BAVINA SOOKDEO
In its first-ever venture into an international competition, ACES Dance Academy won first place in all four of its performances at the All Dance International Competition held in Panama.
This was a defining moment in the academy’s decade-long journey and showcasing the talent nurtured under its roof.
All Dance International has a presence on five continents. It is the creator and organiser of the All Dance World Championship in the United States and a founding member of the Bureau of Industry of World Dance.
ACES Dance Academy, founded by Akeisha Byng-Danzell and her husband, Christopher Danzell, in 2014, has grown from humble beginnings into a dance powerhouse.
Speaking about the creation of the academy at 21 Stone Street, Port of Spain, Byng-Danzell shared her deep-rooted passion for dance and how it evolved into a lifelong dream.
“My mother registered me in Linda Pollard Lake Danse Assemble when I was eight years old, and by 16, I knew I wanted to own my own dance school. Dancing became a space where I could create, express, or release how I felt. It was my safe space to grow and discover things I never thought I could do.”
Years later, after teaching at the same academy, Byng-Danzell was married with a young family but still hesitant to pursue her dream. “I was scared to start it. My husband, Chris, was the driving force behind making it a reality. He pushed and encouraged me, and finally, on September 1, 2014, it happened.”
[caption id="attachment_1113044" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The ACES Dance Academy does Hide and Seek choreographed by Akeisha Byng-Danzell in the contemporary jazz category. Dancers are Kristen Low, left, Samantha Johnson, Sahara Byng and Mckayla Sealey. -[/caption]
The academy’s name was crafted with family at its core.
“My mother owns her own sewing business, which was named after her children. I liked that idea, so we played around with the beginning letters of our (family) names and came up with ACES – Akeisha, Chris, (and children) Ethan, and Sahara. When my youngest, Celeste, came along two years later, she and Chris shared the ‘C’.”
When the school started there were only two classes, adult beginners – which consisted of three dancers, and a primary class which had two dancers. At that time, Byng-Danzell only offered modern dance as that is what she was formally trained in.
“Today we have over 50 dancers and seven classes, which includes ballet and pointe classes. I am also excited to say that we will be soon adding folk and hip-hop to our faculty. I am also an associate teacher under the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing which is based in London, England. This degree allows me to train my dancers to do dance examinations that we participate in on an annual basis.”
On this year’s success in the competition which was held on September 18-23 at the El Hotel Panama, Panama City, she said it stands out as a defining moment.
“It was nerve-wracking for me simply because putting yourself and your work out there to be critiqued can be
