Picture it: You’re 12 years old, and your mom just dropped you off at your latest dance convention (one of six this year, including Nationals). The ballroom you’ll be dancing in is roughly 65,000 square feet—yet somehow it’s filled near bursting with a sea of talented young dancers in neon clothes who oscillate between deafening chatter and intense focus. In the next two days you will learn roughly seven different combinations, in seven unique genres, from seven different choreographers (each of whom you have spent your young life worshiping). Between classes you will compete in 10 numbers ..read more

A massive congratulations to the 21 promising dance artists who've been named YoungArts winners for 2022! These dancers—all between the ages of 15 and 18 and/or in grades 10 through 12—were selected for this honor through an anonymous adjudication process. Now, they'll get to spend the next week immersed in online classes and workshops, including a master class with West Side Story associate choreographer and Juilliard faculty member Patricia Delgado. As if that weren't enough, these dancers are also now eligible for nomination as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts—which, FYI, is a prett ..read more

Congratulations to Omarion Burke, our December Cover Model Search Editors' Choice video winner and 2022 CMS semi-finalist! Watch his solo below, and be sure to enter the Cover Model Search here. Omarion Burke is Your December Cover Model Search Editors' Choice Winner youtu.be ..read more

Chicago-based dancer, actor, singer and writer Meredith Aleigha Wells dreamed of a career in the arts from a young age, and landed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to pursue that dream. It was there, however, that Wells (who uses they/them pronouns) was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS,) a form of autonomic dysfunction, which ultimately required them to use a wheelchair. While a debilitating illness could have forced Wells to give up their performance aspirations entirely, instead, they say their disabilities have reinvigorated their craft and forced ..read more

Happy holidays! If you’re not performing in The Nutcracker, these few weeks off of school and normal dance classes are likely a welcome intermission in the middle of a very busy year. Dance Spirit has compiled a few suggestions for how you can maximize this breather and enter January rested and ready to go. Adjust your sleep schedule Between your school schedule, rehearsals, dance classes and performances, you’ve probably fallen into a less-than-optimal sleep schedule this semester. Take advantage of your time off from academics to get back on track. Your January self will thank you. Tie up ..read more

We're elated for our Cover Model Search winner, Iyanna Jackson—but we also love our two runners-up, Kayla Mak and Reed Henry! We chatted with Reed about what’s new since the last time we spoke to him. Hi, Reed! What have you been up to since your trip to NYC? I'm back at San Francisco Ballet School, and right now we're preparing to perform in SFB's Nutcracker. I'm a page and a mouse, and I'm also the dragon in “Chinese.” I'm excited to get back onstage for the first time since March of 2020. But mostly I'm working on variations for auditions. What was your favorite part of the Cover Model Se ..read more

We're thrilled for our Cover Model Search winner, Iyanna Jackson—but we also love our two runners-up, Kayla Mak and Reed Henry! We talked to Kayla about how life has changed since the last time we spoke with her. Hi, Kayla! What have you been up to since our Cover Model Search photo shoot in August? I’ve been super-busy dancing every day in my first year at Juilliard, and absolutely loving it! My class is small, just 22 dancers, and it’s a dream to be surrounded by so many supportive and talented people. Right now, we’re in the thick of rehearsals for a show called New Dances, and my class ..read more

When we asked Iyanna Jackson how she’d react if she won this year’s Cover Model Search, she told us to expect a tear or two of joy. Well, we sure hope she’s not crying all over her keyboard right now because we're super-thrilled to congratulate Iyanna as Dance Spirit’s 2021 Cover Model Search winner! Before she returned to her busy life at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, we caught up with Iyanna to get the scoop on what she’s been doing since our photo shoot, her goals for the upcoming year, and her favorite part about being in the contest. What have you been up to since we las ..read more

Jenna Johnson is fresh off a groundbreaking season of “Dancing with the Stars,” where her flawless technique, creative choreography, and sky-high confidence were on full display. Also in the spotlight? Her next-level rehearsal fashion made up of pieces from her very own line with Jo+Jax. The collaboration debuted this past summer with a dance-tastic runway show in Pleasant Grove, UT, surrounded by some of the state’s dance elite (think “DWTS” pros Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold and more). The partnership was a first for both parties, and they were each committed to bringing it to the world in ..read more

Congratulations to Xavier Logan, our November Cover Model Search Editors' Choice video winner and 2022 CMS semi-finalist! Watch his solo below, and be sure to enter the Cover Model Search here. Self Memoria (Xavier Logan) youtu.be ..read more