by hilary johnson
WHAT: Café Eleven’s Anniversary Dance Off
WHERE: Café Eleven, St. Augustine Beach
WHEN: Tuesday, September 18, 8:30 pm
There is a tangible tang of excitement in the air at Café Eleven, St. Augustine’s premier concert venue for independent artists. John Vanderslice and Bishop Allen, two great musical treats, are coming to Florida’s historic town. But, as if their musical airwaves weren’t enough to stir some vibrations amongst St. Augustine’s residents, Café Eleven is pulling out all the stops on their 5th Anniversary celebration with a full fledged, no holds barred, coming right at you with balloons, champagne and celebrity judges Dance Off.
The only thing you really need to know is that this Dance Off is going to be amazing. It features three dance troupes, the TNT Dance Team of eleven, Fire Hazard with their four guys and four girls, and Sasparilla Sanchez bringing in the rear with three, the minimum number of team members allowed. Each troupe is set to “bring it” to the competition through original choreography, flamboyant costume and musical selection.
“Last year TNT Dance performed at Marathon Dance on Halloween. I was blown away!” says Dettra, owner of Café Eleven and mastermind behind the competition. “I thought, where did these people come from? And are there other troupes like this?” It seems there are, and that people are willing to pull together the ranks at the opportunity to show some personal creativity and have a ton of fun.
TNT Dance Team, a troupe that formed over a bottle of tequila and made their debut on Halloween a year ago, were the first team to sign on. Originally thought to be a simple invitation to dance at the Anniversary party, Dettra soon posted an open casting call to any and all who wanted to take on TNT Dance in an all out Dance Off. Suddenly, what would have been just another fun night for the troupe to show their skills became a bid to combat.
“We had to amp up the practice shed, nail the song, and get a costume designer that goes beyond the sequined headband and wristbands,” says Jenai Master, TNT’s troupe leader. “It’s getting really serious lately. People are getting nervous.” Master said the song selection became their secret weapon this year, a tough decision that had to pull in the crowd one hundred percent, as well as bridge the age gap between the various judges. The judges range from Ed George, the mayor of St. Augustine Beach, to Vanderslice himself.
Secrecy has run rampant amongst the competing teams. Fire Hazard’s troupe leader, Justin Krol, didn’t even want the other troupes to know about his extensive, world-renowned background in professional dancing, not wanting to add any more fuel to the fire. And when asked how Fire Hazard planned to bring it to the competition he responded by saying, “I’m not at liberty to reveal too much information...” What we can expect is an original and obscure song selection with attitude and costumes as fiery as their team name.
Anyone was allowed to enter the competition and rumor has it that there might be a special solo ribbon dance that includes a black spandex costume. At the end, the winner of the competition will receive a special trophy. Although this year’s event is the first of its kind, Café Eleven plans on making it a tradition, rotating the judges year to year.
“I’ve been dreaming about this event for a long time,” says Ryan Dettra. “Dancing is an art form. I love to see this kind of creativity.”
Despite the heavy competitive nature of this dance off, all teams are agreed on one thing. The competition is strong, it’s bound to be a great showdown and everyone is in it to have a good time. This will be no ordinary, run-of-the-mill Dance Off. This one is going to be fierce.
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