New York City Dance Alliance is a dance conference on a grand scale. As I travel around the US I seem to notice the underlining theme of ‘bigger is better’ and this was only too evident as I enjoyed New York City Dance Alliance on its regional tour season in Atlanta.

New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) is a dance conference and competition that tours 23 states of the US, climaxing in a huge national final in New York this July 10th to 17th.  It is intense, to say the least! Executive Director, Joe Lanteri informed me that the Atlanta conference had 700 registered dancers, and this was one of their smaller events. The three day event consisted of a huge dance competition, workshops in ballet, hip-hop, jazz and tap from New York’s leading dancers and choreographers, a major audition, and a performance showcase. The conference was jam packed with dancing delights. It never stopped to give you a breath! The classes were amazing, the talent phenomenal and the entire program like none I had ever seen.

The competition standard in the USA, encouraged by the quality of events such as NYCDA, is exceptional. 10 year olds were holding perfect penchés and performing triple pirouettes with ease. Not all students were as talented, of course, but the majority of dancers were very competent and strong performers. Competing at such a high level every year encourages excellence. Although some teachers and dancers are not fans of dance competitions/eisteddfods, they do at least give dancers performance opportunities, hopefully helpful feedback, and open their eyes to what other dancers and dance studios are doing and how they compare.

The workshop classes were the highlight for me, as the quality of the teaching faculty was outstanding. The NYCDA faculty consists of over 25 famous dancers who are the hottest names in dance in the USA. Leaders in the industry from ballet to commercial dance, they were inspiring and challenging.

I enjoyed a jazz class with Joey Dowling, Joey has been performing, choreographing and teaching in NYC for the past 10 years. She was on Mariah Carey's Butterfly World Tour, the MTV Video Music Awards with Jennifer Lopez, the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards with Macy Grey, The Victoria Secret Fashion Show, Sex & the City, Guiding Light, Chicago the Movie, and The Producers (movie) and has had several stints on Broadway, as well as being a famous Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. Currently she is the assistant choreographer for Off Broadway’s In The Heights.  An esteemed teacher at Broadway Dance Center, Joey shared amazing insights into dancing and teaching and gave beautiful and challenging choreography to the dancers of all ages. I was surprised by the complexity of the choreography she gave to the younger students, but they achieved it and performed it well, as she gave the children visuals and names for certain movements to help them remember and move in and out of them.

AC Ciulla, taught the students jazz, in a both a commercial dance and lyrical style. An EMMY Award winning choreographer AC has danced and choreographed for Broadway, film, music videos, staged live shows for major recording artists and
received a Tony Nomination for Best Choreography for the Broadway spectacular Footloose. AC has a way of teaching choreography so that you feel like you’re actually on Broadway or in a film clip as you dance. He transports you from the studio into the set, and creates visuals as he choreographs that allow you dance outside your shell and experience the work on a greater level. His classes were amazing.  I felt like I was actually dancing and being filmed in a music video, just in class. His choreography was challenging, fresh and exciting in both commercial jazz and lyrical genres.

One of NYCDA longtime faculty members, Suzi Taylor, also taught a jazz class that I enjoyed immensely. Internationally recognized for her passionate style of lyrical jazz, Suzi stressed the importance of dancing and moving from your core and not over expressing with the shoulders, to give movement its full breath. She was engaging and insightful.  A revered teacher at Steps on Broadway, Suzi’s lyrical jazz was beautiful and yet  demanding, as she changed direction again and again, creating an expressive whirlwind of movement that made the dancer think.

I also enjoyed a tap class with Chloe Arnold, an amazing tap dancer and a very approachable and inspiring teacher. Having not taken a tap class for a year or so, she made me fall in love with tap again. Just viewing her skill and passion excited me about the art form.  Beyonce’s dance double for her Upgrade You film clip, Chloe has recently  featured in the new hit show Imagine Tap, Outkast’s new movie Idlewild, and Sean Paul’s music video for the movie Step Up. Currently co-director of the Los Angeles Tap Festival, Chloe has directed short films and independent music videos, and has produced over 20 shows. Her tap was brilliant and complex. Even her warm up routines were exciting, let alone the slides she taught us! Chloe could motivate the tap dancers of all ages and made those who did not take tap, seriously consider picking up the art form.

Along with the workshop classes and competition, auditions were held on the Sunday afternoon for students who had chosen to compete. Judged by Joe Lanteri, Executive Director, and the faculty, the audition applicants were given a chance to win passes to the New York event where auditions will be held in front of scouts from many Broadway shows and dance companies including the Rockettes and West Side Story. What an amazing opportunity!

NYCDA  gives dancers from across the US incredible opportunities to learn from, audition for and perform for the country’s leading industry professionals and companies.  NYCDA is open to international dancers and well worth the ticket and long flight to the USA. The New York conference is a huge 2 week event full to the brim with dancing, performing, learning and challenging opportunities, so if you’re planning to visit a NYCDA conference, the New York event is probably the most worth your while. Discounts are offered for dancers and teachers from overseas. To find out more check out www.nycdance.com

By Deborah Searle