The distance from Plattsburgh to New York City is about a five-hour drive. For 16 dancers at Empire Dance Company, the experience for them outweighed the travel time. The group took their talents to Broadway in “Dance the World,” a competition for youth dancers to showcase their moves at several city landmarks like Times Square and the Minskoff Theatre. At the same time, they got to take lessons from celebrities like Hamilton’s Gabriella Sorrentino and High School Musical’s Corbin Bleu. “It was very different,” Aubree Narducci, an Empire Dance Company dancer said. “Especially with the styles of dance we are used to, but it was a really cool experience to do.”They also picked up on the importance of matching the emotion to the performance on the dance floor. “You should dance with more passion,” Claire Keever, another Empire Dance Company dancer said. “Don’t just show it in your body, show it in your face.”Bleu had a tap dance lesson from which the girls gained a lot of knowledge. He’s someone they enjoyed as a mentor and a person. “He was super kind, and we learned a lot from him.” Georgia Lunan, another dancer said. Stephanie Miller, the owner and lead instructor at Empire Dance Company, alongside her partner Sam Heckman took the heavy lifting to help plan the trip. She’s glad that her girls were able to gain valuable lessons from the professionals. “Someone whose had the experience of performing on Broadway, someone that can inspire them and teach them something that I can’t teach them,” Miller said. “I was really proud that they were able to do that.”Miller credits Heckman for all her work to help the girls make the trip. She took the lead as the trip’s director including organizing fundraisers, practices and co-choreographing the team’s Broadway stage routine. “I’m really grateful that she was able to spend the time with these guys organizing everything,” Miller said. “We did a bottled drive, selling cookie dough, they sold raffle tickets, anything they could do to raise money. Sam was the organizer of all of that.”Another cool part of the experience was even waiting just to get on the dance floor, and see what a professional theatre had to offer backstage. All the sights were hard for them to take their eyes off of. “To be backstage and have the Lion King props for the show they were going to perform later that night was pretty incredible,” McCalie Narducci, another dancer said.It was hard for some of the moms to hide their jealousy of their kids’ success, but at the end of the day, they’re happy to see what they were able to be a part of. “A little envious,” Marie Blatchley, a mom of one of the dancers said. “At the same time, you always want to have your kids have all these great opportunities … I wish I could have met Corbin Bleu and some of the other people, but she got to do it, so that’s all that matters.”“I know the highlight for my daughter was meeting Gabby Sorrentino,” Joy Borrette, another mom added. “My daughter is a Broadway fanatic, so just hearing speak about that and how that got to fulfill her dreams at 11 years old is a highlight of a mom’s life.”They received a trophy for competing. It was not a trophy for a first-place finish, but rather a trophy that symbolizes a memory they will cherish. “It was a lifetime experience,” Keever said. “I’m sure none of us will forget.”
The distance from Plattsburgh to New York City is about a five-hour drive. For 16 dancers at Empire Dance Company, the experience for them outweighed the travel time.
The group took their talents to Broadway in “Dance the World,” a competition for youth dancers to showcase their moves at several city landmarks like Times Square and the Minskoff Theatre. At the same time, they got to take lessons from celebrities like Hamilton’s Gabriella Sorrentino and High School Musical’s Corbin Bleu.
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“It was very different,” Aubree Narducci, an Empire Dance Company dancer said. “Especially with the styles of dance we are used to, but it was a really cool experience to do.”
They also picked up on the importance of matching the emotion to the performance on the dance floor.
“You should dance with more passion,” Claire Keever, another Empire Dance Company dancer said. “Don’t just show it in your body, show it in your face.”
Bleu had a tap dance lesson from which the girls gained a lot of knowledge. He’s someone they enjoyed as a mentor and a person.
“He was super kind, and we learned a lot from him.” Georgia Lunan, another dancer said.
Stephanie Miller, the owner and lead instructor at Empire Dance Company, alongside her partner Sam Heckman took the heavy lifting to help plan the trip. She’s glad that her girls were able to gain valuable lessons from the professionals.
“Someone whose had the experience of performing on Broadway, someone that can inspire them and teach them something that I can’t teach them,” Miller said. “I was really proud that they were able to do that.”
Miller credits Heckman for all her work to help the girls make the trip. She took the lead as the trip’s director including organizing fundraisers, practices and co-choreographing the team’s Broadway stage routine.
“I’m really grateful that she was able to spend the time with these guys organizing everything,” Miller said. “We did a bottled drive, selling cookie dough, they sold raffle tickets, anything they could do to raise money. Sam was the organizer of all of that.”
Another cool part of the experience was even waiting just to get on the dance floor, and see what a professional theatre had to offer backstage. All the sights were hard for them to take their eyes off of.
“To be backstage and have the Lion King props for the show they were going to perform later that night was pretty incredible,” McCalie Narducci, another dancer said.
It was hard for some of the moms to hide their jealousy of their kids’ success, but at the end of the day, they’re happy to see what they were able to be a part of.
“A little envious,” Marie Blatchley, a mom of one of the dancers said. “At the same time, you always want to have your kids have all these great opportunities … I wish I could have met Corbin Bleu and some of the other people, but she got to do it, so that’s all that matters.”
“I know the highlight for my daughter was meeting Gabby Sorrentino,” Joy Borrette, another mom added. “My daughter is a Broadway fanatic, so just hearing speak about that and how that got to fulfill her dreams at 11 years old is a highlight of a mom’s life.”
They received a trophy for competing. It was not a trophy for a first-place finish, but rather a trophy that symbolizes a memory they will cherish.
“It was a lifetime experience,” Keever said. “I’m sure none of us will forget.”
