Eva’s jumping for joy
Talented dancer picked to compete for scholarship
A talented Cambuslang teenager is on a high after winning a place in a prestigious national danceoff.
Light-footed Eva Black will compete against 100 of the UK’s most accomplished dancers in the acclaimed British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) Bobby Barr Freestyle Scholarships one-day event on March 7.
Examiners were so impressed with the performance of 16-year-old Stonelaw High pupil Eva that they chose her to participate.
Scholarship nominees are selected by examiners from the previous year’s examinations.
Eva, of Halfway, is among the gifted students from all over the UK and Ireland who will converge at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow to showcase their technique, dance quality, solo performance and personalities to a panel of distinguished adjudicators, all vying for that special recognition of a win in the BATD Freestyle Dance Scholarship awards.
Eva, who is a pupil of the Carolyn Anderson School of Dance, has been a keen dancer since the age of eight.
She and 17-year-old Katie Hunter of Hamilton, who is a fellow pupil at the Carolyn Anderson school, were thrilled to have been nominated and get the opportunity to dance in front of the distinguished panel.
Carolyn will be among teachers from all over the country who will watch elite students display their skills.
Eva’s mum, Lynn Colquhoun explained: “The dance examinations of six different styles were held at Christmas time and Eva was one of the kids noticed for being good at a particular thing.
“That was highlighted by the examiner and she was invited to participate in the event and compete to try and win a scholarship.”
Eva, who attends dance classes at Halfway, also dances competitively with Fusion Force.
Carolyn Anderson, who runs classes at venues across Lanarkshire, has had dancers representing her school at the coveted scholarship event for the past six years.
Explaining the format, Carolyn said: “It is like a class where they dance with a choreographer.
“They get to do a solo if they wish, and they get to pick their own music.”
With only a first and second place up for grabs, Eva knows competition will be stiff.
But as mum Lynn says: “You have to be in it to win it. It is a wonderful opportunity to be selected. She is fair chuffed!”