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Blairsville School of Dance

Home of BSoD Tour de Force

Area Dancers Win in Gatlinburg

Blairsville School of Dance recently returned from a successful competition weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. On May 16, four BSoD competition teams participated to the Dance Maytrix competition. The groups included the BSoD Flames youth hip hop team, the BSoD Fire 12-14 year-old hip hop team, BSoD Inferno 15-18 year-old hip hop group and the BSoD Force competition clogging team.

The four groups are made up of students from Blairsville, Young Harris, Blue Ridge, Murphy and Hayesville. The competition hip hop groups were selected in early December.

The BSoD Flames placed second in the 7-9 year old large group category with their “90s Mix” routine.

“For many of these students, it was their first time ever performing for an audience since our spring recital had not yet taken place,” said Studio Director Angela Puleo. “I had been telling them just to have fun and do their best. After all, it was only their first competition. They were going up against other kids who had not only been dancing for years, but competing for years as well. They did not let the pressure get to them, and won second place. We were so proud.”

The teen hip hop groups also enjoyed success at the competition. The BSoD Fire 12-14 year old small group also placed second with a new routine they had only been working on for a few weeks. The BSoD Inferno 15-18 year old large group placed third with a nearly perfect score.

“The competition was very close in the teen categories,” said Puleo. “Our groups had perfect scores in most of the sections, with only fractions of a point counted off overall. They did a fantastic job!”

The BSoD Force competition clogging team also enjoyed a successful weekend. They placed third in the traditional Hoedown category, second in the modern Moving Line category, and won first in the Artistic Expression category.

“The Artistic Expression category was a new one for us,” said Puleo. “This is a category for production type show routines. We decided to try something different with a can-can style routine, and the judges loved it. It included stunts, lifts and ballet-style turns in clogging shoes. The girls’ hard work was rewarded.”

Blairsville School of Dance’s next performance will be on Saturday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m at Enchanted Evening on the Square in Hiawassee.

Blairsville School of Dance is now registering for summer and fall classes. BSoD offers competitive and non-competitive group and private classes in ballroom, Latin, clogging, hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, creative movement, combination classes and more for ages 2-adult. In addition to regular class time, BSoD offers optional field trips, performances and opportunities to study with guest instructors, both at the studio and at conventions and workshops. For more information, call (706) 835-1415 or visit www.blairsvilleschoolofdance.com.

Competition Dancers Chosen

(December 9, 2007) Blairsville School of Dance held auditions on Saturday, December 8 for two new competition hip hop groups. The new team members for the BSoD Inferno and the BSoD Flames were chosen after two hours of auditions, in which all the candidates performed a routine for a panel of judges.

“We are very pleased with the dance abilities demonstrated at the tryouts,” said Studio Director Angela Puleo. “I’m very excited by the talent of our new groups and can’t wait for the upcoming competition season.”

The BSoD Inferno teen hip hop group includes Morgan Abercrombie, Lisa Dear, Kelci Jones, Mikala Jones, Andrea Jordan, Kami Kapler, Carlie Kidd, Molly Post and Jeremy Teague.

The BSoD Flames youth hip hop group members include Savannah Abercrombie, Reagan Davis, Kenzie DiNatale, Haley Edmondson, Kaitlyn Jones, Sarabeth Nelson, Kaitlyn Odom, Kameron Odom, Peyton Sease, Rebekah Stanton and Maggie Stubblefield.

The groups have already started working on competition choreography and will soon attend a Blairsville School of Dance camp to further perfect their routines. Blairsville School of Dance offers competitive and non-competitive group and private classes in ballroom, Latin, clogging, hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, tumbling, pointe, creative movement, adult dancercise and more for ages 2-adult. For more information, call (706)835-1415 or visit www.blairsvilleschoolofdance.com.

Area Dancers Travel to Nashville

(December 2, 2007) Two team members from Blairsville’s own competition clogging team, the BSoD Force recently returned from the National Clogging Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. Instead of enjoying the usual Thanksgiving festivities, Kelci and Mikala Jones, along with Studio Director Angela Puleo, spent the week learning new routines from world renowned instructors and participating in various seminars on both traditional and contemporary clogging styles.

“I was excited the girls had the opportunity to attend the convention,” said Puleo. “They were spending almost eight hours a day in classes, and it was wonderful that they got to learn so much in just a few days. We hope we can have the entire team attend the next national convention, but many of our members were in Chicago with the Union County High School marching band.”

The BSoD Force is now focusing their efforts on preparing for the Showdown of Champions, which will be held January 26 in Spartanburg, SC. Blairsville School of Dance offers competitive and non-competitive group and private classes in ballroom, Latin, clogging, hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, tumbling, pointe, creative movement, adult dancercise and more for ages 2-adult. For more information, call (706)835-1415 or visit www.blairsvilleschoolofdance.com.

Dance Instructor Completes Judges Training

(November 29, 2007) Blairsville School of Dance Director Angela Puleo recently completed the National Clogging and Hoedown Council Judges Training. Puleo is also the director of the BSoD Force competition clogging team.

“I have been involved in the competitive clogging world for 20 years, first as a dancer and then as a choreographer, but I’ve always wanted to take part in the judging process as well,” said Puleo. “This was such an important training, not just as a judge, but also as a competition clogging team director.”