The San Pedro Dance Academy (SPDA) ended the dance season with its Annual Christmas Show on Saturday, December 16th. The Angel Nunez Auditorium was filled with family and friends eager to enjoy the dance showcase for which the younger performers have worked for months. The SPDA comprises over 30 dancers in four divisions: beginners, junior level one, junior level two, intermediates, and seniors.
Shortly after 7:30PM, Masters of Ceremonies Chelsea Munoz and Andres Nuñez welcomed those in attendance and introduced the first segment. Choreographed after “Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses”, the performers graced the stage in a retelling of the magical movie. Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princess is a 2006 film that follows Princess Genevieve and her eleven sisters as they discover a doorway to a magical world and learn about the strength of imagination and creativity through dance. Dressed in white costumes with gold accents, the dancers elegantly performed, bringing the movie’s story to life for the audience.
At the end of the first segment, a short break allowed the audience to enjoy the food and drinks on sale. Many attendees also won one of the many giveaways of the night.
In the second segment, the dancers brought a livelier vibe to the stage with performances of iconic Christmas tunes. The part commenced with a tribute to the Maya performed by a group of intermediate, senior, and past SPDA alum dancers. The beginners then charmed the crowd with their moves to Santa Claus Rock.
Juniors showcased their skills in presentations to Follow the Leader, Rockicking Around the Christmas Tree, and Christmas C’mon. The intermediates and seniors also showed their expert dancing skills to a mix of dances in genres like soca, belly dancing, classical, and modern pop. The audience also received a special treat in the form of a performance by past SPDA members Karissa Vasquez, Annie Nunez, Magdaluz Guerrero, Emelie Gomez, and Yakarelis Hernandez.
After a night of dance, SPDA organizers presented all dancers with certificates of participation and individual awards. Lilian Shemerda received the Most Improved Award at the Beginner Level, while Inori Gonzalex was awarded for Best Attendance. Hanna Budd received the Junior Level 1 Most Improved Award, and Genevieve Matura received the group’s Best Attendance Award. For the Junior Level 2, the award recipients were Ariana Fleming for Most Improved and Catherine Van Schalkwyk for Best Attendance. Yana Micheals and Jade Nunez were the Best Improved and Best Attendance awardees in the Intermediate group, respectively. The senior group’s awards went to Hacinta Ramos for Best Improved and Alexandra Godoy for Best Attendance. Other individual awards included Most Spirited Dancer, which went to Senior Elaine Leslie and Junior Level 2 Mila Guerrero; Best Tumbler, which went to Lian Rivero; Most Flexible, which went to Ainhoa Heredia; and Highest Jumper, went to Samantha Dorado. Finally, the most anticipated award for the night, the SPDA Dancer of the Year, was announced as Kayjah Samuels.
The San Pedro Dance Academy will take a much-needed holiday break with a successful show behind them. Anyone interested in joining the Dance Company for the upcoming 2024 year can contact [email protected] or send a direct message via the Facebook page www.facebook.com/SPDABelize
Special thanks go out to event sponsors and volunteers. The San Pedro Sun congratulates all the dancers, teachers, and parents who made this community event a resounding success.
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