Last year, Break the Floor Productions debuted its newest dance event to the masses – DancerPalooza, a first-of-its-kind dance festival presenting dance classes, special events, professional performances and a unique expo hall and performance stage. Now this six-day event is back – and even bigger and better!
Taking place in the sunlit Long Beach Convention Center on the Cali coast on July 21-26, this dance event pairs the loose-and-free vibes of summer with special opportunities to glean from some of today’s best choreographers, master teachers and pro dancers.
Teddy Forance leads a class at DancerPalooza last year.
Giving teen and young adult dancers the chance to take classes, see shows and go to parties run by various dance celebrities, DancerPalooza takes the title “dance extravaganza” to a new level. A big hit in its inaugural year, this year’s event expects attendance to only increase.
Break the Floor’s Katy Malone recently shared with Dance Informa what this festival has to offer. Here’s a list of five reasons you need to get to this year’s event:
1 – Seven different intensives are on tap! Dancers can sign up for: The Collective (contemporary dance), Slide (tap), KaMotion (hip-hop), Marquee (musical theatre), Bobby’s Beat Camp (jazz/commercial dance), Aria (ballet) and Pool Party (fusion for younger dancers.) These intensives spread over five to six days with more than 30 hours of workshop time! Malone recommends picking your intensive based on “where your interests are and where you want to fit in!”
2 – Amazing faculty will be on site! Just to name a few: Travis Wall, tWitch, Sonya Tayeh, Mia Michaels, Hefa Tuita, Benoit Swan Pouffer, Al Blackstone, Anthony Morigerato and Misha Gabriel… Just wow! What dance student wouldn’t want to get up close and personal with these dance stars? To quote Malone, the faculty just keeps “getting better and better.”
Nick Lazzarini performs on the Hall of Fame Stage at Beat Street in 2014.
3 – Two words: Beat Street. On July 24-26, DancerPalooza invites attendees into this fun and funky exhibit hall where they’ll receive a complimentary swag bag, enter free giveaways, get special autographs from pros, catch performances on the Hall of Fame Stage and shop at the Expo Hall that’s bursting with more than 100 vendors! “It’s a huge room full of all our favorite vendors, from household names like Capezio to newer companies who are just launching their products,” Malone summarized. “In Beat Street, we also have our amazing main stage sponsored by Hall of Fame. We have a lot of local performers and professional performers who dance on the stage throughout the week. It’s just a great, free way for dancers to get exposed to everything dance!”
4 – There’s a roster of amazing dance performances! Hosted at the Center Theater, dancers can see their favorite dance celebrities from So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars and film/television fame performing works from both elite and emerging choreographers. This year’s roster kicks off with the exhilarating contemporary dance piece The Difference Between Actions and Words choreographed by 2014 Capezio A.C.E. Awards winner Talia Favia on Tuesday, July 21 at 8 p.m.
Students take class at DancerPalooza last year.
On Wednesday and Friday nights, DancerPalooza presents 25 LIVE, each showcasing three different 25-minute dance works. The first program, Act I, will include dancers performing works by Anthony Morigerato and Mike Minery, Kenny Wormald and Misha Gabriel, and Andrew Winghart. The second program, Act II, will comprise works from WilldaBeast Adams, Dana Foglia Dance Company and Lauren Adams and Jason Parsons. Then, after Shaping Sound returns on that Saturday, the 2014 Capezio A.C.E. Awards winners Cherrise Wakeham (runner-up) and Emma Portner (2nd runner-up) will each present new works in the Capezio A.C.E. Awards Winners Festival on Monday, July 27. Tickets are now available!
5 – Crash Courses, which offer additional opportunities to take other styles outside of intensives! Multiple rooms of classes and levels and a full range of styles are on schedule for dancers who might not be able to attend the whole week, or want to get a taste of another technique. Dancers register for these on site.
Be sure to stop by the Dance Informa booth!
6 – Okay, we lied. There are actually six reasons to come out! Can you guess what the final reason is? You’re right! Your favorite dance publication and the best dance news source will be there – Dance Informa! Be sure to come stop by our booth at Beat Street, grab some cool giveaways and snap a pic with one of our team members! Hope to see you there!
For more information on DancerPalooza, or to register for the event, visit www.dancerpalooza.com.
By Chelsea Thomas of Dance Informa.
Share this:
