Printer Friendly Version - Westbrook Dance Academy Sending Three Teams to World Championship

The Westbrook Dance Academy’s Large Group Tap team is headed to New Jersey to perform its dance, School of Rock, at the World Dance Championship this summer. Pictured are (back) Megan Murphy (Old Saybrook), Courtney Briggs (Old Saybrook), Miles Waterbury (Clinton), Brooke DellaRocco (Chester), Zoie Murphy (Westbrook), Alixandria Giannini (Old Saybrook), Caroline Bowe (Madison), Katherine Izadi (Old Saybrook), and Sophia Rutkis (Westbrook); and (front) Mara Kelley (Old Saybrook), Kaylene Koelle (Clinton), Gabriella Navarra (Clinton), Madison Grady (Clinton), Sylvia Sonenstein (Madison), and Claire Pease (Clinton). Photo courtesy of David Russo

The Westbrook Dance Academy competition teams recently took part in two major competitions: the Starpower Talent Regional Competition and the Imagine Dance Challenge Regional Competition. As a result of their performances at these events, three Westbrook squads earned bids to compete at the World Dance Championship that will take place in New Jersey from Monday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 5.

The Senior Competition team’s dance, Avenue Q, and the Teen Competition team’s dance, Bend and Snap, won the Star Dance Alliance Regional championship out of 400 entries in each of their respective age divisions at the Imagine Dance Challenge to earn their bids to the World Dance Championship. Additionally, the Large Group Tap team’s dance, School of Rock, scored in the top three among 800 entries at the Starpower competition to net a spot at the World Championship.

The Westbrook Dance Academy will compete among dances that qualify from across the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, China, and Great Britain at the World Championship. The Senior, Teen, Teen Intermediate, and Junior teams all competed in the World Dance Championship in 2017. The Senior team finished fourth in the finals after reaching the final five in the preliminary round. In 2015, the Senior Team finished third.

Senior Competition team members include Katherine Izadi, Courtney Briggs, and Mara Kelley from Old Saybrook, as well as Miles Waterbury of Clinton.

Teen Competition team members are Kaylene Koelle and Claire Pease from Clinton, Megan Murphy of Old Saybrook, and Brooke Dellarocco from Chester.

Large Group Tap team members include Zoie Murphy and Sophia Rutkis from Westbrook, Sylvia Sonenstein, and Caroline Bowe of Madison; Alixandria Giannini, Murphy, Izadi, Briggs, and Mara Kelley from Old Saybrook; Waterbury, Koelle, Pease, Gabriella Navarra, and Madison Grady from Clinton; and Dellarocco from Chester.

Westbrook Dance Academy offers programs for those aged 2 to adults at the beginner, advanced, recreational, and competition levels. For info on Westbrook Dance Academy or to register for summer or fall classes, contact 860-664-4308 or westbrookdanceac@aol.com, or visit westbrookdanceacademy.com.

Westbrook Dance Academy’s Teen Competition team of Kaylene Koelle (Clinton), Brooke DellaRocco (Chester), Megan Murphy (Old Saybrook), and Claire Pease (Clinton) earned a trip to the World Dance Championship, where they will perform Bend and Snap. Photo courtesy of David Russo

Katherine Izadi (Old Saybrook), Courtney Briggs (Old Saybrook), Miles Waterbury (Clinton), and Mara Kelley (Old Saybrook) of the Westbrook Dance Academy’s Senior Competition Team are looking forward to performing Avenue Q at the World Dance Championship in New Jersey. Photo courtesy of David Russo