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Another Danz Attack in the Books
Rugcutterz Danz Artz was definitely rockin’ during the annual Danz Attack Workshop as about 120 dancers came out to learn from some of North America’s top performers and choreographers, Aug. 19-22.
“I thought the workshop was awsome! It was one of the best workshops I’ve been to,” said Company D dancer Victoria Sousa. “I can’t wait till next year’s workshop,” she added.
The workshop featured a number of guest teachers from across North America, including Jason Williams, who just finished filming High School Musical 3 and who was a previous contestest on the FOX hit show “So You Think You Can Dance?”
“I really liked Jason Williams’ classes. They were a lot of fun and I think I got a lot out of it. His music was upbeat and I enjoyed his high-energy choreography,” said 12-year-old Lauren Gaudio.
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More than 20 dancers from the new Rugcutterz location in Sault Ste. Marie also had the opportunity to attend the four-day workshop.
Grade 9 student Ross Aitken of the Soo, said the workshop “was a lot of fun and the teachers were amazing.” His favourite teachers of the week included Gina Starbuck and Nick Gonzalez. “His class was so much fun.”
Daniel Zanetti, from Company D also agreed. “I thought the workshop was amazing! It was a lot of fun and the teachers were amazing! The teachers that stood out for me were Jason Williams because he had a different style of dance and it was energetic and fun. I also loved Gina Starbuck because she was like a rocker type dancer and once again great combos and of course Nick Gonzalez because his combo was awesome and he brings comedy to the class which is great.”
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Designed to be a warm-up to the upcoming competitive dance season, Danz Attack has become a yearly event and featured instruction in ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz funk.
According to Kim Barker, the Artistic Director at Rugcutterz, “The workshop is an incredible opportunity for serious dancers. It exposes them to people who are actively working in the industry and gives them a taste of the latest choreography.” Barker also said that she feels fortunate to be able to offer this program to her students as well as the dance community at large. Many smaller studios don’t have the resources to offer a program like this.”
“The workshop helped me improve in dance a lot. The teachers were all different from each other, but they were all amazing. It helped us meet new teachers and exposes us to different types of dance,” said Company D dancer Sarah Venturo.
Other teachers on hand during the week included Alison Mixon, a graduate of The Juilliard School, Harry Shum who has worked on many projects including Step Up 2: The Streets, Drift: Fast and the Furious Three, Sharks Tale as well as Stomp The Yard, Zoey 101, That’s So Raven and Boston Public, Lisa LaTouche a native of Calgary, and Amber Krupski: who has had the opportunity to work with director/photographer David LaChappelle, recording artist Mary J. Blige, and American Idol’s Tamyra Gray.
After working with the dancers for the week, some of the instructors offered some advice and personal insight into the professional world of dance. Nick Gonzalez told the dancers it was “important to work hard and always dance from your heart.”
The workshop was the perfect warm-up to the new dance season. Our competitive dancers will be showcasing their new-found skills during the 2008/09 season.
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