South Coast FreeStyle:

News Jan 08

South Coast Freestyle’s Dancing Feat

If a feat is defined by an act notable for courage, skill, endurance and ingenuity, South Coast Freestyle’s feat left a permanent print on the dance floors of The Planet Hollywood theatre in Las Vegas. On December 14th and 15th ninety-four dancers from the Mission Viejo All Star Dance Program participated in The American Grand Nationals Competition held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Owner, Coach, and Choreographer Lonna Albert not only brought 10 teams primed to compete in the categories of pom, jazz, hip hop, and variety, she also came equipped with a specialty all-star team of a different kind, three of the nations best coaches and choreographers: Anne Davila, Hayley Schumaker, and daughter Joyce Albert. All together this super group was a dominating force proving power in numbers, and that’s not to mention quite a large fan club.

The family members and friends of South Coast Freestyle were a united front representing SCF with pride as they packed the theatre in a sea of baby blue and black, the organizations distinguishing colors. These families could not be more proud to have their daughters in a program that encourages teamwork, dedication, discipline, and the desire to improve physical abilities. So much so that families bring their girls from all over southern Orange County. Not only from Mission Viejo, but also Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, and as far as San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and many others nearby cities. One of the greatest distinctions of an All Star program is the ability to take the best of the best in talent and skill from all local cities- thereby connecting schools, connecting neighborhoods, and connecting families in a constructive organization that represents community integration.

Whether the students’ interest in dance is a passion, a hobby, or simply a great extra curricular activity, SCF stands apart from most programs in their popular mantra “We have a team for you” never turning away a girl who wants to be a part of such an exciting program. The SCF cycle is quite a dynamic- emphasis is placed on the importance of being a family, creating a supportive environment for growth which produces strong teams with an impressive track record of regional, national, and international titles, which ultimately attracts the families into the walls of the SCF studio where they all become one. The remarkable success rate of a 40% annual increase in dancers at SCF can be attributed to Lonna Albert’s vision that puts the emphasis of her program on being a harmonious family- not winning. Surprising fact when you walk into the South Coast Freestyle studio in Mission Viejo. Every space of every baby blue wall is covered in banners, national titles, and trophies reaching up to 6 feet in height, but Albert insists “Winning is secondary, the fact that we’re a family is first.“

After the trip to Nationals in Vegas this past December, Albert will have the arduous task of where to squeeze in all the new trophies and banners. Each of SCF’s 10 teams consisting of girls ages four to eighteen participated in this two day event that demanded two performances of each routine. The first performance was in the Semi Finals on Saturday where a large panel of judges determined which routines scored high enough to receive an invitation to Finals which took place on Sunday. On Saturday night, the coaching staff of SCF was ecstatic to learn that every team of South Coast Freestyle qualified in the Semi Finals for Finals on Sunday and that each team was holding the current preliminary status of first place. As each routine entered into the finals- Lonna, Anne, Hayley, and Joyce worked overtime to make sure their teams maintained their rank, but never lost sight of what was important- supporting each other and especially fellow competitors.

At the award ceremony Sunday night, every team went onto win 1st place, an amazing achievement. And yet, these awards were just the beginning in an extensive list of accolades. Anne Davila received the prestigious “Choreography Award” for her innovative Hip Hop routine that featured the junior team dressed as “Mechanics” dancing to exciting music relevant to their costume. Davila not only choreographs routines and contributes her artistic touch to every team at SCF, she also mixes the music for each routine. By building each piece with interlacing songs around a central theme, she produces an intricate audio narrative to complement the visual story told with choreography. South Coast Freestyle’s routines are built on the foundation these musical masterpieces provide, therefore creating a “theme” for each team performance complete with coordinating costumes, hairstyles, and elaborate make-up.

In addition to recognition for outstanding choreography, Davila was also elated to have her Senior Team receive a highly sought after “World Bid” that is awarded only to the top teams as an official invitation to attend the Dance Worlds Competition in Orlando, Florida this May. Davila took her Senior Team to the International competition last year and brought home the Bronze. Gold is the hope for 2008 and both Anne and Lonna feel this is the year “This is probably the most talented Senior Team I’ve ever had” Davila has said. South Coast Freestyle is proud of this talented team, whose focus and drive is an inspiration to all the younger teams in the program.

With all the awards and bids, trophies and banners, South Coast Freestyle was more than content with their winnings, but the best was yet to come. Lonna Albert received the coveted “Judges Costume Award” for her design and personal hand made construction of each of the 14 costumes for her “Vampire” themed routine. This team not only impressed the judges with their fierce appearance and impressive talent. More importantly, this team of girls ages 10-15 with an collective GPA of 3.9 won the best award of the event, the revered “Sportsmanship Award.” The American Grand staff is adamant in their efforts to express the importance of good sportsmanship and camaraderie, spending the entire weekend evaluating hundreds of teams for what they deem the best example of honorable moral character and team spirit. Not just held high in regard, high in stature this award stands over six feet tall and is the largest trophy presented. The entire South Coast Freestyle family erupted in celebration at the announcement of this year’s recipient. This marked the first time in American Grand Nationals Competition history that a Junior team won the award.

After an amazing ceremony in which South Coast Freestyle dominated every category and opportunity for accolade, Albert seized the moment and took the stage. The other competitors and respective families filed out of the theatre as the South Coast Freestyle dancers and loved ones gathered around the stage to end a remarkable weekend in a spontaneous yet intimate moment prompted by Albert. With the mic in her hand, the very grateful owner of one of the strongest All-Star Dance Programs in the Nation, humbly thanked over 200 members of her very large dancing family “…My dancers are amazing fruit, produced from amazing trees. They are very sweet, very kind, very polite young women. Thank you parents for raising such wonderful children. Thank you for your continual support. I am so proud of my coaches, I am so proud of our dancers, I am so proud of everyone this weekend. Thank you for being such great contributions to our winning family...”

With the courage to compete against over 20,000 competitors, the skillful execution made by each dancer, the brutal demand of physical and mental endurance, and the brilliant ingenuity of the entire coaching staff, South Coast Freestyle’s noble act that weekend truly defined the meaning of the word feat. Not many can say they spent a weekend in Las Vegas and won it all. For South Coast Freestyle, they beat the odds.

Lauren Anderson
12/31/07

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