A community in every step
From the studio to the stage, from fundraising, to the community, the Elites are more than just a performance group.
As the music starts the atmosphere in the room changes; a group of dancers step forward bringing their performance beyond the walls of Drury Lane Dance & Performance and into the community.
For 17 year-old Ava Duncan, performing for the community is just one part of being involved in Elites. Ava has been dancing at Drury Lane for 10 years now, dance has always been a big part of her life. She started her performance journey by joining the junior performance group, four years later she auditioned for the Elites. Ava has been part of the Elites for three years now.
The Elites are a performance group based at Drury Lane. The group performs at retirement homes and community events such as Christmas at the lake. At the end of every year, they put on a showcase of all the different dance styles they had learnt throughout the year.
“We all have different styles, personalities and hobbies outside of Dance that really makes a difference when we’re on stage”
Ava Duncan
Despite those differences Ava says the group has developed a strong sense of family. Something Ava really enjoys is coming together once a week, hearing all these stories, being able to connect and dance with each other.
But the polished performances don’t always come easy. After performing together for several years, Ava says the group has become used to adapting when things don’t always go according to plan. The performances themselves are only one part of the Elite’s work. Behind the scenes, the dancers are also responsible for helping raise the money needed to put their showcases on for the community.
For Elites, it’s not all just dance, developing their identity and goals is also important. At the beginning of the year the dancers were given an A4 sheet of paper and coloured felts to write down their goals. Across the different sheets the same words keep appearing: Family, community, determination, excellence and respect.
The Elites aren’t just a group of dancers that perform, their family, a team, their dancers who became representative of the wider studio. For the younger dancers watching from the sidelines, the Elites represent something to work towards. They’re not only part of the studio they’re helping shape what the younger dancers see as possible.
“It’s just about being able to share all experiences together”
Ava Duncan
Members of the Elites (L–R): Chelsea Conning, Iona Boswell, Ava Duncan and Bailee Horan. Photo by: Rhiannon Lawton.
After 10 years at Drury Lane, Ava has grown from a young dancer in junior performance into a leader within the Elites. Now she is helping new dancers find their place in the same group that helped shape her own experiences. From rehearsals to fundraising to the performances, Elite’s place within Drury Lane Dance and Performance stands beyond Dance itself; it’s a small community built around performance, responsibility and above all the people who make it one.
Find out more: Want to discover more about Drury Lane Dance & Performance? Watch this video and visit their website for information on classes, performances and upcoming events.
