Page 6 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JunE 21, 2024 DANCE TEAM | FROM PAGE 2 Performing during a Celtics championship run was simply priceless for Briggs-Connor and her studio. The entire experience was steeped in Boston spirit. Donnie Wahlberg, New Kids on the Block legend and actor whom Briggs-Connor has known over the years through mutual dance contacts, provided her dancers with shirts to wear during performances. As glamorous as it all sounds – she has also taught Red Sox legend David Ortiz’s daughters and had Shaquille O’Neal hang out with her team during the NBA Finals – this is serious work for Briggs-Connor. She wants the routines to be fl awless while performing in front of a sold-out, 19,600-people arena. “I definitely do put pressure on myself,” Briggs-Connor said. “And I try to think what’s going to be the best option to keep this crowd up, especially because they’re going to be hot the whole time. It’s almost like they don’t even need entertainment because they’re all in it. The crowd is already loud. So, I try to keep the music to match that, obviously taking what they love like ‘Shipping up to Boston’ and keeping it in the theme of Boston. And then Donnie Wahlberg, he sponsored the team with these beautiful New Kids on the Block Boston shirts. So, I did a nice tribute piece to the Boston boy bands to keep the crowd pumped for everything that comes from Boston and keep that luck fl owing. That was my idea of what I went into this year.” The NBA Finals appearance for Mid-grade Regular $3.87 3.25 73 59 Over 45 Years of Excellence! Full Service $2.95 Order online at angelosoil.com her younger dancers – called Lil Phunk and ranging in ages from fi ve to 13 – was a crowning moment much like the Boston Celtics’ championship. Her dancers have been hard at work at their craft, and they now got to shine on an international stage right in the TD Garden, which they’ve called home for decades. The studio prides itself on “urban dance,” and Briggs-Connor describes it as a “non-traditional dance studio.” Their mission? To connect with youth through the art of urban dance. “Hip Hop is not just a dance; it is a culture containing fi ve elements,” according to the mission statement on the studio’s website. “Our goal is to educate our students on those fi ve elements within each of our specialized classes. Urban dance styles have always been the heart of inner cities as a way of expression and a means of building self-esteem.” She refers to a teaching style Eastern Bank Building on Rte. 1S 605 Broadway, #301 * Saugus (781) 233-6844 www.bostonnorthdental.com called “EDUTAINMENT,” or teaching the history behind each art form in addition to choreography. Boston, she said, has a specifi c dance style that includes a penchant for a very hyped-up and energetic vibe. “We still have a very bouncy style compared to the West Coast teams, who are more smooth,” she told The Advocate, “so we like artists like DMX. The studio that I own and the company is predominantly Hip Hop. We do mostly urban dance, street styles, so break-dancing from back in the day, we still do that, popping, locking, krump. New school Hip-Hop, old-school Hip Hop. So, it’s all Hip Hop.” The Phunk Phenomenon Dance Team are shown performing on the TD Garden parquet fl oor at halftime during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Celtics game against the Dallas Mavericks. (Courtesy Phunk Phenomenon) And this studio is not just performing; they’re winning on a large stage. A group of 40 dancers from Phunk Phenomenon recently competed in a national competition run by Hip Hop International. Ranging in ages from nine to dancers in their 30s, the team won a Gold Medal for the Megacrew category. Now they’re preparing for an international competition in Arizona in August, where they will compete against 50 countries. They secured the nationals win earlier this year with a routine to the song “Ante Up,” a collaboration by Hip Hop artists Busta Rhymes, Tefl on and Remy Martin. When she makes a mix, Briggs-Connor likes to entertain all ages of her audiences, blending old-school memories with new beats. For this routine, they took “Ante Up” and layered it with new beats like dance hall and Afrobeat. “Everything had to be within the realm of street dance for the rules of this competition,” Briggs-Connor said, “so we’re going with a full mixed style routine, basically hitting all the genres of hip-hop dance.” For Briggs-Connor, these competitions are full-circle moments where all the hard work of choreography, dancing and sweating until near midnight on weekday nights comes together. She’s been hitting the dance fl oor since she was three years old at Genevieve’s Dance Studio in Chelsea, and she basically hasn’t left since. “I danced at that studio in Chelsea, and I grew up there,” Briggs-Connor said. “My mom [Barbara Casino of Chelsea] put me in when I was three years old because I loved to dance. I danced all the way until I was 18 there, and I started teaching for her when I was 16, and I cheered for Chelsea High School. I’ve danced my whole life.” —The Phunk Phenomenon team is raising funds for their international competition trip to Arizona in August. Find out more at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/PHUNKatHHIworlds. You can also learn more about Phunk Phenomenon at https://www.phunkphenomenon.com/. And to learn more and contribute to Jared Connor’s fight with Sanfilippo syndrome, the family has a website: http://www.jaredsfight.org/. Dr. Priti Amlani Dr. Bhavisha Patel * Restorative Dentistry * Cosmetic Dentistry * Implant Restoration * Zoom Whitening * Teeth in a Day - All on 6 * Invisalign * CEREC Crowns (Single Visit Crowns) * Root Canal Treatment * Sedation Dentistry ~ Full Mouth Rehabilitation ~ Before After
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