A Celebration of Dance at Dancerpalooza 2014 in Long Beach CA!
Have you attended any summer conventions this year? How was your experience? This past weekend Discount Dance Supply got to hang out at the Dancerpalooza convention in Long Beach, CA, and had a BLAST! If you are looking for an awesome dance convention experience, set your sites on Long Beach, July 21-26 2015 for next year’s Dancerpalooza. Here’s what the convention was like this year, and we’re told next year is going to be even better!
All week long dancers attend intensive classes and rehearsals lead by world famous choreographers, and then put on a performance at the end of the week. This year’s intensive class options included (not all choreographers are listed):
- The Collective (contemporary) featuring Mandy Moore and Mia Michaels
- Pool Party (young dancers, multiple styles) featuring tWitch and Nick Lazzarini
- Slide (tap) featuring Mike Minery and Anthony Morigerato
- Kamotion (hip-hop) featuring Misha Gabriel and Willdabeast
- Bobby’s Beat Camp (Jazz Funk) featuring Bobby Newberry and Tucker Barkley
- Marquee (Musical Theater) featuring Al Blackstone and Ricky Hinds
The Crash Course series of perfect for those who can’t attend the full convention, but still want to be part of this dance-tastic weekend. It’s held Friday through Sunday. They basically offer a series of hour long classes with all those amazing choreographers that are running intensives throughout the week, as well as other guest teachers. Because the intensives are, well, intense, it’s great to get the chance to venture out of your style and take class from a teacher who you might never have had the chance to experience. When you’re in the moment, and it’s the end of the week or the day and you’re exhausted, it might be a challenge to take extra classes. But, just remember, the fact that all this talent is in one place, for YOU, is a really big deal. The Crash Courses really enhance the entire Convention experience!
Beat Street is the premier local to get all the the latest and trendiest dance fashions in the industry! It’s open to all attendees of the convention and features tons of dance vendors – from apparel to non-profits to shoes and more! There are also performances going on throughout the event on the Dancerpalooza stage, and various celebrity meet and greets throughout the weekend. When we were there Sophia Lucia was signing posters at the Capezio Zone!
No convention experience would be complete without taking in some superb performances, this time as an audience member. Dancerpalooza 2014 brought to attendees performances by Shaping Sound, Moments Defined by Stacey Tookey’s Still Motion Dance Company, mL To Go, Jaci Royal’s Royal Flux in Shining and JCSOD’s A Man’s World.
Between the star power of the faculty and the enthusiasm and talent of the dancers, Dancerpalooza 2014 was a HUGE success! We as dancers are so involved in our little dance world of our studio, our teachers and our dance friends. It’s a refreshing treat to get out and meet people from other walks of life, share stories and most importantly get inspired to continue doing what we all love to do most – dance!
