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Accessible Arts Division (Pre-K to 5th)
| Gabriel Hsu Title: I Belong By Gabriel Hsu Grade: 1 Point Vicente Elementary PTA (Thirty-Third District PTA) “I get to be the leader when we do the Pledge of Allegiance! And I get to jump and wiggle a lot in hip-hop class! I belong everywhere, just like my friends do!” |
Accessible Arts Division (6th to 12th)
| Felicia Dragotto Title: I Belong in the Dance World Grade: 12 Torrance High School Parent-Teacher Association, Inc. (Thirty-Third District PTA) “I pick You Say by Lauren Daigle because I relate to this song. Sometimes, as a dancer I feel like I am not good enough but, as I got older I realized that I am good enough and I do belong in the dance world. In the beginning of the song, there is a lyric that says “I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough.” At the beginning of the dance, I am covering my ears so I can’t hear the voices that are saying that I’m not good enough.” |
Primary Division (Pre-K-Grade 2)
| Ashlyn Young Title: United colors in harmony Grade: 2 Camino Grove Elementary PTA (First District PTA) “When I dance to “Black or White” by Michael Jackson, I want to show that we all belong in this world, no matter our skin color or culture. I wear different outfits to celebrate many backgrounds, including my Chinese roots that make me who I am. My dance mixes fast and slow moves to show how different people can come together in harmony. I used big steps to show confidence and gentle motions to show love. I belong because I am proud of who I am, and we all belong when we stand together as one.” |
Intermediate Division (Grades (3-5)
| Danica Sochnev Title: Where I Belong: Rhythmic Gymnastics Grade: 4 Dixie Canyon Elementary PTA (Thirty-First District PTA) “That moment is like when I tried gymnastics for the first time and loved it right away. I train more than 20 hours each week, and I’m with my teammates and coaches so much that they feel like my second family. That’s where I belong.My dance shows how I found where I belong. I started ballet when I was three, so in my dance I begin in a tutu doing ballet moves. But ballet never felt like the real me. When the music gets to the part about not feeling like you belong, I take off my tutu and switch into rhythmic gymnastics.” |
Middle School Division (Grades 6-8)
| Rowan Zollars Title: Belonging Feels Big Grade: 7 Sycamore Canyon School PTSA (Twelfth District PTA) “When school and people and social media are loud, belonging does not always feel easy. But when I dance, I am reminded that fitting in is not the same as belonging. Fitting in feels small and belonging feels big. I belong inside my movements, and out in nature, I belong to something greater too. My choreography is simple and slow, like a morning meditation. It begins with more restricted movements and questions, and ends with the quiet freedom of realizing that you don’t need to wait for anyone else. You can give yourself permission to belong.” |
High School Division (Grades 9-12)
Eliana Merritt |