Tag: competition dance

How to Clean a Guest Choreographer’s Work While Maintaining Its Integrity

There’s nothing judges love more than sparkling-clean choreography. Keeping competition routines in tip-top shape is always labor-intensive—but especially when the number is the work of a guest choreographer, who may have set it months ago and probably isn’t available to oversee the cleaning process. Here’s how to polish even the smallest details of a guest […]

Tiare Keeno Loves Creating a Safe Space Where Dancers Can Explore

Tiare Keeno successfully straddles the worlds of concert and commercial dance. She began her training at one of the country’s premier competition studios, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio in Orem, Utah, before eventually transitioning to a top-notch classical conservatory, Classical Ballet Academy. All the while, she kept a close relationship with the razzle-dazzle of conventions, […]

Jill Wolins Always Leads With a Compliment Before a Critique

“The best judges come from the competition circuit,” says Jill Wolins, who trains adjudicators for the Star Dance Alliance and Starpower National Talent Competition. “If you competed as a kid, you have proper respect for how hard these dancers work. It’s not easy to do what they’re doing.” Wolins began judging competition events in 2001 […]

Ask the Experts: Should We Do Separate Recitals for Comp and Recreational Dancers?

Q: Our recitals are too long when we have both competition and recreational dancers performing, so I’m considering having two separate performances. Do you have any advice on how to do this without creating drama? A: If you get a reputation in the community for long shows, it can have a negative impact on attracting […]

Eric Coudron Fell in Love With Ballet as a Competition Dancer

Eric Coudron understands firsthand the hurdles competition dancers face when falling in love with ballet. Now the director of ballet at Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre in Frisco, Texas, Coudron trained as a competition dancer when he was growing up. “It’s such a structured form of dance that when they come back to it […]

So Is Cheryl Burke the New Abby? (And Is That Better?)

Whether you consider “Dance Moms” a guilty pleasure or a legitimate depiction of competitive studio life (or maybe you just don’t consider it at all, these days), you’re definitely aware that change is brewing for the Lifetime TV show. Abby Miller (DT, October 2012) just announced she’s leaving the show after seven seasons and under […]