Special Kays Competitive Dance Team Wins Top Awards at Groove National Dance Competition

Published on

special-kays-webSpecial Kays—a non-profit, nationally recognized competitive dance team of the New Jersey Center of Dance (NJCOD) and Performing Arts—received numerous top awards at Groove National Dance Competition (Atlantic City) on July 6-12. The team received 20 platinum (highest level) awards, as well as special judges and first place awards for many of its solo, duo/trio and group dance numbers.

In the petite solo category (7-9 year old), Kendall Deal (Monroe Twp.), Bella DePompo (Allentown, NJ), Chandni O’Keefe (Princeton) and Nicole Rubino (Millstone Twp.)received first place awards. Ava Brooke DePalma (Millstone Twp.) received a special judges award for having “awesome energy” for her solo performance in that category.

In the junior solo category (10-12 year old), Allison Hoeni (East Brunswick), Kailey Kocur (Millstone Twp.) and Briana Shiffrin (Cream Ridge) received a platinum award.
In the junior duo/trio category (7-9 year old), Chase Jansen (Millstone Twp.) and Kendall Deal (Monroe Twp.) received first place, as well as a special judges award for “Great Chemistry.”

Sophia Abene (Monroe Twp.) and Amanda Capasso (Jackson) received a platinum award in the teen duo/trio category (13-15 years old). Amanda Capasso also received a platinum award in the senior solo category (16 years old and up) for her performance.
The team also won 15 platinum and 5 first place overall awards, as well as special judges awards for its group numbers at Groove. Seven of those group numbers were chosen from more than 500 numbers to compete in the dance off.

“Special Kays is excited to be ending its competition season with so many
accolades,” said Linda Kay Griggs, director, Special Kays resident dance team for the New JerseyCenter of Dance & Performing Arts. “We look forward to another successful season ahead.”