A trio of girls from town with some serious tap dancing talent got to put their moves and skills on display on the world stage late last month, competing at the annual World Tap Championships in Riesa, Germany.

Kathryn Kavovit, Ava Warner, and Alyssa Wright represented the United States, doing so with flair as they combined efforts with the rest of their dance team members to place seventh in the world with their Junior Formation. The three Newtown tap dancers are part of the American Dance Collaborative, which is a member of the United States Dance Sport Competition Federation; they train year-round through The Station Dance Academy.

They compete in and out of Connecticut and, for the first time, competed overseas by joining forces with other skilled tap dancers.

The girls and their parents spent the first two days in Prague, then took the train to Radebeul, Germany, for a bulk of the eight-day trip.

On stage, the team advanced through the first round into the semifinals as 19 junior formations were whittled down to 12. They got to dance again and although they did not make the cut for the finals, it was nevertheless an incredible experience against similarly tremendous talent. Dance teams represented France, Great Britain, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, Croatia, and Canada, among other international locations.

This competition was an Olympic-style event that featured a flag ceremony and medals. The US team was led by choreographer Jillian McNamara, a world champion dancer who organized the first group of US dancers to compete in the championships in 2019, and who formed American Dance Collaborative.

Wright said going to Germany to compete in the sport she loves “was such an amazing opportunity and I will cherish the experience forever.

“It was so inspiring to see all of the different dancers from different countries come together and bond over their shared love of tap and I had the best time with my team,” she added.

Naturally, the trip also included some fun sightseeing and new food tasting as well. The Wrights and Kavovits spent a day touring beautiful Saxon Switzerland National Park, hiking on both the German and Czech sides, and seeing the Bastei Bridge and Pravčická Archway. The families all went to Dresden, attended an Oktoberfest fair, and took in the beauty of the city.

Kavovit noted that it was a once a lifetime experience to compete for the USA, see some of Germany and Prague, and be with her friends and teammates.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.