Elevate Academy kick off Dance World Cup with multiple medals
Elevate Academy of Dance had a great start to the Dance World Cup last week, and members are looking forward to the rest of the competition, which is at the Convention Centre in Dublin until July 18.
Described on its website as ‘the greatest and largest all-genre dance competition in the world for children and young adults’, the World Cup has brought 11,500 dancers in teams from 54 different countries to the capital city.
Ireland has a team of 1,300 dancers, one of the biggest in the competition, and 15 of those are from Elevate Academy of Dance.
Aimee MacManus, founder of Elevate, is over the moon. In a conversation following the first day of the contest, Aimee relayed the events of the day and how she was feeling ahead of the next two weeks.
“They’re all very excited,” said Aimee, a smile in her voice. She was sitting on the train on the way back from the Convention Centre and had just relayed the story of her student Hannah’s silver medal victory.
On Thursday the school received bronze in a competition of 39 dancers. In the small group competition they came in sixth place, beating all of Ireland and performing against 30 contestants.
“Obviously, we’ve been preparing for this for a long time. It’s been months and months of constant training but the nerves have definitely kicked in the last couple of days. Once they hit the stage and hear the music, the adrenaline takes over. I know Hannah, our soloist today, was nervous and then was fine once the music came on.”
Aimee and her students have been preparing for the contest for several years: “This was on my radar for a while now, just after we came out of the pandemic, I was hoping we could start going for it.”
“Italy was supposed to host it last year, and then something happened with a venue and then Ireland got the opportunity. So then it was a no-brainer.
“We had to raise €12,000. You have to get a team kit and the entry is costly. We put in as many solos as many teams as we possibly could. They practised and prepared just to give us a chance.”
The team kit is the same for every member of the Ireland team, and those accepted to it buy their own: “The qualifiers were held in April. We had a short time to fundraise, whereas I know there’s other teams around the world that have qualifiers in November. I suppose, for us, we didn’t have to travel too far so it was doable.”
Aimee and her team received a lot of support. They carried out a Bonus Ball fundraiser: “A lot of people are doing it these days,” said Aimee. “You fill a card of a hundred and scratch out a number. We charged people €10 for a bonus ball and then you’d make €1,000, and then you’d split it 60-40 – the school would take €600 and the winner would take €400.”
The team also received support from local businesses who sponsored the uniforms.
In the last few months Aimee has been incredibly busy. She, her soloists, and group dancers have been rehearsing relentlessly for the World Cup.
On top of that, last week Aimee was surprised in The Annebrook House Hotel with a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Elevate: “That was a complete and utter surprise,” laughed Aimee. “I was not expecting that, especially with the three days to go to the Dance World Cup.”
(See photos from the surprise party below.)
Aimee had held shows in honour of the students, teachers and parents for their support so, to her knowledge, the celebrations were over: “That was over, they were getting ready for the Dance World Cup so I really wasn’t expecting it.
“It was a nice touch because sometimes it does get a bit stressful, everyone has expectations for their kids. So it’s important that I try to meet those and ensure everyone progresses.
“It’s a lot of pressure sometimes but it’s worth it when you have days like this,” she said. The surprise celebration was organised by the Elevate parents. It took place on Sunday July 5 and one of the parents said: “It showed that for many families this was not simply a dance school anniversary. It was a thank-you to a teacher and director who has shaped a decade of memories.”
When asked if her early victory had encouraged a bid for next year’s world cup, due to take place in Portugal, Aimee laughed and said: “Maybe, we’ll see at the end of the event and see what a toll it takes on everyone.”
• Update from the Dance World Cup in next week’s paper.