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Through "Hands to Heart", I emphasize the importance of not only accepting, but also celebrating imperfection. Especially nowadays, individuals often put themselves down, overcome by the expectation to be "perfect." However, I believe imperfection is what makes human so beautiful and unique. In this piece, hands appear as a symbolic motif, representing self-view. Initially, I convey self-deprecation and insecurity through closed body language and tense movement as I try to escape my hands. However, I eventually free up my movement, holding my hands close to my heart as they transition from a symbol of diffidence to a symbol of dignity.

Award of Excellence.

Megan Park,

High School Division,

Valencia High School,

Fourth District.

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4.CA.Dance.High.High School Megan Park - Hands to Heart - Debbie Venderley.mp4

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The choreography is about passion. Initially, the dancer is trying a hard move and is frustrated that she cannot do it perfectly. Then she learns to be joyful even as she continues to not do the move perfectly, because she enjoys the process of learning. Finally, she is able to do her move because she kept trying and did not give up.

Award of Excellence.

Kaylee Woo,

Intermediate Division,

Dapplegray Elementary School,

Thirty-Third District.

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I danced to Billie Eilish's song "TV." My choreography relates to the theme "Accepting Imperfections" because this song talks about accepting that things don't always go as planned and that no one has a perfect life. Sometimes, we need space or can't handle what's around us. Sometimes, we go into a state of disbelief and just blame ourselves. I did my best to capture the heartfelt emotion and connection with the theme I felt.

Convention Display.

Claire Herminone Castro,

Middle School Division,

Sutter Middle School,

Third District.

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When challenged to interpret "Accepting Imperfection", I decided to write and speak my own poem and add movement. When I think of perfection, I think of the stress of trying to fit in and only showing the best parts of me. The dance starts structured and precise, focusing on the connection we see between happiness and perfection. Later in the dance, I show the anxiety and insecurity of accepting imperfection in my disconnected movements. The final 20 seconds of the piece are left as improvisation so that each time I perform it, I leave room for both possibility and imperfection.

Outstanding Interpretation Award.

Rowan Zollars,

Middle School Division,

Sycamore Canyon School,

Twelfth District.

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Things might be perfect in people's eyes, but it actually never really is perfect. I chose this song, because I really like the lyrics. In the song, the girl Ed Sheeran is singing about said she looked "a mess", but he didn't see that. He saw beauty instead. When I was choreographing my dance, I wanted to make it the best that I could. While I was dancing, I realized that there were imperfections in my dance, but that did not stop me from dancing from my heart and finishing it strong.

Award of Excellence.

Chloe Dimitrakopoulos,

Primary Division,

Brookside Elementary,

Twelfth District.

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I chose dance to show through movement that imperfections are beautiful.

Award of Merit.

Leila Wilkes,

Primary Division,

Cram Elementary School,

Fifth District.

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5.CA.Dance.Primary.Imperfect is Beautiful - Primary - Dance Choreography - ReflectionsFifthDPTA.MOV

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This dance piece is an Indian semi-classical item that shows the story of a woman that is blind. The narrator explains that the woman has a strong passion for dance, but is discouraged by society. People mock her and say that she has no chance becoming a dancer in her limiting condition. She stays true to herself and learns to not listen to the brutal words of society. The woman pursues her passion for dance and proves her worth, regardless of her disability.

Award of Merit.

Shreya Kiran,

Middle School Division,

Centerville Middle School,

Peralta District.

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Hi, my name is Addison. I am 6 years old. I did a dance to a song called “Hello”. I chose this song because I feel like it tells a story about a girl who is not perfect but tries to be. It is like dancing. Every time I dance, I try to be perfect but I am not. But now I know that what makes dancing special is not about being perfect, it is about working hard, believing in yourself and having fun.

Award of Merit.

Addison Varnes,

Primary Division,

Mesa Elementary School,

First District.

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1.CA.Dance.Primary.PRIM - DANCE - AE - Hello, I'm Addison.MOV

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It is easy to compare yourself to other people on Youtube, movies, or even your friends. This song reminds me of the pressure that you can feel when you think you are not good enough. This song from the movie Encanto, taught me to accept myself and other people for who they are. We don't have to pretend. We just need to be ourselves. No pressure.

Award of Merit.

Alana Kuriakose,

Primary Division,

Lincoln Elementary School,

Sixth District.

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This dance shows that accepting imperfections is about loving yourself just as you are. The lyrics reflect that people’s opinions don’t define you. When we embrace imperfection we see things differently and realize their true meaning. For example, when one of the dancers isn’t in the frame, it symbolizes that life doesn’t always fit into a perfect frame and that we often feel incomplete or imperfect. Yet, in those moments, we discover authenticity and beauty. Perfection isn’t the goal, but when we embrace and appreciate our imperfections, it truly makes us complete.

Award of Merit.

Natalie Thirathon,

Intermediate Division,

College Park Elementary School,

Seventeenth District.

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I have chosen to choreogrpah a contemporary dance

piece from the song by Alessia Cara called "Scars to your Beautiful." This song celebrates the beauty of imperfection and serves as a reminder to all to embrace one's unique qualitites, flaws and all. My choreography explores one's uniqueness, resilience, self-worth, truth, and growth. Although we may sometimes fell inadequate or flawed, imperfections make us who we are so we should embrace them rather than hide them. I hope my choreography will inspire others to accept their unique qualities and change how the world sees true beauty.

Award of Merit.

Elin Ariana Galang,

Intermediate Division,

Oak Hills Elementary School,

Thirty-Fourth District.

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Accepting imperfections acknowledges we are human and created just the way god wants us to be. It's okay to make mistakes. In my dance, I show my true self and transition from being ashamed to being comfortable in my own skin. My dance choreography, with the lyrics, represents accepting imperfections, such as when I am drowning out all the negativity with my hands covering my ears on the lyrics "drown them out." Throughout the dance on the various repititions of "This is me" (lyric), I demonstrate accepting being me. That is what it means to accept imperfections to me.

Award of Merit.

Aria Chitwood,

Middle School Division,

George Washington Elementary School,

Twenty-Third District.

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23.CA.Dance.Middle.Aria Chitwood Middle School Dance Choreography Reflections - Webmaster Twenty-Third District PTA.mp4

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I danced to Billie Eilish's song "TV." My choreography relates to the theme "Accepting Imperfections" because this song talks about accepting that things don't always go as planned and that no one has a perfect life. Sometimes, we need space or can't handle what's around us. Sometimes, we go into a state of disbelief and just blame ourselves. I did my best to capture the heartfelt emotion and connection with the theme I felt.

Award of Merit.

Claire Hermione Castro,

Middle School Division,

Sutter Middle School,

Third District.

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Embracing every color is about my ballet journey on how to embrace every aspects - perfect or imperfect. I have learned that you can never really ever be a PERFECT ballerina. It is my imperfections that has taught me to find strengths in my shortcomings and bring out my uniqueness. This song "Rainbow" by Liz Huett is such a powerful song that describes the theme of growth and self-acceptance through imperfections. Each step in my dance symbolizes resilience showing that perfection is never the goal but embracing your uniqueness and who you are is important. As the song says "Looking for the rainbow to break the storm inside of me" is about self-acceptance and hope to break through the storm of imperfections. I really enjoyed choreographing this piece and dancing on this song.

Award of Merit.

Myra Saxena,

Intermediate Division,

Herbert Hoover Elementary School,

Sixth District.

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The story of Japanese author Yukio Mishima’s struggle with perfection taught me the importance of letting go, of being "unbound" to the idea of flawlessness. Inspired by this, I created a dance mirroring his inner conflict. My movements shift between being frantic and drawn out, reflecting Mishima’s relentless pursuit of an unreachable ideal. However, by the end, there’s a sense of loosening—an acceptance. This transformation showcased in my piece reflects my understanding that chasing perfection is a trap, an unending, unfulfilling cycle. True beauty lies in embracing imperfection and finding grace in release.

Award of Merit.

Naomi Hsu,

High School Division,

Carlmont High School,

Seventeenth District.

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I used to be criticized as a dancer because I was born pigeon-toed and could not pick up choreography quickly enough due to my ADHD. When I focused on how I was not the "perfect" dancer with great turnout, I lost my love of dance. My choreography tells the story of how I found that love again by learning to accept my imperfections. My dance is intentionally messy at times, and it builds with the music to reflect my realization that my imperfections motivate me to keep growing as a dancer and a person, and are what make me unique.

Award of Merit.

Ariela Ephraim,

High School Division,

Palisades Charter High School,

Tenth District.

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10.CA.Dance.High.Perfectly Imperfect - Dance Choreo (High School).MP4

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I understand my dancing is not perfect; however, I have continued to work on focusing less about what others have to say, and more on knowing my worth. In the subjective dance industry, we constantly train in effort to become the “perfect” dancer; thus, at the end of the day it is important to remember everyone is perfect in their own way. Our flaws and imperfections are what makes us unique and by embracing them we can accept who we are. Today I showcase an imperfectly perfect dance by a song titled “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.

Award of Merit.

Bryanna Elizondo,

High School Division,

Downey High School,

Thirty-Third District.

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Nothing is perfect on your first try. What's important is to keep learning and practicing so you can get better and better. And anything will become great!

Convention Display.

Mika Oliver,

Primary Division,

Jose Ortega Elementary School,

Second District.

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When you are assigned the task of leading the group, you don't see the imperfection of others or even that of your self (I'm the one in the front with the blond hair).

Convention Display.

Helen Basmajyan,

Primary Division,

Apperson St. Elementary School,

Thirty-First District.

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My dance is about a girl who dreams to be a cover girl. She looks at magazines and she thinks she isn’t pretty enough so, she covers her face. Her friends try to encourage her but it doesn’t work. She stops eating because she thinks she isn’t skinny enough. Her friends try to encourage her again and she realizes she is beautiful just the way she is.

Convention Display.

Isla Mize,

Middle School Division,

Lakewood Elementry School,

Eighth District.

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Trying to love myself is a dance about the struggle to see that it's ok not to be perfect and that God and others (like family and close friends) already see you as a perfect person because they love you just how you are. They even love all your imperfections and that's how I hope to love myself. I want to remind people through this dance they can find hope because others see their imperfections as perfect and still love them and that they can learn to love themselves and their imperfections because that is who they are.

Convention Display.

Solana Crumrine,

Intermediate Division,

El Camino Creek Elementary School,

Ninth District.

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This dance shows the freedom from failure and imperfection because Jesus died on the cross.

Convention Display.

Phoebe Soon,

Intermediate Division,

Wawona K-8 School,

Eleventh District.

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I think this relates to the them because it is saying humans have so many qualities that make them special. But sometimes some of those qualities are imperfections. Working through your imperfections can be hard. But you just have to believe in yourself and always know you were made for something great even with your imperfections.

Convention Display.

Stella Adler,

Intermediate Division,

Monte Vista Elementary School,

Fifteenth District.

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15.CA.Dance.Intermediate.Monte Vista.dance. - Sella Adler What was I made for (2) (Converted).mov

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My choreography encapsulates the nonlinear, complex nature of overcoming perfectionism. A prominent theme is frustration, because perfectionism is ironically self-inflicted, yet self-damaging. However, by acknowledging this frustration, I am able to demonstrate the progression into a state of self acceptance that comes with accepting innate imperfection. Towards the beginning, the choreography emanates despair and frustration, while towards the end, those feelings get translated into boldness and confidence. I intentionally keep the level of intensity high, to demonstrate that accepting imperfection is an act of courage, not an example of weakness.

Convention Display.

Gisela Lau,

High School Division,

California High School,

Thirty-Second District.