Parents Welcome choreography fitness competition-Artistry and agility to be tested in November 19 final |04 October 2011

The female and male finalists will be in action from 10am to 4pm in what is expected to be another great day of choreography dance performances in the contest which is gaining in popularity.

They will take part in individual hoop dance, mix of three hoop dance, mix of five hoop dance, individual skipping, mix of three skipping, mix of five skipping, and the 15-member team choreography.

Teams from the following schools – Baie Ste Anne, Grand Anse Praslin (inner islands), Takamaka, Baie Lazare, Anse Aux Pins and Port Glaud (south/west region of Mahe), La Rosière, Mont Fleuri, Bel Eau and Ecole Française (central region of Mahe) – have already qualified for the final.

Representatives from the northern region of Mahe will be known on Saturday October 22 when competitors from five schools – Independent, Glacis, La Retraite, Beau Vallon and Anse Etoile – will battle inside the Glacis community centre for four tickets for the November 19 final.

The contest is organised by the Sports For All Unit in the National Sports Council and spokesperson Dorothy Isidore said there was no need to hold an elimination round for the south/west and central regions of Mahe as only four schools – the quota that qualifies from each region – registered for the qualifiers.

“These schools have therefore qualified automatically for the November 19 final and we expect to have some very high level demonstration like last year,” she said.

It will be interesting to see if the Anse Aux Pins school will retain the two cups won last year when it made its debut in the competition and whether fitness instructor Sylvette Suzette can guide her Grand Anse Praslin team to a third consecutive win in the team choreography.

Anse Aux Pins easily won the skipping rope overall prize after taking first place in all four events – male individual skipping through Michael Jean, female individual skipping through Prisca Songoire, mix of three skipping (Michael Jean, Jean-Yves Labiche and Prisca Songoire) and mix of five skipping (Michael Jean, Prisca Songoire, Mency Esparon, Vince Gunputh and Jean-Yves Labiche).

Despite not winning any of the sub-categories in the hoop event, Anse Aux Pins amassed enough points to take home the overall title as well.

Gephaniah Bibi of La Misère school won the female individual hoop dance, Phillip Larue of Baie Lazare took home the male individual hoop dance top prize, and Baie Ste Anne Praslin triumphed in both the mix of three hoop dance and mix of five hoop dance.

The Grand Anse Praslin team of Sophie Joubert, Salima Lesperance, Ezra Bistoé, Salima Mathiot, Sherentha Bistoé, Nasha Delorié, Julia Cedras, Megane Simara, Stephy Barbé, Dianya Athanase, Maritza Lesperance, Nathaniella Volcère, Marion Ragain, Sharmenne Padayachy and Amelie Ernesta, won the 15-member team choreography contest ahead of Baie Lazare and Glacis to sail home with the overall choreography cup as well.

Speaking to Sports Nation after last year’s triumph, instructor Suzette said: “We will be back next year to try to defend our title.”

She trains her team during extra-curricular activities (ECA) at school and in her fitness club.

The competitors are judged on their agility on stage, music chosen, manipulation and combination of movement, creativity, and coordination and balance.

G. G.