Maple Ridge dance group wins for hip hop routine at The View Dance Challenge

A Maple Ridge dance centre’s hip hop group won best dance of the Vancouver View Challenge.

The group of 20 dancers, aged 11-16, were ecstatic after winning the title of best dance for the entire competition – beating out companies from across the Lower Mainland.

Called “the Showdown” each studio got to choose one number to enter into the category and the judges awarded the most entertaining number.

The number that won was called Ready Or Not and the group had been rehearsing it since September last year.

“They were so happy,” said CentreStage Dance Centre co-owner Courtny Thane.”Especially after the last two years.”

It was like all of the hard work paid off, she explained.

And this was the first full audience for the dance group who competed at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CentreStage Dance Centre also won the title of Best Studio of the competition. For this the three judges took the 10 best group number scores and tallied them together for the highest score.

Each school of dance taking part in the competition had approximately 20-30 groups entered.

READ ALSO: Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Business Excellence Awards to be celebrated virtually

ALSO: The VIEW struts its way to Maple Ridge

The View Dance Challenge is a national dance competition that comes to Vancouver about three times a year. Dance companies from across the Greater Vancouver Area, the Lower Mainland, and the Fraser Valley, and beyond take part in the event.

The next View Dance Challenge will be in Vancouver from May 27-29 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport.

Thane said the dancers worked really hard on their numbers leading up to the event.

And winning the awards made Thane realize that all their hard work was acknowledged – in addition to the hard work by hip hop instructor Jocelyn Heaps.

“And just to see the kids – to see them that happy and excited, that makes it all worth it,” she said.

For winning the Showdown the group won $1,000 which they will split evenly.

And for winning top studio, they received a trip for two for the studio owners to the Caribbean.

Next for the dance studio is the Evolve Dance Competition taking place at the ACT Arts Centre from Wednesday, April 20-24.

Vancouver View Challenge took place from April 7-10.