Young dancers ace their exams

High marks were achieved by (from left) Abby Squire, Emma Henare and Lauren Phillips, all from Sharyn Underwood School of Dance. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

Abby Squire, senior dancer at Sharyn Underwood School of Dance, achieved 100 per cent recently in her American Jazz Dance Affiliation Advanced 1 exams.

"I've taught for 50-odd years and I have never had 100 per cent," says Sharyn Underwood, Abby's teacher.
Abby felt confident during the exam, even though she had given herself a handicap.
"I knew I was at a good point, but because I had injured myself I was preparing for a 70." Her left foot was strapped.
Abby says while, in her head, she was aware she couldn't exacerbate the injury, she "had to do it anyway". She gave her all, injury or not.
"It's validation — all the years of training and the hard work that went into this, and then getting those results. I did that!"

Abby's was not the only high score achieved by Sharyn's students. Emma Henare scored 99 per cent.
"I think I've had only one other 99," says Sharyn, "and that was Sarah Seville." Sarah is now an international dance star.

The youngest of the three high scorers is Lauren Phillips with 98 per cent. All were "sitting" Advanced Level 1.

Abby was also given the prestigious Mary Evers Memorial Award, presented to the most promising student from Advanced Level 1 and 2 in all of New Zealand.
The award includes a cash prize to go towards furthering the student's dance career.
"For the Advanced Levels in AJDA [American Jazz Dance Affiliation] we have one examiner who travels around, and she has to choose the most promising," says Sharyn. "It's not usually the top mark person, but someone who shows promise and has that sparkle, that X-factor. Usually it's Advanced 2, and Abby sat Advanced 1." The examiner this year came from Australia and the exam was 90 minutes long. They were tested on adage battements and turns, followed by three dances — lyrical, musical theatre and Latin.

The three students have been showing promise since early in their dance careers, picking up awards and high exam marks since their elementary days.
"These three have done well the whole way through," says Sharyn. "Everyone wants them as pupils."

Abby has been dancing for 11 years, since she was six.
Emma started ballet when she was two and took up jazz dance when she was five, doing both until jazz won out when she was in Year 9.
"Jazz and ballet were too much as I got older, so I had to drop one. I could just see myself doing this kind of dance more than ballet. I still enjoyed ballet, but it just felt different dancing this style in this studio."
"To be a good jazz dancer, I believe you have to dance from the soul," says Sharyn. "You've got to have something that's not just arms and legs working. It's not contained. It's a total feeling of dance.
"I am very proud of these three and I love teaching them."
Lauren started dancing with Sharyn when she was six, but paused for a year when the family home was too far from the studio.

Abby, Emma and Lauren are going to continue dancing for as long as possible.
"I hope to do musical theatre in Sydney in a Uni situation, then continue it in Australia and go to New York and, hopefully, Broadway — end goal," says Abby, who will be in Year 13 next year. Emma, going into Year 12, has plans too.
"I hope to go to Ettingshausens [in Sydney] then just dance all over, do what I can," she says. She's taking her lead from Sarah Seville, Mark Lace and Joana Simmons, all of whom studied with Sharyn and have gone on to have successful dance careers.
"I'm much the same," says Lauren, who starts Year 11 next year.
"I want to go to Ettingshausens, but I also love public speaking ... we'll see where it takes me."