24 Feb 2019

NOVA Charity Dance Showcase

The annual NOVA Charity Dance Showcase was held for the fifth consecutive year on Friday, February 15th in the Sha Tin College school hall. Organised by a talented team of eight students, this event was an opportunity for young dancers to express their passion for dance, as well as to expand the dance community within STC.

The theme of this year’s showcase was “Discovery”, and dancers were encouraged to perform pieces linked to the theme. “This year we recognised that there was a lot of change to this project – new hall, new team, new dancers and a new charity. So we wanted our theme, Discovery, to reflect that,” said Tiffany Chu, 12P1, a member of the NOVA team. “The theme of Discovery was open to interpretation. It could represent an artistic discovery, personal discovery, literal discovery… we were very impressed by how the dancers all took this theme and interpreted it in such diverse ways.”

Audience members captivated by student dance performances.

From contemporary, to jazz funk and Irish tap, the night was jam-packed with a variety of dances, each dazzling the audience in its own way. All finalists had undergone a rigorous audition process and demonstrated a great level of commitment, with the choreography, background music, and performance outfits all designed by the students themselves.

Apart from the NOVA finalists, there were also guest performances and a panel of qualified judges, showcasing talent from across Hong Kong. “I was amazed by the amount of talent tonight,” said Jasmyn Wong from 10X1, a member of the audience. “Performing on stage is no easy task.”

The night ended with an awards ceremony: The Best Choreography Award was awarded to Sixteen; the Best Linked to Theme Award was awarded to Anise Wong; and the Best Performance Award was a tie between Helen Shin from 10D1, and CLiNK (Cyndi Chang, 10X1; Lia Kim, 10X2; Nikky Liu, 10X1).

‘Best Performance’ award winners. (Left to right:) Cyndi Chang, Lia Kim, and Nikky Liu.

“I was honestly shocked when our group name was called since we weren’t expecting to win, but at the same time I was overjoyed,” said Cyndi afterwards. “Receiving the Best Performance Award made all the bruises, disagreements and long practices worth it.”

For Helen, the win was a symbol of support and validation, helping her rediscover her love for dancing. “A few months ago there were lots of bad comments about me dancing inappropriately on YouTube, which greatly damaged my self esteem. I joined NOVA because I wanted to enjoy dancing as much as I did before.”