Announcing Lauren Froderman!!

Turn It Up Dance Challenge is excited to announce one of our Master Teachers at our Nationals this summer!  America's Favorite Dancer, Lauren Froderman, the Winner of Season 7 of the hit show So You Think You Can Dance, will be teaching at our Cape Cod Nationals the weekend of June 27-July 1, 2012.

Here are a few fun facts about Lauren!!

• She began dancing when she was only 3 years old!
• Lauren performed with the Phoenix Rockettes at the young age of ten! 
• She won SYTYCD at 18, just after graduating high school!
• She was a the face of Gatorade as a part of her award for winning the show!

We look forward to having Lauren share her talents with all of the dancers of Turn It Up Dance Challenge!

Keep Posted...we will be announcing more Master Teachers soon!!

*Master Teachers are subject to change.

Dance Conventions Coming Up!

Don't miss out on the best of the best dance convention around! We only have one month until the first convention on November 13 in Hanover NJ...followed by three others throughout the fall and winter! See Dates & Locations below!!

The deadline is 2 weeks before each event and space is filling up.
See our AMAZING faculty lineup...including stars from the hit show So You Think You Can Dance!  Get excited and SEE YOU THERE!

Email lora.b@turnitupdance.com or call 617-283-8811 for info today!!

Another SYTYCD Star Scheduled for Conventions!

Announcing another SYTYCD star to teach at our conventions this fall!  You might recognize ASHLEY GALVAN of Season 7! See below for other credits...she is an amazing dancer and teacher!

-  “SYTYCD” National Dance Tour 2010

- Dance Appearance on “Dancing with The Stars”

- Dance Spots on Nick Jr’s “Fresh beat Band”

-  Dance appearance on Fox’s “GLEE”

-  Off Broadway musical “Wonderland – Alices New Adventure”

- Back up dancer on 2009 Diva’s Live TV Show

-  Fame (2009)

- Nickelodeon’s Dance on Sunset (2008)

-  KiKi Palmer’s dance video

-  A coveted spot in Dance Revolution

-  Bratz Princess commercial

-  K-mart commercial

-  America’s Most Talented Kids

Email Lora.b@turnitupdance.com for more information and entry forms! Or call us at 617-283-8811! Sign up TODAY! Space will fill up fast!!

Katee Shean will be Turning It Up at Conventions!

Please join us in welcoming Katee Shean to the Turn It Up Dance Convention Team!

Learn more about Katee:

Katee Shean was voted America’s top female dancer on season four of Fox’s TV series “So You Think You Can Dance” and completed a nationwide tour with the show.  She began her training at the age of four with Atlas School of Dance in San Jose and Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area.  She has danced in various stage, television, and film projects such as Step Up 3D, Leading Ladies, Glee, Drop Dead Diva, Fresh Beat Band, 82^nd Academy Awards, 61^st Emmy Awards, People’s Choice Awards, Ellen, Jenifer Lopez stage performances, Bonnie Hunt Show, Disney’s Hannah Montana promo video and music video, Toshiba and Liv Dolls commercials,  and Paris by Night.  She has also been the spokesmodel for Capezio and Discount Dance supply, and has just released her own line of make-up with Cliché Cosmetics.

Katee is dedicated to sharing not only the art of dance but the joy in performing and following your dreams.  She is pursuing a double major in child development and dance at Chapman University along with pursuing her own dance goals.  She understands the meaning of hard work and dedication to a craft and enjoys teaching and performing. Katee takes pride in being able to relate to the students and paying attention to what each dancer needs individually in order to get the most out of every class. She has taught master classes throughout the U.S. and Canada and is enthusiastic about being able to help young dancers as a positive female role-model.  

**Email lora.b@turnitupdance.com for more information and entry forms!

Jacob Karr to teach this fall!

We are so excited to announce that Jacob Karr from the hit show So You Think You Can Dance (Season 6 First Runner Up!) will be a Master Teacher at Turn It Up Dance Conventions this fall!  Jakob is originally from Windermere, FL. His credits in addition to SYTYCD include "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The 82nd Annual Academy Awards". We are so happy to have him added on to our All Star faculty!  

Don't wait...sign up today!!  Email Lora.b@turnitupdance.com for entry forms. Keep posted we will be announcing more teachers soon!!

Nationals 2011!!

Thanks to all of the studios that attended Nationals 2011 on Cape Cod helping us to complete another successful season!

The weekend was jam packed with FUN and EXCITEMENT!  We started the weekend off with Dance Team practice, including a warm-up sponsored by Flexistretcher and Master Teachers Peter Sabasino from the show So You Think You Can Dance and Sarah-Katarina Skooj Core-o Jerome of MTV's Static Noyze.

Moving onto Preliminary Competition and Nationals competition, with breaks for a Pizza Dance Party, Dance Team performances, and Master Classes!  Our Master Teachers included more alum from So You Think You Can Dance, in addition to Peter, tWitch, Kent Boyd, and Allison Holker were there as well!  We hope you all enjoyed the classes and competition.

Our staff had a great time with you all and are looking forward to starting the new season with Conventions in the fall and Competitions in the winter!

Shine at Nationals!

How to dance towards success at nationals this summer - Melissa Burns, President/Director of Turn It Up Dance Challenge, answered these questions to be featured in Danceinforma.  Visit their site here.

How can dance troupes best prepare for Nationals?  I think it is important to break down your routines starting from the beginning and fine tune your choreography.  All too often I hear of studios that continuously play thier song and keep reviewing their dances. This enables the same exact misktakes to be done over and over again. Make sure to break bad habits one step at a time from the beginning of your routine. This will help you get the precision that judges look for. 
What are the judges looking for? Many times I hear my judges say "that routine was very nice because it was DIFFERENT from the rest" . If choreographers and dancers can put themselves in the shoes of the judges they will realize that judges see many of the same styles, songs and even choreography throughout the year. Judges appreciate routines that stand out whether it is a great costume, a unique lift, or an unexpected twist on the theme of a dance.
What advice would you give to competing dance groups and soloists? I would say it is important to give 120% during practice time.  Work your hardest and feel like you are on stage every time you practice your routines. That way your body will already know what to do and you can enjoy yourselves on the day of competition. You will not have to worry about practicing in the hall or backstage because you will already know your routines perfectly. You will be able to wish others good luck and cheer on your friends! That is what is the most fun about competition.
What advice would you give to teachers and choreographers? Teachers and Choreographers may want to enhance choreography now that routines have been perfected. Maybe add in one thing that would help thier routine stand out from all the rest of the routines at nationals.