The Tony Awards (airing this Sunday night!) recognize a lot of Broadway talent: actors, directors, sound designers, lighting designers, writers, composers, and our favorites, choreographers. But we all know that the true muscle behind every amazing musical is the dancers. And they rarely get Tony nominations. (Unless they happen to be the fabulous Karine Plantadit, […]
In a pair of pointe shoes, she’s effortlessly regal—but take those pointe shoes off, and Jasmine Cruz will show you her spunky side. The 12-year-old’s solid technique and infectious personality helped her snag a gold medal at the World Ballet Competition in 2012, and earn first place in both classical and contemporary for the pre-competitive […]
(L to R) Broadway performer Charlotte D’Amboise, 2013 Ambassador For The Arts Catherine Zeta-Jones and NYCDA Founder/Executive Director Joe Lanteri At Dance Spirit, we love comp kids, we love college dancers, we love Broadway performers, and we especially love when all of these people come together for one exciting performance. That’s exactly what happened last […]
On Saturday evening, Dance Spirit editor-in-chief Alison Feller and I attended one of our favorite summer dance events: The New York City Dance Alliance closing-night gala. It’s always jam-packed with dance celebs (Oh hey, Jakob Karr!) and is never lacking for awe-inspiring talent. Here are a few highlights from the night: The Rockettes opened the […]
Alexia Meyer performing her title-winning solo at New York City Dance Alliance Nationals in 2012 (photos courtesy NYCDA) For years, Alexia Meyer struggled with comparing herself to other dancers. “I would feel confident going into a competition, but as soon as I saw other dancers’ abilities, I would second-guess what I was capable of,” says […]
Dana Wilson may be one of New York City Dance Alliance’s most popular hip-hop teachers, but it’s hard to put her in just one stylistic box. Yes, she knows how to hit it—hard—but she can also be playful and girly. Sometimes she’ll even go full-on lyrical, composing lush, fluid phrases. Wilson was born in Aurora, […]
Offstage, 9-year-old Kayla Mak is like any other 4th-grader. She’s a happy kid who likes math and watching TV. (Her favorite show is “So You Think You Can Dance,” of course.) But get her onstage and you’ll see a whole different Kayla—a girl who’s anything but ordinary. At the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation’s […]
by Nathan Sayers When Megan Skalla traveled to NYC as a Cover Model Search finalist back in April, the DS editors were blown away by her stellar dancing and sweet, sincere personality—and clearly, you were, too. After more than 10,000 total votes (a CMS record!) and a race so close it came down to the […]