Students participate in state Scholastic Dance Festival
By From staff reports
Published in News on March 21, 2018 5:50 AM
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Jean Okonkwo, left, is a senior on the upper school dance ensemble, and Sarah Stockton, an eighth-grader on the middle school dance ensemble.
Two Arendell Parrott Academy students from Goldsboro were recently part of a state dance competition that placed in several categories.
The Wayne County students are Jean Okonkwo, a senior and member of the upper school ensemble, and Sarah Stockton, an eighth-grader on the middle school ensemble.
The Upper School Dance Ensemble placed third in the state at the N.C. Scholastic Dance Festival, earning high marks in all four of its divisions -- including second place in jazz with an excellent rating, second place in contemporary/lyrical with a superior rating, third place in student choreography with a superior rating and fourth place in hip-hop with an excellent rating. The ensemble also had the third highest individual score of the entire competition for a lyrical piece choreographed by dance director, Amanda Hort.
This is the first time the Kinston private school entered the competition for student choreography.
Parrott's middle school ensemble also competed and placed first overall, earning the title of state champions. They placed first in jazz/hip-hop with a rating of excellent for a jazz routine, and first in contemporary/lyrical with a rating of superior for a lyrical routine, and had the highest individual score of the middle school contemporary, placing first in contemporary/lyrical for the third straight year.
This also marked the third year in a row that both of the school's ensembles placed at the state level.