Tag: competition dance

Big City Dance Center students. Courtesy Fruchey.

How to Balance a Busy Schedule of School, Dance and More

With virtual learning and Zoom training as not-so-distant memories, an academic year free of pandemic interruptions is an especially exciting prospect this fall. But as dancers stack their calendars with in-person classes, competitions and social commitments, they may be asking themselves: How much is too much? “Coming out of the pandemic, an unusual number of […]

Brady Farrar with Alejandro Valera Outlaw performing in Gemma Bond’s The Go Between.

Meet 3 Ballet Pros Who Started Out as Comp Kids

For decades, the worlds of ballet and commercial dance were considered separate and distinct, with little overlap between the two. This conventional wisdom has been challenged by the success of artists like Tiler Peck, who participated in competitions as a jazz dancer before joining New York City Ballet and becoming one of its stars. Ballet […]

5 Dancers Share What It's Really Like to Return to Competitions Right Now

For the first time since the coronavirus hit the U.S., competitions and conventions are meeting in-person once again (brimming with safety precautions, of course), and dancers couldn’t be more thrilled. We asked five standout comp kids about their recent experiences attending competitions around the country—and how they’re taking advantage of these long-lost opportunities. Hailey Bills […]

5 Standout Comp Kids You Should Be Following—Now

The competition world is filled with so many talented dancers that for one dancer to stand out, they need something special—not just legs up to their ears or seemingly never-ending turns, but something more. For many comp world standouts, it’s a certain, special confidence: The confidence in what they, and only they, can offer. Dance […]

Getting a Leg Up: How Growing Up as a Comp Kid Prepares You to Go Pro

Commercial dancer Kaitlynn Edgar was in Travis Wall’s class at NUVO when she realized that competitions and conventions could lead to big things. Like joining-Shaping-Sound big. “After class, Travis started asking me all these questions, like when I was graduating,” she recalls. “Everything fell into place, just because I happened to be a senior that […]

Pro Dance Companies Fit for Comp Royalty

For years, it was hard for competition dancers to find professional jobs that made full use of their technical polish, astonishing versatility, and onstage ease. But recently, some (smart) companies have begun recruiting comp kids, drawn to their adaptability and fearlessness. We’ve compiled a list of nine companies that are fit for comp queens and […]