Young dancers to compete at Geneva's State Street studios
The movie "Center Stage" details the life and times, the triumphs and heartbreaks, of dancers attempting to earn a coveted spot in a prestigious New York City dance company.
On Sunday in Geneva, it will be a bit like "Center Stage" coming to life, as young dancers ages 10 to 18 have the chance to learn from and dance with professionals, and compete for prizes, too. In fact, one lucky dancer will get to spend a day with the company.
It's the second annual "So You Wanna Dance" fundraiser, featuring Chicago's NoMi LaMad Dance, Inc.
"So You Wanna Dance" will be at State Street Dance Studio, 9 N. Fourth St., Geneva. Registration begins at 10 a.m. for junior dancers (ages 10 to 12) and at 10:30 a.m. for those in the "teen" (ages 13 to 15) and the "seniors" (dancers ages 16 to 18) categories. Senior dancers should bring 30 seconds of solo music in their style.
Cost to compete is $25. Tickets for the performance only and for audience members to vote for their favorite dancers are $5. Part of the proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
Dancers will spend the day learning and performing choreography from NoMi LaMad's most recent concert, "VIP Only." The dancers will have classes in ballet, ballroom and company repertoire, taught by the company's own artistic staff and company members. Both the ballet and ballroom classes will be adjudicated, and the day will end with a competition in the company repertoire where audience votes will count.
"It's kind of a day camp for dancers," explained Linda Cunningham, founder and artistic director of State Street Dance Studio, and a member of the NoMi LaMad board.
"It's a chance to learn actual rep from a professional company by a professional company and then be judged. That's a good learning curve.
"Then they perform their section of the pieces before a live audience. That's exciting. It's all good and it's all part of what we dancers do in this wonderful artistic world."
Because of the judging, it's also an excellent experience. For those dancers who ever want to audition to be part of a company, Sunday's experience will be a good preview of what it's like to go through the process, Cunningham said. "It's a good education, good experience - and it's fun."
Judges as well as the voting audience members will choose the winners. Prizes will be awarded to the top dancers in each age division.
The grand prize, which goes to a senior contestant, is a dancer's dream come true: the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a NoMi LaMad dancer.
Last year's winner, Natalie Seidel, a 2008 Geneva High School graduate, got to perform in a NoMi LaMad's concert in Chicago. In fact she even had a solo.
"It was really cool," said Seidel from the University of Minnesota where she is a freshman majoring in dance and advertising.
She had time with the dancers in rehearsals, during the day of the performance and backstage and in the dressing rooms during the performance.
"I kind of got to see what it's like being in a company, and being in a company in downtown Chicago," she said. "It was a really good experience."
She hopes to dance professionally after college, and is also interested in a career involving the arts and advertising.
NoMi LaMad will also perform at 4:30, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Sunday.
"They do everything from ballet pointe work, to modern, to jazz, to ballroom," Cunningham said. "It's a very eclectic athletic group, very well rounded."
NoMi is in partial residence at State Street, dancing in Geneva from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Monday.
"Anyone who wants to can come and watch them in rehearsal," Cunningham said, adding, "We are honored to have NoMi in partial residence here."
For information, call State Street Dance Studio at (630) 232-0444. Visit www.nomilamaddance.com for more information about the company.