NEW YORK -- The Bouncing Bulldogs of Chapel Hill were a big hit at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. They virtually swept the age-group competitions in the 16th annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic.

Comprising youth from the entire Triangle area of North Carolina, the Bulldogs placed first in singles and doubles competitions for each age division, except for runners-up finishes in sixth grade and eighth grade/open doubles.

"Lil' Bit of Jazz" of Brooklyn won the sixth-grade doubles, and "Stan's Pepper Steppers" of Far Rockaway, N.Y., a veteran team of the National Double Dutch League, won the eighth grade doubles.

The Bouncing Bulldogs "Novice Fusion" Team -- Taylor Ellis, Haley Malek, Briana "Bri" Merrigan, Perry Ramsey and Emily Williams -- provided the highlight of the novice freestyle competition, with a show-stopping freestyle performance to hit music. Their energy and charismatic dance choreography won the applause of the crowd and a first place from the judges.

Competitive "Fusion" Double Dutch Competition was developed in 1992 by David A. Walker, founder of NDDL. The combination of jump rope skills, acrobatics, music and dance highlights the Double Dutch Holiday Classic and makes it what many consider to be the most popular freestyle competition in the rope-skipping world.

While the Bouncing Bulldogs dominated the Novice Fusion, teams from Japan swept first, second and third in the Advanced Fusion competition. The Bouncing Bulldogs' Joseph Edney, Anna Holdaway, Ted Lehman, Timothy Martin and Briana Smith-Overman finished fourth.

The Bouncing Bulldogs recently returned from a trip to Cayman Islands, where they performed and conducted a workshop for children on Grand Cayman Island, as part of their efforts to help develop rope-skipping programs in the Caribbean.