Taking their skills to brand new heights

As a program it is only in its infancy but Air Intensity – an aerial and acrobatics school, established by MJ Dance Studio – has returned from a huge competition in Melbourne with a swag of medals.

Air Intensity had been a vision of MJ Dance Studio founder and studio director Maria Slape’s for six years but it too a while to come to fruition as moving studio spaces and then COVID conspired against her grand plan.

But eventually she landed the perfect space and now she has four rigs in the Air Intensity studio and around 60 kids taking part in the exciting program, which is headed up by Kaycee Rodda. “I went to her (Kaycee) and talked to her about the idea and she has just gone with it and I am so proud of what she has achieved,” Maria said.

The Air Intensity aerial team returned from the Bend The Air competition held earlier this month with nine gold, four silver, one bronze and three Emerging Talent awards.

Right from setting up the aerial program, learning from the best and constantly developing and learning has been a key for Kaycee and the team.

“We have worked with fabulous trainers, initially people from Adelaide,” Maria said. “We had some funding help from Country Arts SA initially to help with all of that set up and we have continued to work hard to make Taking their skills to brand new heights it an amazing and high quality program.

“We’ve also had some of the best trainers from Queensland come down and help with our development.

“It has been great to attract a new group of kids to a very different program. Not every kid wants to dance and kids just really love the acrobatics and aerial work we can offer.”

Given the Air Intensity program only started training soloists in earnest last year, to have all nine competing team members return with a placing, with five of those aerialists competing for the first time.

Abbey Mitchell, Evie Jones and Allegra Rzepiela (ON THE COVER) received the Emerging Talent Awards.

The aerial and acrobatic students have embraced not only the aerial classes but also MJ Dance Studio’s long running acro, stretch and ballet classes to improve skills.

RESULTS:

Silk solos:
1st Eleni Carlson (10 Years & Under) – Gold
2nd Chelsea Smith (10 Years & Under) – Silver
Equal 1st Evie Jones (12 Years & Under) – Gold
2nd Abbey Mitchell (12 Years & Under) – Silver
1st Kaycie Brown (Mini Stars) – Gold
1st Allegra Rzepiela (Intermediate Teen) – Gold
3rd Lara Hawthorne (Intermediate Teen)
1st Kiera Mcbain (Advanced Teen) – Gold

Lyra Solos:

1st Chelsea Smith (10 Years & Under) – Gold
1st Ziana Clarke (12 Years & Under) – Gold
1st Lara Hawthorne (Teen Intermediate) – Gold
1st Kiera Mcbain (Advanced Teen) – Gold

Open Apparatus Duo:

2nd Kiera Mcbain + Allegra Rzepiela – Silver

Acro solo:
2nd Kiera Mcbain (16 years) – Silver