Danceworks! 2007 Cat II Preliminaries
25th February 2007

Anti-Drug Advertisement Campaign 3rd Prize – Pulchritude team
Hi-Energy Award – Streak team

Once of the most anticipated events lined up for the IJ Dance Ensemble, Danceworks! 2007, has finally arrived. After months, of anguish, preparation and sweat, it was time for our three teams to strut their stuff on the dance floor. NC-16, Pulchritude, Streak: the three names that would be on the minds on all IJ girls, dancers and non-dancers alike.

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Marina Square was filled with people, all waiting eagerly for the competition to begin, and when it did, the crowd went wild.

One by one, teams from secondary schools all over the country went onstage and gave it all they had for the three-and-a-half minutes onstage to impress the judges. They showcased mostly hip-hop, with a bit of jazz-ballet fusion in some of their items.

After the break, it was time for the first team from IJ to have their turn onstage. Streak engaged the audience with their acrobatic moves and cheerleading stunts, distinctly making their item different from anything we had seen throughout the competition. The nervousness on their faces as they made their way to the holding area immediately gave way to smiles, and their energy could be felt all throughout the Marina Square Atrium. They introduced cheerleading components to a competition that dealt mostly with hip-hop, and were met with positive responses as they put up stunts onstage that most people wouldn’t even dare to attempt.

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Another two teams had their go, and then it was NC-16’s turn. The energy that this team gave off was very different from Streak’s, but that’s what made the item so much more memorable. Their costumes, seemingly garish offstage, looked right at home onstage, giving them the extra It factor. Their item was a little bit tribal, a little bit old-school hip hop, a little bit jazz. The fusion of styles so distinctly different made NC-16 a team to remember, and add in the humour and the fantastic anti-drug theme, NC-16 definitely made IJ Dance Ensemble proud. Shah did a fantastic job with the choreography, and the girls executed the item with oomph and attitude.

Three more teams later, it was time for IJ’s final team, Pulchritude, to show what they were made of. Although their team name is a bit of a mouthful, their performance was definitely not difficult to digest. The girls were full of energy and channelled it perfectly into their performance item. It was a performance that depicted the usual IJ style, a blend of hip hop and pop, which is probably explained by the fact that this was the only team with student choreographers. Nevertheless, the choreography of the item was still top-notch, and Pulchritude closed IJ’s section of the competition with a big bang.

After each team’s performance, they waited for the judges’ comments, half relieved that their performances were over, half wishing that they’d have the opportunity to perform onstage once again. All three teams were met with positive comments from the judges and roars from the audience, hence proving to be hits with both the judges and the members of the floor.

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IJ cheered on their teams, and if anything, it proved that IJ girls have the biggest sets of lungs around.

The commercial section of the competition showed the creativity of the teams in bringing out the anti-drug message. All three teams from IJ once again had very different styles as they each had their 45 seconds onstage, but they each managed to bring their message across clearly and succinctly.

After more games, it was finally time for the results to be announced. Pulchritude placed third in the commercial competition, while Streak clinched the Hi-Energy Award for their amazing flips and cartwheels during their performance.

It was a fun filled day for all who made it down to watch the competition, and even though the finals are an opportunity that didn’t come IJ’s way this year, all three teams did a splendid job and have definitely done the school and the CCA proud. Well done, IJ Dance!

Lee Chia Tzen Gretchen
Sec 4/1