By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

The words “Walt Disney World” and “magic” are often used in the same sentence. 

And on April 27, the girls on the Dancer’s Edge All Star Elite team got to experience the magic firsthand when they won a world championship in the pom division during the World Championship of Dance in Orlando, Fla.

“It was unbelievable,” said Kathy Moretto, owner of the Dancer’s Edge Studio. “I don’t think they could believe it. I don’t think any of them expected it. They were just excited to qualify.”

The group of 19 local teens, who live in cities all over Macomb County and range in age from 14-17, also took second place in the jazz competition.

The win is the first for the studio, which was opened in 2002 in Macomb Township and is owned by Moretto and her husband, David, of Shelby Township. It is also the first world title for any Michigan-based studio.

To be eligible for the world championship, the team had to earn a bid at a qualifying competition in February, which was also held in Walt Disney World.

Moretto said it was difficult for the team to return to Orlando in April after having just been there in February. But despite the high cost of traveling to Orlando, the entire team managed to raise the funds needed for a return trip.

“We left it up to the girls (to raise money for the trip),” Moretto said. “Many of them babysat, and they all collected bottles.”

Once the team made it back to Orlando, the excitement built as it moved into first and second place in the pom and jazz competitions, respectively, heading into the final round.

“It was so emotionally charged,” Moretto said of the competition. “We had no idea the kids would ever place … it was so nerve-racking.

Moretto said winning the world championship was like nothing they could have ever imagined.

“It was an achievement we never thought we would ever obtain,” she said. “It was a life-altering experience.”

The competition also gave the girls the chance to meet and interact with dancers from other countries, some from as far away as Germany, Mexico and Japan.

“All I heard from everyone was what a worthwhile event it was to have them to be at that event with all those teams from all over the world,” Moretto said. “I’m glad they got that out of it. It’s an experience that many of them will never get to experience again.”

The Dancer’s Edge All Star Elite World Champion team included Justine Fisher, Kelsey Nucci and Lindsey VanAssche, Harrison Township; Dianne Clouse, Kathryn Amara, Samantha Tortomasi, Megan Robinson, Taylor Driscoll, Adrienne Agar and Angela Evola, Macomb Township; Marisa and Nichole Kuczborski, Sterling Heights; Megan Para and Amanda George, Shelby Township; Hannah Mancuso and Kristie Schmid, Washington Township; Jordyn Jones and Jessica Maas, Chesterfield Township; and Anne Saigh, New Haven.

You can reach Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1107.