The Hot Springs Dance Troupe won its southwest regional competition Monday at the Arkansas State Fair to qualify for Saturday's finals.
The Dance Troupe is nearing its fundraising goal for a summer tour of Europe in 2018 as students continue to refine new routines. They earned their place in the state finals with a new clog routine.
"It was exciting to see them in a different light and do something really fun and patriotic," said Amy Bramlett Turner, Hot Springs Junior Academy and Hot Springs World Class High School dance director. "They did really well, but I like the opportunity for them to see different kinds of performers so we can improve our performance."
Performers in the group include students, in grades 8-11, Xenia Alegria, Alyssa Brown, Jayelyn Hill, Camila Holden, Peyton Hudson, Katrina Lambert, Cassidy Miller, Madi Rose, Alyse Orosco, Ahnna Tolich, Aneth Vazquez, Cheyenna Williams and Ja'leana Woodfork. The managers are Audrey Berry and Rachel Snider.
The finals are set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, located at 2600 Howard St. in Little Rock. Bramlett Turner said the students are used to performing in front of large crowds, their peers and community members, but the stage of the state fair is a new level.
"They know how hard we work on technique and how hard I push them," Bramlett Turner said. "I usually just tell them to go out there and have fun. They are used to doing modern pieces that are very serious."
The Troupe mostly performs routines of modern, ballet and jazz styles choreographed by Bramlett Turner. She said she is pushing the students to embrace the more fun and country one of the clog routine.
"They almost are afraid to smile and show that because they are so concentrated on the formations and steps and everything," Bramlett Turner said. "We talked a lot about how we have to be entertainers and they have to become performers in addition to good technicians and good dancers."
The Dance Troupe won its competition at the Garland County Fair last month to qualify for the state competition. The director said she felt the clog routine would stand out both in local performances and next summer.
"Clog was influenced by Appalachian styles and tap," Bramlett Turner said. "It is kind of known to be a southern thing. I wanted them to have that in their pocket.
"I wanted them to have the ability to do that and not just limit them as just ballet dancers, just jazz dancers or just hip hop dancers. I want them to be able to do everything."
The distinctive southern clog style differs from traditional clog dancing still popular in Europe.
"It is going to be like a fusion of cultures going on," Bramlett Turner said. "That was another reason I wanted them to learn clog."
The group began fundraising in January 2016 to travel as part of the Young!Tanzsommer dance tour through Germany, Italy and Austria. The initial plan was to travel with the summer tour of 2017, but their participation was delayed until 2018 in order to raise enough funds.
The Dance Troupe must raise at least $45,000 in order to cover all expenses for its participants. Contributions collected during the Hot Springs Women's Chamber of Commerce 10th annual Dancin' For a Cause in Horner Hall of the Hot Springs Convention Center on Oct. 7 helped the group surpass $42,000.
"Setting out for this, I thought there was no way I could raise $50,000 by myself, but I bet I could raise $20,000," Bramlett Turner said. "I'm just going to keep going until we can't anymore. When we hit $40,000, yes, I did cry, because I just couldn't believe it."
Bramlett Turner said the tour will provide a life-changing experience for the performers. She is a Hot Springs graduate, studied dance and physical theater in the United Kingdom and graduated with two degrees in ballet and contemporary dance before returning to Hot Springs.
"It's not about those 12 days in Europe," Bramlett Turner said. "It is about this whole process of relying on each other, making each other be responsible and taking ownership of that."
Bramlett Turner previously performed on the Young!Tanzsommer tour with the Houston-based company, Remix. She said the preparations for the tour and the development of the Dance Troupe has helped the students bond and grow together.
"They learned it doesn't matter if our personalities do not get along, we are going to work together, respect each other and care about each other," Bramlett Turner said. "Seeing this year-and-a-half process, I think, is going to be more rewarding than those 12 days in Europe. This was a way to get their attention and keep them on a good path."
Local on 10/20/2017