The night was dedicated to giving the audience a chance to vote on their favourite item, and that was no easy decision!  There were many outstanding groups, with a few worthy of a special mention. The Performance  Art Workshop (PAWS) young dancers showed some extraordinary expression and interpretation for their age. Dubbo Ballet Studios performed some very moving and interesting choreography and Alegria Dance Studios showed us their technical brilliance, performance skills and strong male contingent. The first place winners, Ev&Bow Fulltime Training Centre, were outstanding. Their Contemporary routine was the most mature, innovative, daring and entertaining routine of the night.  The choreography, technical and performance quality of the dance students was at a professional level.  Ev&Bow’s piece was a step up from the normal formula typical of eisteddfod routines. 

The standard was high and there were many interesting moments within the choreography of the majority of the routines.  I only found one routine a little disappointing in the whole program and it was due to the choreography and lack of musical interpretation, not the skill level of the dancers who were all great performers.

It was lovely to see two world dance groups amongst all the ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and hip hop. The flamenco troupe from Los Carmonas, who created such a strong atmosphere in the room, added some great interest factors. 
To finish the night two exceptional vocalists entertained us; the Dynamic Divas, both winners of the Contemporary Singer of the Year Challenge section, Vanessa Powell (2007) and Natalie Colavito (2008).  They were phenomenal on their own, and as a duet they blended together beautifully and entertained the dance crowd as we waited for the results of the vote.  They received a huge ovation as they ended with Alicia Keys ‘If I Ain’t Got You’.

The evening was entertaining and unique, as the audience were not just spectators, but also judges. The only major criticism of the night is that it would have been nice to see the showcase held in a more atmospheric theatre, even though the University of NSW Science Theatre has been the home of the dance section of the challenge for many years. It would have liked to see the performance in a ‘real’ theatre. However, the night was great and fun was had by all.  I hope that the Dance of the Champions will continue to be an addition to the Challenge and the popularity of this event will continue to build.  Congratulations to all groups chosen to perform. It is a great honour to be invited to this event out of the many, many dance event winners, and a special congratulations to Piroozi Desai-Keane, Chief Executive of the Sydney Eistedfodd, for a successful 75th year of competition.