Dance Team Ends Season by placing Second at Nationals
The St. Dominic Academy Dance Team finished the season with stellar performances at the National Dance Alliance National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The team came in second in the “pom” division, and fourth in the “team performance” routine. The team also received the “Innovative Choreography” award for its performance in the “pom” division, and the “Showmanship” award for best overall audience appeal in the “team performance” division. Members competed against teams from all over the country and Japan.
The Dance Team’s theme this year was the Broadway musical Hairspray. Dance Team coach Marie Pompeo-Maffia took members to see Hairspray as a gift last year, and the team members decided the play should be their theme this year. Actress Judine Somerville, lead singer of the Dynamites in the Broadway show, came to speak with dance team members about dance, Hairpray, and about pursuing something about which they were truly passionate.
Before members took the floor at nationals, Ms. Somerville surprised them with a phone call during which she reminded the girls to embrace the moment and put their passion on the floor.
Ms. Pompeo-Maffia, who has coached the SDA dance team for twenty years, said of their pom routine: “The team took the floor as if they owned it. The girls gave a stunning performance that we knew was a winner; it was the best of the season! The precision and energy that the girls projected from the floor was amazing! The audience loved them, and they loved what they were doing.”
“Whether it be their adorable hair combs, the red, black and royal blue sequined frocs or the smiles that gleam a glow of sparkling red lipstick, these girls are a smash to watch,” said Neil Robinson, father of freshman dancer Brielle Robinson. Many family members traveled to Florida to support the team at nationals. “Wow! During the middle of the dance number, I was dancing out of my seat from the energy and excitement in the audience,” added Mr. Robinson.
“We tried our best. We were happy that it was the best performance in dance team history, but we were sad that we missed first place by only .02 of a point,” said Dance Team Captain Lorelie Thalla.
Prior to nationals, the team placed 1st in the pom division and showed 3rd in the jazz division at the Kickline Competition at Nassau Community College on Long Island. At the State Championships hosted by the New Jersey Cheerleading and Dance Association in Jackson, NJ, the team placed 2nd in both the “pom” and “variety” divisions. Overall, the SDA dance team participated in eight local competitions during the 2007-2008 season.
The SDA Dance team calendar begins in May with selection of new members, and goes through March with Nationals. Practices begin in full force in September.
SDA Dance Team alumnae Amanda Herring and Lori Kushnir played key roles in getting members ready for nationals this year. Said coach Pompeo-Maffia, “They began helping to coach the team in November when I delivered my twin boys, by helping members focus on routines, as well as instructing them in proper dance technique and arm placement. Amanda even assisted in choreographing new parts to both routines in order to enhance the visual effects of them.”
SDA Dance Team members during the 2007-2008 season were: Seniors/Captains Brittany Molesky of Jersey City, Vanessa Osorio of North Bergen, and Lorelie Thalla of Jersey City; Juniors: De’Naya Allen of Jersey City, Madeline Biggy of Carlstadt, Rachael Campbell of Bayonne, Jazmin Gooding of Plainfield, Sierra LaGuerre of Jersey City, and Cassie Unbekant of Jersey City; Sophomore Cynthia Barbosa of Bayonne; and Freshmen Caitlyn Angrosina of Bayonne, Aleah Lombardi of Hoboken, Brielle Robinson of Jersey City, Valeria Rodriguez of North Bergen, Alexandra Sepulveda of Bayonne, and Stevey Terry of Newark.
Congratulations!
Spring News
St. Dominic Academy Choirs win Overall Grand Champion, Grand Sweepstakes and 1st and 2nd Place in Tennessee
St. Dominic Academy’s Concert and Chamber Choir members have recently added several awards to their impressive collection. Members of both choirs traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to participate in the nationally adjudicated Music Festival’s Choral Competition. Choir Director Joseph Napoli, who is now in his 29th year as director, says “The choirs of SDA stormed into Tennessee and returned champions!
The Concert Choir and Chamber Choirs both received “superior” ratings and first-place rankings. The Show Choir received an “excellent” rating and second-place ranking. The Concert Choir received an Overall Grand Champion trophy for achieving the highest score of all groups represented at the competition. The entire choral program received the Grand Sweepstakes Award for achieving the highest combined score of any two groups at the festival. This is the first time since 1992-1993 that the choir has won sweepstakes awards in consecutive years. The award ceremony was held at the Dollywood Amusement Park; students even saw country singer Dolly Parton while they were there.
Individual vocal soloist trophies were awarded to Maileen Mecate, Gabrielle Lim, Diana Franco and Florianna Heun.
Danielle Libatique, President of the Glee Club, says this was “the best [performance] out of all four years – because of the repertoire and the excitement of the group.” The senior, who plans to attend The College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and major in biomedical engineering or computers, adds “I am very glad I joined the Glee Club [a.k.a. concert choir]. It gave a lot of opportunities to all of us – the places we sang, from the Barack Obama rally in January, to Carnegie Hall during my sophomore year, to the Winter Garden (at the World Financial Center in downtown Manhattan) during my freshman year.”
Diana Franco, Vice President of the Glee Club and Show Choir Choreographer, joined the glee club as a result of its performance at Open House when she was an 8th grader. “I knew the moment they sang the alma mater that I was coming to SDA and was going to join the glee club. They hit notes and I was just like, ‘wow!’” Diana, whose two sisters attended SDA, credits her experience in the glee club with making her more outspoken. Diana is considering a career in musical theater and plans to audition for a Broadway production this summer. Diana will attend Caldwell College and major in secondary education, with a minor in pre-law, and received a scholarship to sing in the Caldwell choir. She hopes to have time to return to SDA as a member of the Women’s Alumnae Choir in September.
Both officers credit choir director Joseph Napoli with bringing out the best in each singer. “He’s very dedicated – extremely. He gives up his Saturdays and makes everyone feel part of the choir. He’s always hyper in order for us to be animated,” says Franco. She adds, “I could ask him anything about music and he’ll know it off the top of his head.” Libatique says of Mr. Napoli, “He’s become a father-figure to us…He’s not just the director; he’s also our friend.”
“As always, I witness the emergence of great talent each year I conduct the choirs here,” says Napoli. “…The choir is a family and all of the 80+ members contributed their time and voices and were important parts of the group’s success,” he adds. When asked why he has stayed committed to developing the St. Dominic Academy choirs into one of the finest female choirs, he responds “When there is music in your life, there is happiness in your life.”
Members of the concert choir will be featured on the SDA Women’s Alumnae Choir CD due out late Summer 2008.