Jillian Muschler

Jillian Muschler of Woodbridge has won the first NOVA’s Favorite Dancer competition held April 6 at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College.

Muschler competed against seven soloists and one dance team. After the judges selected the top five, the capacity crowd in Colgan Theater voted for their favorite and Muschler came out on top. She received a trophy and $200 for winning first place.

Muschler selected “Saltkin” by Purity Ring for her modern dance which she choreographed. She was a competitive gymnast for 13 years until she was introduced to dance during a modern dance class at NOVA’s Manassas Campus. She performs with the Beth Elliott Dance Group and uses structured improv in her passionate choreography.

Audra Avery of South Riding earned second place for dancing to “Just Give Me a Reason” by Pink. A homeschooled student, Avery is currently dual enrolled at NOVA. She began performing at the age of 6 and has danced in several productions at the Kennedy Center and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

Amani Abed-Rabbo, Hala Afaneh, Farrah Alakhras, Mohamed A. Alarayyed and Hani Husein took third place for performing the Arab folk dance Dabke. The team members are from Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine and Syria. Dabke is a Middle Eastern line dance commonly performed during weddings and other festive occasions.

The NOVA Dance Club entertained the crowd before the competition began and during the voting. The student-led club welcomes any NOVA students with an interest in dance.

Kelly Bly, Jeffrey Calero, Gretchen Williams Kotlar and Kista Tucker served as judges.

By: NOVA Fortnightly Staff

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