Port Orange dancers

 

The Principal is about competing against yourself. It’s about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before – Steve Young

Competitive dance can introduce your dancer to a whole new and exciting world. Opportunities for achievement and growth are everywhere as young dancers are exposed to numerous dance professionals from around the country. The stage time alone will help to build your dancers skills and give them the confidence and perseverance they need to succeed not only in dance, but in whatever they choose to do.

Tutus, Buns and Joyous Fun!

When you first bring your child to dance class, it’s a world of tutus, buns and joyous fun.  As your dancer develops and grows, you will start to see them become more involved in performances and eventually introduced to competitive dance. And boy, this can be quite overwhelming for parents of young dancers.

Competitive Dance

The competitive world can be cut throat. You will see swarms of young girls with lavish, barely clothed costumes anxiously awaiting their performance times. You may see Studios who bring 20, 30 to 50 dance numbers in one single event. You may even see one of the “Dance Mom” child stars, depending on what competition you are at. These are examples of the Quantity overcoming the Quality or, The more, more, more mentality. Who has the most dances, the most kids, the most wins or the most fans; losing sight of the artistry and growth capable through dance.

All of these things can be a lot, however, at The Legacy Dance Studio we plan to attend competitions in a different way. One of those ways is, Quality. Pointe and ballet classes Port Orange

The number of dances you bring to a competition can have a huge effect on the stresses of the rehearsal process and the overall out come of quality. Presenting quality routines that are age appropriate, well rehearsed, creative and entertaining will make out for a much more joyful experience in the long run for you and your dancer. Setting small goals and taking pride to make those routines the best you can will also give better results, separating our dancers from the misconceptions of competitive dance.

The minute you get away from fundamentals, the bottom can fall out of your game – Michael Jordan

Creating positive competitive opportunities for dancers will complete the overall dance experience. The benefits of competitive dance, with the right guidance, out weigh the negative. Not only will competition give your dancer more experience, but it will lend to the experiences of friendships and memories to last a life time.

Shannon Thomas grew up dancing since she was four years old. Performing and competing is where Shannon shined, winning top honors throughout the state of Florida for her solo and group performances. Shannon continued her dance education at the prestigious, Oklahoma City University for four years where she studied under Jo Rowan, Robert Reed, Tiffany Van Der Merwe, Kelli Rhodes Stevens, Kay Sandal, Patricia Oplotnik and more. She studied all forms of dance, acting and voice, performed with the American Spirit Dance Company and took classes in business, dance pedagogy and choreography.
She began working professionally while still at OCU as a dance captain and performer, dancing in trade shows, theme park reviews and other various productions. After moving back to Florida in 2008, Shannon performed as a guest dancer with Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre and other local arts events as a dancer.
Shannon has been teaching and choreographing for the past 15 years and has had immense success in the studio training dancers in an array of styles from ballet, jazz, contemporary to hip hop and tap. Her students have gone on to study dance, musical theater, acting, and entertainment business at schools such as University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida Southern College and Ball State to name a few. Her unique experience as an educated performer, instructor and choreographer is what makes Legacy dance training stand out.
Shannon is passionate about teaching the art of dance and encouraging her students to work toward being their personal best on and off the dance floor. Our dance classes are structured around discipline, integrity, respect and professionalism to maintain a high standard in technique, style and performance.
Shannon’s Choreography has been honored at numerous prestigious dance competitions around the state of Florida. Her Choreography can be seen on the competition stage, at the Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker and Embry Riddle Dancing Eagles to name a few. She takes pride in providing the most up to date and modern choreography to give her students an edge, without over doing trends and keeping the dances she creates age appropriate and unique.
Shannon is the director and award-winning choreographer of The Legacy Stars Competition Team. The Stars are a National Award-Winning Dance Team and Performance Company featuring invited Legacy Dancers that have been training toward team placement. The Stars are proud to perform at various events around the Port Orange and the Daytona Beach Community, including Relay for Life, Port Orange Family Days, Volusia County Dances, Junior League of Daytona, The Domestic Abuse Council, Cannon balls for Kayne and more.

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