East Brunswick Dancers Take Wins with Special Kays Dance Team

Special Kays—a non-profit, nationally recognized competitive dance team of the New Jersey Center of Dance (NJCOD) & Performing Arts—recently received numerous top awards at Groove National Dance Competition (Atlantic City) on July 8-11. The team received 16 platinum (highest level) awards, as well as a convention scholarship, special judges awards and first place for many of its solo, duo/trio and group dance numbers.

About Award Winnings

In the petite solo category (7-9 year old), Chandni O’Keefe (Princeton) received first place in the mini lyrical category and first place overall in the mini solo category. Kendall Deal (Monroe Twp.) received first place in the petite contemporary category. Nicole Rubino (Millstone Twp.) received first place in the petite tap category.

In the junior solo category (10-12 year old), Sophia Abene (Monroe Twp.) received a platinum and special judges award for “Sophisticated and Classy.” Abene also received a first place award in the junior open category, as well as a "Groove Convention Scholarship." Kailey Kocur (Millstone Twp.) received a platinum and special judges award for “Potential Plus” in the junior lyrical category. Allison Hoeni (East Brunswick) received a platinum award in the junior contemporary category.

In the teen solo category (13-15 year old), Jasmine Jerman (East Brunswick) received first place in the teen open category. Mr. Phil Solomon of (East Brunswick) received  the “Best Choreography” award for this solo number.

In the petite duos/trios category (7-9 year old), Chase Jansen (Millstone Twp.) and Kendall Deal (Monroe Twp.) received a platinum award, as well as a special judges award for "Superb Partnering” and first place in the petite duo/trio lyrical category. The number also won first place overall.

In the junior duos/trios category (10-12 year old), Veronica Faustino (Old Bridge), Allison Hoeni (East Brunswick) and Kailey Kocur (Millstone Twp.) received a platinum award and first place in the junior contemporary category. Brendan Griggs (Millstone Twp.) and Briana Shifrin (Cream Ridge) received a platinum award in the junior tap category.

In the senior duos/trios category (16-18 year old), Amanda Capasso (Jackson), Charmayne Jerman (East Brunswick) and Jasmine Jerman (East Brunswick) received a platinum award, as well as a special judges award for “Groovy Concept” and first place in the senior hip hop category.

The team also won multiple first place awards for small and large group numbers in hip hop, jazz and tap categories. In addition, the team received 9 platinum awards for those numbers including one for "Baby" (7-9 year old), which also received first place in the petite hip hop category, first overall, as well as in the petite JAM—a dance-off of the top 28 most entertaining numbers that were selected from the more than 450 dance numbers that competed at Groove National Dance Competition.

“Special Kays is excited to be ending its competition season with so many accolades,” said Linda Kay Griggs, director, Special Kays resident dance team for the New Jersey Center of Dance & Performing Arts. “We look forward to another successful season ahead.”

For more information about New Jersey Center of Dance & Performing Arts or Special Kays, visit www.njcodance.com.