Academy Dancers to school competition at Orlando Worlds

CERTAIN to school the competition at the UCWDC world championships due to be held in Orlando Florida are a troupe of talented dancers from the Academy Dance Studio Newry.

Up to nine members of the group, who set the dance floor alight at the Shamrock qualifying event held in Dublin, have earned their place to perform in the most prestigious United Country and Western Dance Championship event there is on the calendar.

Amongst the ensemble cast of dancers who are due to make the enviable trip to the Florida’s capital are sister duo Cara and Ellen Murray along with Annie Gordon, Emilee Gordon and mother Karen Gordon.

In what will no doubt prove to be a breathtaking series of performances the many gifted dancers of Academy Dance Studio will demonstrate to competitors from as far afield as Korea and Italy that when it comes to the sport of professional dancing the many young performers of Newry and south Armagh can hold their own against some of the giants in the competition.

This is in no small part thanks to the exceptional tutelage that has been administered by their mentor and school founder Ann Cunningham, who is also a director within the UCWDC organisation.

For Ann the fact that her students have earned the right to perform in the most prestigious and high profile event the UCWDC holds on an annual basis is a fact that everyone is very excited about.

Of course this is a right that was only most recently earned at the Shamrock event that was held in Dublin which served as a qualifying event for the world championships in which many of the students demonstrated that they had the mettle to make it to the worlds.

Shamrock

“The club members did really well in the Shamrock competition. There were a lot of first and second place winners and a lot of them placed well. There were 48 dancers in total.

“The Shamrock competition was held in the Pillo Hotel in Ashbourne , just outside Dublin. It was the UCWDC Shamrock dancing competition. There were competitors from all over the world. They were from America , Italy, Holland, Lithunia, Spain, France, Belgium, England and Scotland.

“The event was a UCWDC qualifying event for the world championships. The Shamrock is also the largest UCWDC event in Europe and is run by the directors. That includes myself, my daughter Claire Cunningham, Cathy Taylor, and Tommy Weafer from Dublin. The Shamrock event celebrates 25 years next year.

“The Kids from the Academy Dance Studio were the standout performers. Cara Murray won first place in Professionals Amateur with Giovanni Coenmans. Ellen Murray won 1st place in Honky Tonk Line Dance Juniors, with Cara Murray coming third place. Ellen Murray also came first place in the Line Dance Teen Newcomer.

“This was Ellen and Cara’s fourth event. My grandaughter Hollie Taylor also qualified. There is another girl called Vanesa Teriajeva who has also qualified along with Danni Henderson.”

World Championships

With their place in the UCWDC world championships now firmly secured after the sensational performance at the Shamrock event, it is only a matter of time before the dancers at the Academy Studio demonstrate what performers from Newry are made of on a global stage in Orlando.

“The dancers from the studio who are going to the world championships from the Academy Dance studio to the world championships include, Sisters Cara and Ellen Murray, Sisters Annie Gordon and Emilee Gordon with their mother Karen Gordon. Also scheduled to go are Hollie Taylor, Claire Cunningham, Vanesa Teriajeva and Danni Henderson.

“Team Ireland will also be competing in the cabaret division. Overall there are 25 competitors and about 100 people travelling to Orlando from Ireland for the 35th annual UCWDC World Championships.

“Academy Dance studio raised over £10'000 this year to pay for parents and competitors passes to help with costs of going to competitions. We had the Christmas show and we are giving each family 300 Euro towards their accommodation. They all pay their own flights but we try to help them.

“At the world championships they will be doing their line, solos and professional amateur dancing. The competition starts of Sunday December 29 and it runs right through to January 6. The UCWDC World Championships has been going around 30 years and it has always been held over this time period.

“This year there will be a lot of Koreans going, Americans and Italians.

“Everyone is very excited. As a family we are going for Christmas and the Murray's are going for Christmas as well.”