Community Corner

Day-Long 'Intensive' Boosts Young Dancers Skills

Premiere Dance hosted an event featuring NYC agent, director and dancers.

There's a new way to get to Carnegie Hall that goes beyond "practice, practice, practice," as the old adage goes: kids today know there's a lot more than skill needed.

And for about 50 ambitious young Hillsborough dancers, a special event at Premiere Dance, at Hillsborough Racquet Club, Saturday may have the keys needed to a professional career.

The dance studio hosted the first-ever dance intensive organized by Quest Intensives, a collaborative effort by Brandon Girouard that brought not only top-notch New York dancers to instruct the Hillsborough classes but also a casting director and an agent to offer insights into building a career beyond the steps, routines and techniques the students are already learning.

Girouard said his approach combining career education and classwork enabled him to attract participants looking for more than just a masterclass-type workshop—such as Cunningham Escott Slevin and Doherty agent Lakey Wolff, or Casting Director Allynn Simons, who was on the hunt for kids with the potential to appear in K-Mart's upcoming Christmas advertising plans.
  
"They believe in making children at this age understand," Girouard said, adding today's youngster's are pretty well tuned to the skills needed to perform—they can see and mimic top performers on TV and YouTube all day long. "But do they know what to wear to an audition? Do they know the difference between a casting director and an agent?"

Not likely until Saturday's event.

In between sessions, the dancers were also treated to workshops with Ian Klein, an in-demand performer often featured in music performances by R&B and rap acts, and Eric Bourne, currently with the Parsons Dance Co., as well as Girouard.

"There are six-year-olds in there right now working with a principal (dancer from a major dance company)," Girouard, a former member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Co. and Broadway choreographer recently named Dance Teacher of the Month by an "Dance Teacher Monthly," said. "It's just an amazing experience for these kids that they won't get anywhere else." 

Premiere Dance was able to host the first Quest Intensive, thanks to instructor Lisa Burton's friendship with Girouard dating back to their college days.

"I'd kept in touch with him through Facebook, and I knew what he had been doing," she said. 

When studio Director Michelle Cunningham and other teachers began discussing having a special program—and specifically wanted to bring in male dancers to provide a different perspective for the classes—Burton knew just who to suggest.

The students participating ranged from six-years-of age to 17, beginners to experienced dancers. For some, the event was too important to miss—several came as quickly as possible after completing their rigorous PSAT tests.

"There are quite a few students who are missing their Homecoming dance tonight to be here," Cunningham added.

Students in the classes were sharply focused on learning as much as possible, with the instructors pushing just hard enough to keep it challenging, without losing them in frustration. Most clearly enjoyed the chance to work with top-notch professionals.

"It was a great opportunity for dancers who are interested in having a career in dance," HHS senior Natalie Stys, a 12-year student at Premiere Dance and participant in the Somerset County Vocational High School's Gifted and Talented Dance Program, said.  "We got to work with a principle dancer from Parsons—one of the top dance companies in the country right now.  We learned a lot of great information about the audition process."

It's hard to say whether any of the dancers will develop professional careers, or if the face of this year's K-Mart Christmas ads is from Hillsborough—but the program certainly put them a few steps closer than others.


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