The Tribune

Just Dance Bahamas delivered a historic, record-breaking performance at the StarQuest World Finals in Galveston, Texas, competing against 48 top-tier studios from across the globe. The Bahamian studio captured multiple World Finals titles, elite scholarships, and prestigious choreography awards, highlighted by an unprecedented promotion into the professional competitive division.

In a milestone moment for Bahamian dance, the Senior Small Group Open routine, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," took the international stage by storm. Featuring company members Pengshulin Cartwright, Layla Ferguson, Seraiah Kellman, Lara Major, Kay’Lee Miller, Jaliah Nairn, Riley Nixon, Aubrie Smith, and Ruby Tyler, the routine was unanimously promoted by the judging panel from the Classic level to the elite "Select" Professional Level.

This exclusive tier is traditionally reserved for specialised performing arts schools whose students train daily during school hours. JDB not only met the challenge but achieved the elusive Ultimate Platinum Adjudication—the highest possible score exclusive to the professional division.

The routine went on to win First Place Overall in the Select Open category, advanced to the "Quest for the Best" Grand Finale to win First Place Overall a second time under a new panel of judges and ultimately captured the supreme Apogee Award as the highest-scoring routine of the entire professional tier.

JDB’s Senior Small Groups also dominated the Classic division layout:

"Battlefield" (Jazz): Won Platinum Plus, the Judges' "Commanded the Stage" Special Award, and the Senior Costume Award. The routine advanced to the Grand Finale dance-off, capturing First Place Overall out of 28 Senior Small Groups.

"I Remember Her" (Lyrical): Won Platinum Plus, named the highest-scoring Senior Lyrical routine, and placed 4th overall.

"Green Light" (Tap): Won Platinum Plus, named the highest-scoring Senior Tap routine, and placed 5th overall.

The studio’s Senior Large Group Musical Theatre routine, "Friend Like Me," featuring the entire JDB Senior Dance Company including, Scout Ramsey as "the genie", also secured First Place Overall out of 16 elite groups in the Classic dance-off, while taking home the coveted Odyssey Award for the Most Entertaining Group Routine of the entire week-long competition. The Senior Hip Hop routine, "Back On The Block," finished closely behind in Second Place Overall.

In the Junior division, the JDB Junior Dance Company took home First Place Overall for their Jazz routine, "We're Gonna Party," which also captured the Apogee Award for the highest-scoring Nova Junior Group of the entire competition. Their Hip Hop routine, "Do You Love Me?", secured fifth place overall.

Individual and duet categories yielded massive victories for the Bahamian dance team:

Riley Nixon (Teen Open Solo): Crowned First Place Overall out of 115 competitive dancers in the Teen Classic dance-off.

Aubrie Smith (Senior Open Solo): Crowned Miss StarQuest Emerging Artist and finished 5th overall in the Senior Classic division.

Zainya Davis and Kai Neely (Junior Solos): Both dancers were unanimously promoted by judges to the advanced Classic level, with Davis capturing 2nd Place Overall and Neely capturing 3rd Place Overall out of 68 dancers.

Pengshulin Cartwright (Senior Solo): Named 2nd runner-up to Classic Miss StarQuest and placed 9th overall out of 91 seniors.

Kaliyah Jones and Adrielle Goncalves (Petite/Junior Nova): Both earned 4th place overall in their respective debut divisions, with Jones winning the "Ray of Sunshine" and Costume awards.

Pengshulin Cartwright and Scout Ramsey (Senior Duet - "Tight Pants"): Won 2nd Place Overall out of 16 duets, the "Comedy Icons" award, and the Senior Fusion Award for most entertaining duet.

P Cartwright and Smith (Senior Duet - "Beautiful Thing"): Captured 3rd Place Overall out of 16 duets.

A. Goncalves and K. Jones (Junior Duet - "Divas"): Promoted to the Classic level, winning 3rd Place Overall out of 26 duets and the Junior Fusion Award.

Two JDB dancers secured elite educational scholarships for 2027: Teen soloist Layla Ferguson was awarded the AMDA (American Musical & Dramatic Academy) Summer Conservatory Scholarship, and Senior soloist Jaliah Nairn won the Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester Scholarship alongside "Fierce & Focused" and "Photogenic" accolades.

To close out the historic week, out of 48 attending studios, StarQuest judges nominated 15 choreographers and ultimately selected only eight to receive the prestigious Choreography Award. Studio owner and head teacher Miss Nonny Price was presented with this honour for her "Risk-taking choreography that integrates story and character seamlessly."

This triumphant season was fully supported by JDB’s dedicated faculty, including Miss Nonny's assistant Caroline Knowles, teachers Lorrinda Maura and Levette Saunders, office manager Jake Campbell, and office assistant Olivia Pieri, alongside contributions from JDB alumni Madison Forbes, Joelle Olivier, Daryn Sands, and Samantha Sands.