ELKHART — While most students are enjoying their summer, Concord’s Best Dance Crew has been busy. The dance group from Concord High School has won first place in the hip-hop group category at Tremaine National Finals. The event began on July 7 and was held in Orlando, Fla. The team returned home on Wednesday.

The group members who attended the competition are Caleb Sconiers, Eugenio Lara, Diamond Burdine and Katrell Jemison. The five-day event includes four days of dance workshops and classes with one day of competition. It is the group’s biggest win. They qualified for the competition in February after going to the Tremaine regional competition in Schaumburg, Ill. They won third in that competition.

“They’ve shown tremendous growth in the past six months,” said director of the dance program at Concord High School Stephanie Pairitz.

The group recieved funding for performance and rehearsal expenses from Concord schools, while donations from individuals and businesses helped pay for their travel expenses. Pairitz said the group has been learning from famous dancers such as Chitah Rivera, Dee Dee Wood and Kenny Ortega.

Their piece is called “Don’t Stop the Music” and is choreographed by Trae Turner. Pairitz said their group is the only high school team at the competition, which mostly includes dance studios. While most are from the U.S., there are groups from Mexico and Austria.

“I like for the students to participate and be exposed to this broader world,” Pairitz said.

Pairitz said the competition offers workshops in ballet, lyrical, tap, jazz and hip hop. The trip gives them a chance to learn about different styles of dance as well as giving them an opportunity to compete for a prize. For some of the dancers, it’s their first time on a plane and their first time to see the ocean.

“It’s just an incredible opportunity for them to see what’s out there in the dance world,” she said.