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"You have something special here." Both MC and Judge Ben Cameron and Shonica Gooden from OnStage Dance New York approached us as we were waiting to see if they could find our USB drive at the end of the weekend. They asked us what we were doing with our dancers and congratulating us on our approach to this art form.
They both commented on the diversity that we showcase in our dancers and our way of working with them that brings out their own personal artistry, style, and stories, and that none of the choreography looked the same. They could tell that we work with them on a very individual level and with great care from the intermediate performer to the advanced. We shared with them our focus on technique and artistry in the classroom, our rehearsal process, our pre-professional program, our commitment to philanthropy, and our dedication to each dancer as a human.
It was wonderful to be able to share our story with them and honor our accomplishments with pride while speaking about our commitment to dance as a way to heal, to express, to perform. They were surprised that this is merely our second season as our mark has been clearly made on each student already, and though we uphold each dancer as an important individual, we have connected to each in a way that creates a continuity in our mission as a company. They beamed outwardly about how special our students were and we beamed internally with pride.
Needless to say, we left this weekend feeling full. We left with a sense that we were clearly seen. Our statement was made and our mark was felt. We are even more excited now after this weekend to see our Advanced Company groups, duets, and soloists that didn't perform take the stage and to see how our Youth Company has grown. We are so proud of everyone and how they shared themselves. We watched our older dancers taking care of our younger dancers, we watched them continually congratulating other studios on their performances, we watched them humbly take the stage, and we watched them graciously accept their awards. We are grateful for this experience and we are grateful for our Momentum families!
