Competition season is well underway for local dance studio, Carolina Dance Academy. After two disruptive years due to COVID, owner Dixie Elliott and her dancers were ready and eager to get back to “normal.” 51 girls from CDA have competed in three national competitions this Spring, and have their final competition, Show Stoppers, this weekend in Myrtle Beach.
Show Stoppers is also the largest competition CDA participates in. With over 1600 entries, it’s sure to be a challenging weekend. Elliott, however, encourages her dancers to just have fun, enjoy “the hoopla and being with their friends.” She starts each season by telling her teams that winning isn’t the goal. “If you get upset if you lose, then this is not what you need to be doing.”
Winning may not be the goal, but the teams make it happen. Often. Between the Fly Dance, Inferno, and Ignite competitions, the dancers have brought home many awards, including several overalls and first places. At Ignite, the senior team received an award for the Highest Score of the Day for their tap performance.
Elliott is thrilled with how the season is going so far, even with the addition of another age group. “It’s been a really, really good season. This is the first season that we’ve ever had a Tiny group, which is ages four to six. And they have done so well. They’ve won first overall; they’ve won a special judges award. I’ve been pleasantly surprised because they’re little … and I’m not allowed to help.”
Even the parents are receiving awards for CDA. At Inferno, the studio received the Fans on Fire award. This award isn’t just for the loudest cheering section, it also takes in account how the parents interact with other studios. Their kindness and good sportsmanship have made the CDA parents stand out. “I think those special ones, special judges’ awards, they just hit different,” Elliott remarked.
Elliott loves this time of year. She loves to see the parents excited about traveling and supporting their dancers, and she loves giving the dancers opportunities for some life experience. “I want to kind of expose these kids to life outside the studio, to be able to travel and meet new people.”
On May 15th Carolina Dance Academy will be holding auditions for next year’s competition teams. Finally, on June 5th at Weldon Auditorium, the studio will host its yearly recital. You can call the studio at (803) 433-5678 for more information about auditions and the recital.
