When people are asked to name dance hot spots they will most
likely say New York City, Los
Angeles and Chicago,
with a few cities in between…but dance is becoming more and more popular in Buffalo,
New York, and people should start taking
notice. After all, Buffalo is the hometown of dancers including Neil Haskell (So You Think You Can Dance, Bring it On: The Musical), Jacob Artist
(Glee), Tony Bellissimo (So You Think You Can Dance, Tremaine
Dance Convention), and Jae Fusz (Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha) to name a
few. Here are five things you should know about why Buffalo
is becoming a dance hot spot:
1.) The location: Buffalo
is two hours away from Toronto and
about eight hours away from New York City.
The location of Buffalo, which has
a very affordable cost of living, allows for dancers to be able to travel to a
big city, audition and come home in one day.
2.) LehrerDance: This Buffalo-based professional dance company was created
by Jon Lehrer in July 2007. In only five years, the company became an
internationally-touring company and performed in Europe
and Russia,
along with visits in cities all across America.
Their unique style and choreography keeps audiences at the edges of their
seats. They have come so far since 2007 and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead in
their future.
3.) Infinity Dance Project: With a professional dance company based in Buffalo,
it’s only fair to let young students get the chance to see what it’s like to be
a member of a professional company and if it’s something they would want to
pursue in their future. In 2007, Rebecca Guile-Wind and Tracy Navarro started
this pre-professional dance company for dancers ages 13-18 who were serious
about dance (one student was Jacob Artist, mentioned above). The company, which
now has a junior company level for younger dancers, meets once a week to learn
choreography and hear from guest speakers. In January, the dancers get the
chance to perform the pieces they have learned at the University at Buffalo.
It’s wonderful to see young dancers improve and dive further into their passion
for dance. Learn more by “liking” Infinity Dance Project, Inc. on Facebook.
4.) Battleat Buffalo: Freestyling at its
finest. The Battle at Buffalo
allows dancers to come together once a month to battle each other until a
winner is named. Don’t feel like dancing? Anyone is welcome to hang out and
cheer for their favorite dancers. Each summer, the battle makes its way to the
headquarters of New Era Caps downtown for a battle under the lights. This event
brings in people from all over, including other countries, who hope to win the
title. The Battle at Buffalo
is hosted by Verve Dance Studio.
5.) Dancers Give Back: My favorite part about dance in Buffalo
is this event that brings all of the dance studios together each fall to raise
money for cancer research. This day consists of performances, master classes,
games, crafts, auctions, raffles and fun. All of the proceeds benefit Roswell
Park Cancer Institute and the Jacquie for A.L.L. Foundation. Since its
inception six years ago, DGB has raised close to $200,000! Ida Saki, who has
been a guest teacher and performer at DBG the past three years, has teamed up
with DGB co-founder Ali Dietz and is bringing the event to her hometown, Dallas,
Texas. To see more cities put on their own
Dancers Give Back, forget about competition and focus on joining forces to help
find a cure for cancer would be amazing! Learn more about Dancers Give Back by
visiting their website.
These
are just five of many reasons why Buffalo
is a rising city in the dance world, and a unique one at that. Want to learn
more about dance in Buffalo? Plan
on visiting and want to know where to go? Contact me at lkirchmyer{at}verizon{dot}net.
About the Author
LaurenKirchmyer grew up taking dance classes in West Seneca,
New York, a suburb of Buffalo.
An avid writer, she attended Buffalo State College where she majored in
communication studies and received a minor in dance.
Kirchmyer’s
dance experience includes performing with the Classic Dance Company of Western
New York, Infinity Dance Project, Buffalo State College Dance
Theatre, Habit Dance Project and the Buffalo Bandettes Professional Dance Team.
She teaches dance at Steppin’ Out Dance Academy and is the choreographer for
West Seneca Youth Theatre.
When
she is not dancing, Kirchmyer is writing. She currently works for Metro Group,
Inc. and assists with her father’s communications company, Kirchmyer Media.
If you would like to reach out to Kirchmyer, send an email to lkirchmyer{at}verizon{dot}net.
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1 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing about dance in Buffalo, Lauren! I had no idea the arts community was so rich in your corner of the world and am glad you're getting the word out.
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