For hip-hop dance director Karen Jehodo and her crew, the journey from a Taylors Lake garage to the international stage has been spectacular.
Her Brimbank-based hip-hop dance troupe is off to Scotland in August for the UDO world street dance championships after dominating the Australian titles in Melbourne last month.
KSTAR Evolutionz, with members coming from suburbs including Deer Park, Kings Park and Delahey, produced “amazing results” in Melbourne in their first crack at the national competition.
The school’s junior and open teams won their divisions, beating their nearest opponents by 21 and 15 points respectively and winning praise for their energy, attitude and presence.
The school was named Australia’s best.
It all started from humble beginnings 12 years ago, growing from a studio in Jehodo’s garage to local basketball courts and, these days, a room at Sydenham Neighbourhood House but still without the training advantage of mirrors.
Over the journey, Jehodo has helped build a “dance family”.
“Due to our Australia’s Got Talent showing in 2010, we had an increase in students coming in,” she said.
“This dedicated group is much more than dance mates; we’re more of a dance family. We specialise in hip-hop, embracing the old school and new school, and we have some amazing teachers in Lorenzo, Trevor, Kiki and Deanne.”
The school is fundraising to create a new studio and will hold a mid-year concert on June 25.
Visit the KSTAR Evolutionz Facebook page for more details.
