Sarah Pippin Wins the NYCDA Foundation Dance Magazine College Scholarship
July 13, 2016

Sarah Pippin, a student at CC & Co. Dance Complex in North Carolina and the 2015 New York City Dance Alliance national senior female outstanding dancer (what a mouthful!), has won the NYCDA Foundation’s Dance Magazine College Scholarship. Pippin will be attending Juilliard in the fall.

This is a kid who’s used to taking home major awards (from The Dance Awards, JUMP—and last year she was a National YoungArts finalist). She’s clearly a very technically advanced dancer. But what I noticed most about her last week, when she performed during NYCDA’s closing gala, was her artistry. Despite only being 18 years old, Pippin—dancing to a subdued version of “Ne Me Quitte Pas”—treated every moment onstage like an opportunity to wring emotion from the movement. And not in an over-the-top way, either. I remember being entranced by her hands—that’s how far her artistry traveled, to her fingertips! Studio owner Christy Curtis is known for producing talented artists. As she told DT two years ago, she’ll tailor her convention schedule to what her dancers need in their training. For example, if she has a group that struggles with hip hop, she’ll add in a hip-hop focused convention.

Of course, there are countless YouTube videos to back me up. Here’s one of my favorites: Pippin’s performance at the YoungArts 2015 National competition.

And for a fun throwback, here’s Pippin at the 2011 NYCDA finals, where she was named the junior female outstanding dancer:

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