Categorized | Entertainment, Featured

N2 Dance bringing home Diamond Award

(Photo special to Hawaii 24/7)

Special to Hawaii 24/7 by Wainani Lee

A small group of dancers along with a 10-year-old vocalist from a Keaau studio proved they are “A Cut Above” and captured the coveted Diamond Award at this year’s Spotlight Cup 2011 competition in Honolulu.

Hawaii Island N2 Dance Keiki Company dancers – Isaiah Polloi, Kuuhiapo Jeong, Kawika O’Connor, Kekuahiwi Woods, Kalamanamana Harman, Kalae Woods, and Mohala Kalauli — competed against 60 other entrants and captured Diamond, Best in Entertainment and the Judge’s Choice awards for “Intense” and “Focused” for their Petite Division performance of “Halloween.”

The number was choreographed by Kumu Angela Woods.

Of the nearly 70 Vocal Division entrants, Nahe Texeira received the Diamond Award for her performance of “We Are Family” as well as Best in Entertainment Award and placed 8th in the top 10 overall vocal division.

Fierce competition at the teen level rounded out the day-long event and the N2 Dance Teen Company — Kalmia Beets, Tuvae Nerveza-York and Kuuhiapo Jeong — performed “Labor Day” as choreographed by Maika Woods and received the Emerald Award.

This year’s Spotlight Cup competition was staged at Kaimuki High School Auditorium and featured more than a dozen studios from across the state and one from Arizona.

Diamond, Ruby and Emerald Award recipients are eligible to compete in national competition to be held in Anaheim, Calif.

N2 Dance (pronounced “In To Dance”) is a Hawaiian language-based performing arts school specializing in hip-hop and jazz. N2 is an abbreviation for the performance compound “No-Limits and Naau” (heart and soul).

N2 Dance opened in Honolulu in August 2001, by husband and wife, Maika and Angela Woods. Now operating at Nawahi Hawaiian Immersion Charter School in Keaau, the two accomplished dancers create the choreography, as well as serving as kumus in all classes that are taught primarily in the Hawaiian language.

(Photo special to Hawaii 24/7)

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