mindup.slblood@gmail.com
Every competitor of the Candice Clarke Academy of Dance (CCAD) that participated at the 25th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA 2022) from July 23 to 30 held at Disneyland, Anaheim, CA, USA earned a medal, reported CEO and lead artistic director, Candice Clarke. “It’s the first year this has happened for this competition.”
Overall: 79 medals were bagged, with 20 awarded to co-artistic Director Chelsea Andell. Champions were: Alyssa Joseph: Grand Junior Championship Award and Division Winner for Vocal Opera solo as competitor No. 1028; and CCAD: Grand Champion Junior Dance Award, and the Creola group: Division Winner for Dance Open. Also, two scholarships were awarded with an enrollment deadline of December 2023 as cited in the letters dated July 2022, signed by senior executive enrollment specialist, Roger Del Pozo.
Junior recipient Mayah Murrell gets 25 per cent off tuition for the Talent Based Scholarship towards any short-term program at the New York Film Academy (NYFA), including NYFA Summer Camp programs, and senior, Kielan Jacobs, may pursue the Conservatory and Degree Programs in acting for film or musical theatre.
The WCOPA tags the event as a one of a kind, annual world’s best talent international performing arts championship, and the Grand Opening—colourful Parade of Nations—as the popular highlight of the festivities.
Grand Junior Championship Awardee and Division Winner for Vocal Opera solo of the 25th WCOPA, Alyssa Joseph, performs onstage.
“WCOPA represents 70 licensed countries, and the event is the only official international competition programme for seasoned and up and coming performers and entertainers held annually, and judged by Hollywood industry professionals, and countries are represented by delegations similar to Olympics. For this competition, selection of official contestants was held in the US, Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa.”
Fifty countries participated, and CCAD competed in dance, vocal, acting, modeling and instruments.
The team that copped the Division Winner for Dance Open title with their Creola performance, The Phoenix: Anthonia Abbott, Tooshala and Deviyani Mohammed, Mayah Murrell and Joanna Figaro (skirts), Talise Parris (ballerina) and Chelsea Andell (stilts). Costumes were designed by Jean Clarke-Mills.
The winning Creola story t was about a princess ballerina named Talise, who fell into a deep sleep, and when she awoke, she was startled by a giant-sized dancer (played by Chelsea on stilts). She then got up and observed lifeless coloured objects on the floor, and when she touched on them, they all came to life in a kaleidoscopic array of skirted figures; she was then in Creola Land, as they – belé, Indian, African, modern, tap dancers – danced away seeing the ballerina eventually consumed by the skirts when they circled her.
Candice Clarke congratulated all her performers, she said she’s already shooting for 2023’s competition with a plan to make some sweeping adjustments to ensure the senior championship title is also bagged.
Some CCAD/T&T medal winners on stage at the WCOPA 2022: Talise Parris, Mayah Murrel, Anthonia Abbott, Toolshala and Deviyani Mohammed, Alyssa Joseph, right with her championship trophies, and Chelsea Andell, front.