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Riverside junior clinches two wins in national dance competition
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March 19, 2015
Telling the Story on Stage
ON THE INSIDE
Around Town
BANNER
by Stephanie Longo CNG EDITOR
For Samantha Theriault, dance gives her the opportunity to express emotions through movement. The Riverside High School junior has been taking dance classes from the time she was two years old and, recently, she competed in and won two divisions of the DanceXplosion Talent Competition’s regional semifinals in Sparta, New Jersey. Theriault received first place in the competition’s senior accelerated lyrical division and first place in the senior accelerated solo division after competing against dancers from across the United States. The accelerated division is for dancers who complete three to six hours of dance training per week. “DanceXplosion is one of my favorite dance competitions,” Theriault said. “It is always a lot of fun and the people running it are very sweet. DanceXplosion really cares about their dancers. DanceXplosion does their best to set an example for the hundreds of young people who come to their regionals by taking part in campaigns against bullying and showing support in October for breast cancer awareness. It really helps you grow as a person.” Theriault resides in Taylor and is a student at Illusions Performing Arts Center in Old Forge under the instruction of Cherilyn Bednarz. While at Illusions, Theriault has had the opportunity to dabble in all sorts of dance genres, including ballet, musical theater, jazz and even Tahitian dance, all of which she has learned for competition, as well as for recital. “Dance means the world to me,” Theriault said. “It is a lot of hard work, but you decide how well you want to do. No one else can make
Samantha Theriault, a junior at Riverside High School, recently won two divisions of the DanceXplosion Talent Competition. Her other activities at Riverside include the National Honor Society and newspaper.
your jump a little higher or make you spin an extra revolution — you do. It makes you realize that the only limits you have are the ones you set for yourself.” Illusions has sent students to DanceXplosion in the past and Theriault herself has even won previous years’ competitions in both the solo and team divisions. “I have become extremely close to my team over the years,” she said. “The girls and boys I dance with are like family to me. We care about one another and have never given up on each other and I think that’s what makes us such a great studio.” On the DanceXplosion stage, Theriault’s main success has been in the lyrical dance category, which she is quick to explain is not the same as ballet, even though the two types of
dance are very similar. “Lyrical dance contains a lot of technique, making it similar to ballet,” she said. “A lyrical dance is all about telling a story. Dancers don’t just get on stage and do a routine, an emotional connection has to be made.” Theriault and Illusions will participate in the DanceXplosion National Finals in Wildwood, New Jersey. this July and she is already looking forward to the event. “I’ve met a lot of amazing people from different states,” she said. “The competition teaches you sportsmanship as well. You win some and you lose some, but you’re always happy for whoever wins because you know they put in the hard work and dedication. This isn’t my first year winning in my division, but it’s just as exciting for me as it was the first time.”
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