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11/15/2017 11:00 PMThree local dancers—Clinton resident Ashley Inglis, Haddam’s Sarah Petrie, and Riley Bauer of Ivoryton—will be representing the United States at the International Dance Organization (IDO) World Tap Championships in Riesa, Germany at the end of November. The World Tap Championships are considered the Olympics of tap dance, and more than 30 countries will be participating in this prestigious, international event.
Inglis (12), Petrie (12), and Bauer (15) dance at the Back Stage Dance Center in Killingworth. All three athletes have been members of Back Stage Dance Center’s competitive dance team for several years, taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, lyric, contemporary, and acrobatics. Their tap choreographer is Caity Steele. Back Stage Dance Center is owned and managed by Michelle Bailey and Stacey Lankarge.
The 2017 USA tap team consists of 46 dancers from ages 8 to 18 who live in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, and represent six dance studios: Back Stage Dance Center, Seven Star School of Performing Arts, Cheshire Performing Arts Academy, The Dancers Studio, Eastman Dance Company, and Performing Arts Academy. The team’s coaches are Alicia Monaco, Sheri Bonanno, and Nicole Aravena. Rehearsals started last year and, after submitting videos to the IDO judging panel this past spring, the dancers learned in June that they had qualified for the World Tap Championships. Only three entries per division and category are selected to represent each country.
On Nov. 5, members of the USA tap team performed 30 dance numbers in a showcase for family members and friends at North Branford High School. The tap solos, duos, trios, small groups, and formation performances impressed the large audience in the auditorium that evening. Representing their country is a dream come true for many of these dancers as it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a trip they will never forget.
The team departs for Germany on Saturday, Nov. 25. The World Tap Championships schedule is posted on the IDO’s website at www.ido-dance.com. There will be live stream broadcast of the dancers’ performances in Germany beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the top three performances in each category and division during the finals round. The national anthem of the country that places first will be played while the flag of the nation is raised during the awards ceremonies. Inglis, Petrie, and Bauer are hoping that they can proudly sing the The Star-Spangled Banner in Germany.