Ready to dance until you drop with world-renowned artists? 24 Seven Dance is gearing up for their next convention, touring 22 cities throughout the United States. Each city provides participants with various workshops AND competitions. Excited to begin their 5th touring season coming this fall, Director Danny Wallace says “We offer an experienced and nurturing faculty, educational and innovative class concepts, and above all, a genuinely fun learning environment where all students are welcome. It is our mission to ensure that all dancers are learning and growing over the weekend.” Perfect for the dancer who lives, breathes and eats dance, this convention instills technique, passion, and artistry. The staff administering the event is organized, efficient, timely and professional. Needless to say, no time is wasted.
Chances are, they will visit a city near you
24 Seven Dance wants to share their love for dance all across the U.S., so they will visit every region, stopping in the major cities. One place they’re visiting is the beautifully constructed, wonderfully located San Diego Convention Center. If this happens to be where you’re competing, plan your visit with this San Diego city guide. For a full list of their events by month, check out the end of the article.
Keep some money in your pocket with free admission
Yes, you read that correctly, admission to the competition and closing show is FREE! The costs for putting a dancer through a program like this can add up quickly, yet with admission costs being $0.00, there is no reason why family and friends can’t see hours of hard work payoff on stage. This is not something conventions usually do for their guests, so take advantage of it while you can!
Live stream the event from home
Although admission to the competition and closing show is free, 24 Seven Dance understands that not everyone who wants to go can attend, so they will be offering a live webcast of these events (also free!). In addition to being able to watch from home or work, you can see the results online within one day after the event.
For a dance dad who could not attend, the services 24 Seven Dance provided made it seem like he was there. On dancemom.com’s blog, he wrote “they webcast the competition, which allowed me to watch, in some of the highest quality video I have seen from other competitions. Next, they posted results on their website the Sunday evening that the convention closed (competition ended Saturday night). To me, this is unheard of. I have waited weeks or months in the past with other competitions to see posted results.” So don’t sweat it if you can’t make it, 24 Seven has you covered.
Receive over 10 hours of professionally taught workshops
Unlike other conventions that focus on the competition or classes, 24 Seven Dance offers both! The workshops are available for all age groups and levels of experience, with the goal of educating and inspiring the next generation of professional performers. Taught by some of the best dancers and choreographers in the industry, the workshops are worth every minute. There are 10 styles of dance the classes will focus on, giving dancers the chance to learn some moves outside of their comfort zone, and broaden their skill level.
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A top-notch faculty of world-renowned dancers
It’s not every day an opportunity arises to dance alongside and receive feedback from big wigs in the industry. Some conventions don’t even have a faculty of dancers, but rather a panel of judges flown in for the weekend. Check out some of these bios and learn what to expect from these professionals…
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- Director Danny Wallace– Beginning his dancer career at the young age of 18 at the Los Vegas company of Tap Dogs, Wallace strives to keep the art of dance alive and well –particularly tap. His work takes him all over the globe, including performances in Germany, Paris and Asia. Companies like Coca Cola and Audi utilize Wallace’s skills to help promote their products in industrials. Aside from working with 24 Seven, a current project of his called TAP the MAP, involves driving around the country with two friends, visiting studios to teach young performers the art of tap.
- Stephen Boss- AKA tWitch– This choreographer is a Montgomery, Alabama native, known for his freestyle hip hop. He received the nickname during childhood because of his continuous popping and ticking motions, resulting in the incapability to sit still. tWitch is commonly known for his as appearance on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance, where he rose to the top of the group and became the runner-up. Since then, the hip hop dancer won an Emmy in 2011 for his performance with Alex Wong, “Get Outta Your Mind” and works on The Board of Directors for the Dizzy Feet Foundation. This foundation works with underprivileged groups across the U.S., with hopes that dance education can improve their day-to-day lives and instill confidence.
- Sonya Tayeh– The So You Think You Can Dance choreographer was born in New York, and graduated from Wayne State University’s Fine Arts program, which ranked in the top 100 Best Fine Arts Programs for 2016, according to U.S. News. Since then, Tayeh’s choreography for jazz and contemporary dance has received worldwide recognition. In 2011 she choreographed Miley Cyrus’ 2011-2012 world Tour, as well as a number of other tours for artists like Florence and the Machine.
Unique method for age division
Age divisions for 24 Seven Dance are based on the average age of a group. To get this number, add all the ages together and divide by the number of dancers in the entry. Sounds easy, right? Here is the tricky part– the average age of each entry cannot drop more than one age division below the age of the oldest dancer in the entry, regardless of the actual average age. Explained simply, if the oldest dancer is 17 but the age range is 9 to 17, the group may not compete younger than 13 to 15 age categories. However, dance studio may age up higher than the average age.
“Special award” offerings
While there are some of the typical placement awards, this convention offers a few not seen quite often. These awards include the 11 O’clock Number and the Well-Rounded Studio Award. For the 11 0’ Clock Number, the judges select a few individuals ranging in age, to include in this special dance number and perform in the Closing Show. For centuries, the 11 0’ Clock number has been considered the most captivating and stand out performance in a musical. The name for this memorable performance originated when musicals began later in the evening, causing this particular dance number to begin at 11:00pm, hence the name. Please note only Group, Line, Extended Line, and Production entries are considered for this special performance.
Another unique award is the Well- Rounded Studio Award. As the name implies, this award is for studios excelling in multiple dance styles. The medal and a $250 competition voucher goes to the studio that best embraces dance diversity and growth. This is 24 Seven Dance’s way of encouraging various skills, so if you have them, here is your chance to shine.
Dedicated to providing the ultimate package, 24 Seven makes it a point to host the conventions in a fun, supportive environment, giving dancers confidence in and out of the dance world. The impressive technical skill of the staff not only makes for an excellent learning experience, but an experience to remember. With flexible age and dance level limits and 10 types of performance divisions, participants get the opportunity to work with and learn from dancers of all back grounds and techniques. With 22 cities to choose from, do not miss out on this opportunity to live and breathe dance.
24 Seven Dance Convention Tour Dates:
October
24 Seven Dance – Knoxville – Knoxville Convention Center – Knoxville, TN
24 Seven Dance – San Diego – San Diego Convention Center – San Diego, CA
November
24 Seven Dance – Chicago – Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel – Chicago, IL
24 Seven Dance – Reno – Reno-Sparks Convention Center – Reno, NV
24 Seven Dance – San Antonio – Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa – San Antonio, TX
December
24 Seven Dance – Birmingham – Sheraton Birmingham Hotel – Birmingham, IL
24 Seven Dance – Kansas City – Kansas City Convention Center – Kansas City, MO
January
24 Seven Dance – Rochester – Rochester Riverside Convention Center – Rochester, NY
24 Seven Dance – Provo – Utah Valley Convention Center – Provo, UT
24 Seven Dance – Meadowlands – Hilton Meadowlands – Meadowlands, NJ
24 Seven Dance – Denver – Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center – Denver, CO
February
24 Seven Dance – New Orleans – Hyatt Regency New Orleans – New Orleans, LA
24 Seven Dance – Los Angeles – Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport – Los Angeles, LA
24 Seven Dance – Billings – Radisson Hotel Billings – Billings, MT
March
24 Seven Dance – Detroit – Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center – Detroit, MI
24 Seven Dance – Pittsburgh – Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown – Pittsburgh, PA
24 Seven Dance – Tysons Corner – Sheraton Tysons Hotel – Tysons Corner, VA
24 Seven Dance – Glendale – Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa – Glendale, AZ
April
24 Seven Dance – Atlanta – Sheraton Atlanta Hotel – Atlanta, GA
24 Seven Dance – Bellevue – Hilton Bellevue – Bellevue, WA
24 Seven Dance – Houston – The Westin Galleria Houston – Houston, TX
May
24 Seven Dance – Dallas – Hyatt Regency Dallas – Dallas TX
24 Seven Dance – Orlando – Hyatt Regency Orlando – Orlando, FL
24 Seven Dance – Santa Clara – Hyatt Regency Santa Clara – Santa Clara, CA
**For updated tournament scheduling information, please visit 24 Seven Dance Convention