ANSONIA — Ansonia teen Jorge Villalobos, Jr., who’s been dancing his heart out since he could walk, has clinched a second national title.
During the “Backstage” national competition held July 13-18 at the Kalahari Resorts & Convention Center in the Poconos, Jorge wowed the judges and nabbed two first-place wins for his solo dance routines.
Jorge, 16, aspires to join the renowned New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre or Paris Opera Ballet. He is a junior at Ansonia High School.
Jorge competed in the advanced division in the 16-19 age group for his solos. He also emerged as the competition’s highest scorer for his solos in all age divisions, besting some 533 dance routines. The competition drew more than 500 dancers and dance teams from across the Northeast.
“I felt very grateful and very excited that I was chosen for first place,” Jorge told The Valley Indy Tuesday (July 22) while taking a break from an intensive, summer ballet camp he won a scholarship to attend at SUNY Purchase college in New York. “I’m very proud I was able to do that.”
Jorge is no stranger to putting in hard work to ensure he’s competition-ready. When he’s not at dance camps all summer perfecting his moves, in addition to attending Ansonia High School, he takes dance classes four days a week at the ACES Educational Center for the Arts magnet school in New Haven and does ballet for another three hours at night. He’s also a member of Danz Magic studio in Derby, where he dances four days a week. Jorge said he dances pretty much 24/7.
“I love dance because I can express myself without the use of words,” Jorge said. “I love it so much that I forget about everything else and I’m in the zone. I just love telling stories with my body.”
The stories Jorge told during his solo routines at the “Backstage” competition featured him performing both a contemporary number and an acro dance routine, which combines classical dance technique with acrobatic elements, something Jorge has been perfecting since he was eight years old.
During his winning solo performances, Jorge showcased his athletic, acrobatic and dance abilities through a series of back walkovers, tumbling, handstands, cartwheels and back bends, as well as ballet moves. He performed his acro routine to the song, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence and his contemporary routine to Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
Jorge performed in 10 other dances as well, including a duet where he nabbed second place, and an “Alice in Wonderland”-themed production with his Danz Magic team. He credited Danz Magic instructor Stefanie Waldron with choreographing his winning solo dance.
Jorge’s mom, Giovanna Donofrio-Villalobos, watched in the audience with her husband, Jorge, Sr., and Jorge’s siblings – brothers, Jireh Cade, 3, and Jayden, 14, and sister Adalynee, 7, who’s following in Jorge’s footsteps as an emerging dancer herself. Adalynee also competed in the “Backstage” competition, scoring an award for her tumbling and tricks, her mom said.
“Jorge is amazing,” said Donofrio-Villalobos. “It literally brought us to tears, seeing his solos for the first time. With these dances, he has hit a level of maturity, and you can really see his passion when he’s dancing.”
Donofrio-Villalobos said Jorge has always been a natural performer, dancing and showing his latest moves to family and friends since he was little. The love of dance runs in the family. Donofrio-Villalobos is a dancer herself, and as a U.S. Army Staff Sgt., she competed in the Ms. Veteran America competition in 2021 where she placed in the top 10.
Jorge is no stranger to winning national dance titles. Last year, he nabbed a first-place win for his solo routine during The Royal Dance Competition held in Cape Cod, Mass. Since then, Jorge has been signed by a New York talent agency, MSA Agency, and has landed an overseas commercial and is getting regular calls to audition for movies, according to his mom.
Jorge has also gained an impressive TikTok following with his dance videos, where he has over 26,000 followers.
“At the competition, a girl who’s been following Jorge on Tik Tok for years came up to Jorge and couldn’t believe it was him,” Donofrio-Villalobos said. “He also received an email from a girl who saw him perform and told him how much he inspires her to improve by watching his videos.”
Jorge is humbled by all of it.
“It’s so unreal and it makes me feel really happy that I’m able to help others improve by watching my videos, and looking at me as a mentor,” Jorge said.
Danz Magic studio owner Deborah Parlow congratulated Jorge on his achievement.
“We are especially proud of Jorge, whose tireless dedication both in the studio and at home has led to remarkable accomplishments on the national stage,” Parlow said. “His success is a testament to the power of hard work and passion, and we couldn’t be prouder of his achievements. We also want to recognize the outstanding efforts of his teammates, many of whom earned top overall scores and special judges’ awards. Among these talented dancers were Mila Nuzzo and Sophia DeOliveira, whose performances stood out for both technical skill and artistry. Congratulations to all of our incredible dance team members on a phenomenal season.”