern Illinois University, Valdosta State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, AMDA, Sam Houston State University, Mercyhurst University, Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, UMKC Conservatory, Rowan University, Ohio University, Joffrey Ballet School, Florida Southern College, Western Michigan University, University of South Carolina, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, George Mason University, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Temple University, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, College of Charleston, and DeSales University.

Our students represented SOA with professionalism, dedication, and tremendous talent. Their work ethic, openness to learning, and passion for dance were evident throughout the festival, and it was wonderful to see them recognized by so many collegiate and professional programs.

Please join me in congratulating these dancers on an incredible weekend of training, performance, and opportunity. Your future is bright and this is oly the beginning.