Richmond dance group wins awards in competition

Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities' City Dance Theatre and three other department junior dance companies won 14 first-place awards, seven-second place trophies, and one third-place showing in the DanceAmerica regional competition held in Portsmouth this past weekend.

Forty-five young dancers traveled on Feb. 28 for the two-day program not only to compete, but also to attend DanceAmerica workshops featuring nationally known instructors. They represented the only municipally sponsored dancers, competing with companies representing dance schools and private studios from Maryland to Georgia.

The first-place awards went to modern, ballet, jazz and lyrical works by City Dance Theatre teacher-choreographers Rodney Williams, Annette Holt, Talita Jackson and Melinda Merritt.

Diontey McDonald, a member of City Dance Theatre, won a trophy for outstanding solo performance in the senior category and the judges' overall high-score award for his performance of "Maniac." The youngest dancers, known as the "Petite Elites" (ages 8-9), earned a first-place trophy and the award for best technical performance in the primary division, performing "Swanhilde's Waltz," a ballet piece by Dance Director Annette Holt. Talita Jackson's "Never" won first place and best emotional execution awards.

City Dance Theatre has won more than 100 national trophies in its 12 years of existence.In addition, the department's dance program was nominated last year for the Governor's Arts Award. This summer, City Dance Theatre will perform at Richmond's historic Landmark Theater and at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond's Sister City of Richmond upon Thames, England.

For more information on the City Dance Theatre and the City Dance Program, call (804) 646-3673, or visit http://www.RichmondGov.com.