At age 14, Luca Masala left the School of La Scala in Milan to train at the School of American Ballet in the Big Apple. A native of Sardinia, Masala recalls the culture shock of moving away from the comforts of home while also adjusting to a new school and country. Now, he is […]
From the moment the LSU Tiger Girls begin their national-title–winning number, “Like a Boy,” every dancer is in perfect unison. (And we’re talking not-one-hair-out-of-place kind of unison.) They strut forward with their arms placed sharply by their sides on count one, and it’s difficult to find where one dancer starts and the other begins. That […]
Dear DT+ Community, Competition season is well underway—and for many of us that means clocking in hours of practice, tackling challenging routines, rounding up all the bobby (and safety) pins you can find and dealing with the stress of a bazillion costumes (some of which might have only showed up in the nick of time). […]
Dance competitions have long been a hotly debated topic in the dance education community. The notion of “competition” is usually blamed, but such blame misses the point. After all, competition is inherent to any audition process where multiple dancers vie for a limited number of positions. Competition is also meaningful in youth sports, from archery […]
For 10 years, Anthony Morigerato judged competitions using almost the same score sheets he got when he was a comp kid. “I thought to myself, ‘Why haven’t they changed at all? Why are they so general?’” As a tap dancer, Morigerato found that only one word (“feet”) on the judge’s sheet applied to him. “It’s […]
Comp kids, you truly are one singular sensation—and nowhere was that clearer than at Nationals 2018. In every style and in every city, you raised the bar higher than ever before. As the 2018–19 Regionals season kicks off this month, let’s take a minute to relive the most thrilling, attention-getting, and just plain amazing moments […]
The fun doesn’t stop after Showstopper’s competition season ends. Join Showstopper this fall and winter for their 2018-19 Dance Conventions. Bring the whole studio or dance solo, but register soon so you do not miss out! Why Showstopper Dance Conventions? Exposure Network with dancers, choreographers, and teachers from all over the world. Experience and learn […]
Showstopper has been making its impact on the dance world since 1978. Before then, dancers didn’t have a stage to perform on, the opportunity to learn from peers, or a competitive outlet like most sports. Debbie Roberts recognized this missing piece in the dance community and that is how America’s first and longest running dance […]