In the high-stakes world of competitive dance, where trophies often overshadow the pure joy of dance, Meghan Harvey, founder and CEO of Ignite Dance Competition, saw something missing: genuine community, authentic encouragement, and a reminder that dance is about so much more than first place. Launched in 2019, just before the world shut down, Ignite was born from her years as a judge traveling the country, witnessing young dancers’ passion dim under growing pressure as they got older.
What started as a bold leap from corporate life has grown into a beloved east coast competition with a dedicated following. Ignite now spans over 20 cities with thousands of dancers each season. Every Ignite event is built on one powerful pillar: community, which helps every dancer feel seen, valued and free to be themselves.
This desire to let dancers be fully themselves flows from Harvey’s passion for equipping them for the long-haul, whether they have a career in dance or elsewhere. She shares, “As a judge, I felt the weight of ‘Are we doing everything we can to empower these young dancers to go forth and set their hearts on fire?’ Sometimes that’ll be a professional dance career. Other times they’ll grow into great physical therapists or dentists or teachers.” Harvey continues, “The kids in my classes can say, ‘Oh Miss Meghan is so funny,’ but the dancers I’m judging can’t see that in a two-and-a-half-minute critique. Yes, we can give great feedback, and I hope they go back to the studio and that excites them, but what about the relationship part? That’s such a big part once they get out of competition.”
This focus on relationships shines brightest in Ignite’s Ambassador Program. What started to help dancers feel part of the community, and raise brand awareness, has turned into the true heart of Ignite’s community. “We select a group of about 30 dancers every year, typically one dancer per studio. They represent us for the year,” says Harvey. “We’ll bring them to Charleston where we do some training and convention classes with them. We want them to get to know each other. When we’re out on tour, those dancers become the bridge between us and the dancers competing.”
The Ambassador Program gives dancers permission to cheer one another on, even if they’re from different studios. Ignite’s ‘Firecracker Award’ has become a pivotal tool for Ambassadors as they ignite community. Harvey explains, “At every session, Ambassadors get a select number of rubber orange and black tie-dyed bracelets that say “firecracker” to give to dancers. They give them to dancers that inspire them, and for every Ambassador that looks different – sometimes it’s that they danced to the same song as their first solo, other times it’s overcoming nerves, others it’s their technique. Our goal for them is to encourage dancers and that’s one of the ways they get to.”
The Ignite team had no idea how impactful receiving a rubber bracelet would be. Harvey shares, “Sometimes I genuinely think that means more to them than an adjudication because for that moment, someone saw them for who they are and went out of their way to say something.”
Ambassadors also help hand out awards, and as Ignite has grown, assist with conventions. In addition to three non-competitive fall conventions focused on learning and growth, Ignite offers two free 30-minute convention classes each competition weekend, taught by judges – yet another bridge for building community. The heart of these classes is to give dancers an opportunity to expand on what they know without the pressure of competing.
Harvey says, “Our goal with the convention classes was to drop that fourth wall between the judges and the dancers to help them see themselves. We try to be very intentional with who’s on our judging panel and the experiences they’ve had, so that when they have the classes with dancers, the dancers can see themselves doing something similar to what the judge does. The judges do a really great job of communicating that they want to see dancers show up as themselves and not have everything perfect. That helps the dancers see that the judges are people too.”
Because building community and genuine relationships are such pillars of Ignite, selecting judges that align with their vision is crucial. When interviewing judges, Ignite looks for the perfect amount of tough love, an ability to make each dancer feel seen and valued, but also giving practical feedback they can apply in the studio right away. Their three-judge panel comes from diverse backgrounds, but all are united by the desire to pour everything into their time with dancers, hoping even just one receives encouragement to light their journey.
Harvey explains, “It’s all about delivery. We could say the same message in two different ways. It comes back to the willingness to go above and beyond, that they’re so invested in seeing this next generation succeed and want to see the dance world continue beyond us.”
Ignite keeps weekends manageable with capped entries for reasonable end times, no starts before 8am and no late nights, and schedules built with teachers in mind. As a fellow studio owner, Harvey knows firsthand the reality of long competition weekends, so every event includes a ‘teacher tent’ full of snacks, drinks, and even a couple of stools to take a quick breather.
Those who have seen an Ignite event in action know how special they are. Harvey shares, “The crew and judges all have the mentality that we may be from different studios, but we’re all in each other’s corner and one day we may end up working jobs together. We’ll hear from parents that their dancers felt they could show up authentically themselves, rather than just to fit a mold to get first place. If we can teach a dancer to feel that at nine, the pressure they’ll feel at 15 or 16 is so different because they’re dancing for them and not everybody else.”
Harvey’s mission of creating a competition with authentic community, genuine encouragement, and full of reminders that dance is about so much more than first place remains unwavering. She hopes the next generation of dancers feel this. “I hope that they are encouraged to be them, and know there’s a place for them and it doesn’t have to be onstage. Whether it’s a dance career, or something else, all the lessons you learned in class – discipline, time management, teamwork – those will carry you far in life.”
Ignite’s 2026 season, its largest season yet, is underway now, with tour dates across the east coast. Visit ignitedancecompetition.com to learn more, and follow Ignite on Instagram: @ignitedancecomp.
By Melody McTier Thomason of Dance Informa.
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