“My curiosity and love for travelling is almost as big as my passion for dance. Combine them together, and BAM there’s my dream experience all rolled into one!”
All the little thrills, from waiting inline to get your boarding pass scanned, to stepping off the plane and feeling that foreign (and sometimes strange smelling) air.
My first international trip was to Melbourne with Neverland’s ‘Khaos’ dance crew. I was only 10 at the time, fuelled with excitement, wondering what it would be like to perform on an international stage. Let me tell you, it did not fail to meet my expectations. We competed in the World’s Supremacy Battlegrounds competition, taking out 2nd place. It was crazy to me that we were a team that got our small country noticed at an international level. The pride we all had was contagious and made us hungry for the years to come.
In 2015 we qualified in 2nd place for the World Hiphop Championships in San Diego. This was a milestone we had all been dreaming of. Competing in Australia, awesome, but competing in America, dreams come true. The excitement of being in a new country along with the all the dancing was magical. We were lucky enough to do some exploring around the city too. I even got to swim with a dolphin called Dottie at Sea World! It was amazing to see dancers from all around the world, it was really an eye opening experience. The talent in this world is, well… out of this world! We managed to come away being the 6th best junior crew in the world. It was an amazing moment for us kids and we knew we had to come back to America very soon.
The following year the new ‘Khaos’ team worked extremely hard to qualify again for HHI, and we did it. This time it was Las Vegas! Being back in such a cool competition atmosphere was refreshing and rewarding. We were lucky enough to extend our trip and go studio hopping around some of the best dance schools in the USA. I danced at The Millennium, Lifestyle Movement, The Edge and Debbie Reynolds among some of the most talented performers I had ever seen. Of course we had to do some holidaying at Universal Studios and adventuring along The Strip.
Three times a charm right? I qualified again for HHI with the ‘Tribe’ dance crew in the Varsity division in Phoenix, Arizona. I was blessed with beautiful team mates and we had an absolute blast together. Again doing our country proud on the World’s stage. Travelling for dance has made me so much more appreciative of the dance community and plainly in awe of the talent.
“I am truely honoured to have been a part of these trips where we celebrated dance. I can only rave so much about travelling for dance. You have to find out for yourselves. Stay committed, work hard, and most importantly, CONNECT.”
