‘Off Stage With No Regrets’: Maltese Dancer Stars On International Stage After Team Places Third In World Of Dance
One Maltese dancer has set the bar after walking away from the World of Dance Competition with a third-place team trophy, whilst participating with a Chicago dance crew.
Nina-Jo Buttigieg, a graduate in dance, hit the stage in Dallas, USA, with The PieceMakers, a hip-hop dance crew formed by the Puzzle Box Dance Studio. Her team made the podium in her first-ever performance with them.
“It was my first time competing,” she told Lovin Malta, “so with that in mind, I was quite nervous.”
“Though thankfully, the hard work and practice we put into the World of Dance Competition led to the Piecemakers coming third in this prestigious competition.”
Nina-Jo’s USA adventure began in 2019, after moving to Chicago for an exchange organised by her university. Though she later ended up transferring there entirely in order to complete her final year of her studies.
It was during that last year that she met a member of The PieceMakers in the flesh, and from there, one thing led to another.
“I initially wanted to audition for them once I graduated from college, but then COVID-19 happened,” she said. “So I did not audition until they held their first audition post-pandemic in 2021.”
“Thankfully I got accepted, and I enjoyed a season of tough training in an environment that was equally friendly and challenging.”
Her talents eventually led her to the Puzzle League, another ‘Puzzle Box’ crew that reels in dancers exclusively by invite. With them, she danced for the news station ABC7 Chicago’s New Year’s Eve countdown feature.
Come March 2022, her journey with the PieceMakers dance crew was set to face a tough challenge in the form of the World of Dance 2022 Championships. And preparation for the event was taxing, to say the least.
“We practiced hard for four to five hours every week. Sometimes even more as the deadline neared,” she said. “Our goal was to learn, tweak and format our 70s-inspired set.”
“It was so much fun! But it was also quite physically and mentally challenging, especially since most of the members had full-time jobs, college classes, and other jobs that they were doing at the same time.”
Leading to the event came with other challenges – both fun and tough – such as cyphers. Circles where breakdancers form and dance in.
“That was a hell of an experience. I met some really dope dancers at those events.”
As difficult as the climb to the top is for young Nina-Jo, some moments have found a forever home in her heart.
“Honestly, we gave our all on that stage. It was exhilarating. To showcase all of our hard work and have fun while doing so. We came off the stage with no regrets.”
“When we were called up as third place winners we were ecstatic, especially since we were only 1.17 points away from first, so the competition was super close. And considering that we did that all with barely any sleep, I would say we did a pretty good job.”
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