UPSHAW AS A YOUNG COMP KID. COURTESY UPSHAW. When Kamille Upshaw arrived at The Juilliard School in 2007, she’d been a competition dancer for a decade. “There was still a bit of a stigma about competition dancers,” says Upshaw, who attended Baltimore School for the Arts and trained at Spotlight Studio of Dance in Millersville, Maryland. “We were seen as being all about legs and turns—and that wasn’t necessarily true! I had to fight against that stereotype. Yes, I can do the leg thing, but I also have something deeper to offer.” Casting directors agreed: Since graduation, Upshaw has performed i ..read more

As an educator and the founding director of Francisco Gella Dance Works, Francisco Gella has nearly 30 years of experience teaching at colleges, conservatories, studios, competitions, and conventions. Now, he is combining the best aspects of all these diverse environments in ROOTS Dance Summit. “I created ROOTS Dance Summit as a hybrid of sorts,” says Gella. “I want dancers to be able to have a competition opportunity, but also leave empowered with a better understanding of who they are as artists.” Grounded in “the six C’s” (community, classes, competition, critique, celebration, college/care ..read more

Growing up, Olivia Cece had big aspirations for her career, but Broadway wasn’t one of them. For one thing, she didn’t sing or act. In fact, she didn’t know anything about the world of musical theater. But when her shot at winning Season 11 of “So You Think You Can Dance” slipped through her fingers, her dance teacher Bette-Ann Rossi used the loss as a chance to light a new fire. “I know this is your dream, but I really think you’re going to be on Broadway someday,” said Rossi, whom dancers affectionately called “Miss Bette.” As it turns out, she was prophetic. Cece has gone on to have a thriv ..read more

I’m standing next to a counter in my basement, trying to take a virtual barre taught by New York City Ballet principal Indiana Woodward. But her gorgeously flowy port de bras are totally distracting me. I decide to take a quick break and just enjoy watching her for a couple of minutes before I rewind and actually do the pliés myself. This ability to both enjoy top-level dancing and get in a class is one of the most fun parts of Grace & Form, a new online ballet and fitness platform created by Woodward and dancer-turned-trainer Saskia Gregson-Williams. Despite their elite ped ..read more

In the summer of 2021, Hayoung Roh auditioned for the Knicks City Dancers on a whim—and made the cut. After a year with that team, she transitioned to the Brooklynettes Dancers, the official dance team for the Brooklyn Nets. She’s now in her second season dancing with Brooklynettes, and her first as co-captain. Roh’s dancing, whether onstage or on the court, radiates with sincerity and effervescence. She has tried everything from commercial jobs abroad (“Destiny,” MGM Cotai resort’s resident show in Macau), to backup dancing for Kylie Minogue, to dancing with Jessica Chen’s J CHEN PROJECT and ..read more

Social media offers an open lens into the lives of whoever is willing to share. This is especially enticing for aspiring dancers who are hungry to gain access into a professional’s routine—how they’re both achieving and navigating a career. But a dancer’s newsfeed isn’t just home to inspiring choreography and pirouette hacks. It can also include performers narrating everything they do in a day, including their cross-training routine and the foods that go along with it. While the intent behind “What I Eat in a Day” posts is often harmless, the reality is that they can lay the groundwork for a d ..read more

Last Friday, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia announced it would be shutting down as of June 7. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a steep drop in enrollment left the nearly 150-year-old school in such a deep financial crisis that the accrediting agency abruptly withdrew its charter.   Many students and faculty found out through the Inquirer’s coverage, and only got an email from the university an hour later. Lauryn Ruff, a rising junior in the dance program, says she thought it was a fake news piece at first.  “The way it went d ..read more

Mark your calendars: 25 to Watch Live is back! Artists from Dance Magazine‘s 2024 list of rising stars are coming together from across the dance world for this one-of-a-kind event—and you’re invited! Join us for an evening of performances and conversations at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City on Monday, July 29, at 6 pm. Slated to appear are ballet dancers Jindallae Bernard (Houston Ballet) and Yuval Cohen (Philadelphia Ballet); Broadway choreographer Karla Puno Garcia; contemporary artists Miguel Alejandro Castillo, Lucy Fandel, Sydnie L. Mosley, Donovan Re ..read more

Whether she’s in the studio—fearlessly flexible in a grand jété with her arms playfully thrown back—or onstage—fast and precise in her first lead role as The Nutcracker’s Lead Marzipan—Pacific Northwest Ballet corps dancer Destiny Wimpye glows. In Kiyon Ross’ new …throes of increasing wonder last season, she skittered across the floor, devouring the space. But more than dazzling leaps and quadruple pirouettes, it’s in her smaller movements, beautifully turned out, arms poised yet wondrously alive, that Wimpye shines onstage, exuding strength but also vulnerability. Company:&nbs ..read more

In 1989, CEO Shari Tomasiello and her mother created Headliners with a simple mission: that it would be an educationally based and goal-oriented competition, providing a fun and encouraging environment that’s inclusive of dancers of all sizes, levels, and abilities. As Headliners continues to expand—the 2025 tour boasts 33 regional competitions, two national competitions, and five conventions this fall—Tomasiello remains committed to that foundation, and to keeping the dancers at the center of it all. “We have always been about the kids,” she says. “This isn’t just a job for us ..read more