Largo dance contest draws talented youth

More than 200 spectators turned out to watch Largo's second annual So You Think You Can Dance? contest. The event, held Saturday at Largo Community Center, included a total of 35 individual and group entries.

There were ballroom, tap, hip-hop and ballet. "One interesting thing about it was that only two adults competed. The rest were students,'' said Craig Dolan, event coordinator. "It shows how prevalent dance will continue to be in Pinellas County.''

The top honor, Overall Favorite Dance, went to Suncoast Academy of Dance in Palm Harbor for its jazz entry, Jungle Drum.

Five dancers between the ages of 14 and 16 performed a dance on "becoming infected with love,'' said April Joseph-Sykes, director of Suncoast Academy.

"They started out prim and proper, and slowly, during the dance, one became infected, and then the next one did and so on,'' she said.

Her dancers were surprised that they won the $100 prize.

"Dance is a performing art, and that's what the girls do, they go out to perform, so we don't expect anything else, but it was great,'' said Joseph-Sykes.

The judges were Meg Mitchell of the Patel Conservatory in Tampa, Arleene Norman of Savoy Swing, and Carol Baker of Carol Baker Ballroom Studio.

Competitors were judged on technique, routine, presentation, music and costume.