Upcoming Dates

Meet the Savannah Bananas’ Secret Weapon: Choreographer Maceo Harrison

Meet the Savannah Bananas’ Secret Weapon: Choreographer Maceo Harrison

By now, we’ve all experienced it: You’re scrolling Instagram or TikTok, and suddenly you see a group of baseball players, clad in bright yellow uniforms, grooving in unison. For a second you might wonder if it’s AI-generated, because it looks like too much fun. But it’s not AI. It is, in fact, the Savannah Bananas—the dancing baseball team that has become such a viral phenomenon it led to the creation of a whole new entertainment-forward baseball league, Banana Ball. The choreographer turning America’s pastime into viral dance moments is Maceo Harrison. Since joining the team in 2018, Harrison has brought […]

Teacher’s Choice: How Can Retailers Meet the Needs of Dance Educators?

What dance teachers wear can really set the tone for class. Not only does apparel play a major part in the functionality of the job, it also goes a long way towards inspiring and empowering new generations. A teacher can also influence the dancewear choices of their students through leading by example. Sharing wardrobe tips—like how to keep your tap shoes from causing blisters or what to wear to an audition to make you stand out—is all part of a dancer’s education. We spoke to four instructors from different dance styles about what they wear to class, why it works for […]

2025 Dance Teacher Award Honoree Roger Montoya Uplifts Students Through Mentorship

Roger Montoya believes teaching dance helps students gain lifelong skills centered in the creative development of the mind, body, and spirit. His organization, Moving Arts Española, serves the rural communities that make up his native northern New Mexico—areas hit particularly hard by the opioid crisis and where a large percentage of residents live in poverty. Through its facility located in the town of Española, Moving Arts offers classes spanning arts disciplines including dance, music, painting, gymnastics, sewing, and cooking, plus internships, community engagement, and, above all, personal investment in the success of the students.  “Mentorship is masterful,” Montoya says. “It’s […]

2025 Dance Teacher Award Honoree Sylvia Waters Has Inspired Early-Career Dancers to Tap Into their Humanity

When one thinks of the legendary dancer Sylvia Waters, excellence, poise, and artistry are among the first attributes that come to mind. But in the classroom, her heart, brilliance, and spirit are what have elevated and inspired thousands of dancers. Selected by Alvin Ailey himself to join Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and later to lead the newly formed Ailey II in 1974, Waters has helped to mentor and elevate countless dancers through the transition from student to professional, all the while shaping a junior company into a globally respected institution. Born and raised in New York City, Waters began […]

Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Dance Teacher Awards!

The Dance Teacher Awards provide an important opportunity to recognize dance educators who are making a mark in the field. Since the awards’ inception in 2003, the long list of honorees has grown to include luminaries like Judith Jamison, Jacques d’Amboise, Kay Mazzo and Risa Steinberg, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. This year, we’re excited to add four more names to that group. For 2025, our awards selection committee has chosen to honor: Lori Belilove, artistic director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, who trained as a dancer in Duncan’s direct lineage and is devoted to keeping Duncan’s legacy alive […]

2025 Dance Teacher Award Honoree Lori Belilove Uses Isadora Duncan’s Legacy to Engage Students’ Artistic Imaginations

“I love mistakes and confusion before we get to clarity and precision,” says dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher Lori Belilove. For her, the point of teaching dance is to “tap into the student’s artistic imagination.” Belilove is a direct heir of Isadora Duncan, whose students were Belilove’s teachers. Since 1989, she has been artistic director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Company (IDDC), the New York City–based resident performing troupe of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. Teaching and dancing are one and the same to Belilove. “I teach as an artist,” she says. “I’m a little bit like Isadora in that […]

2025 Dance Teacher Award Honoree Dianne Walker Has Devoted Her Life to Nurturing Tap’s Next Generations

“I’m kind of going to go off script for a minute,” Dianne Walker says within the first minute of our interview. With a chuckle, she adds, “Like I needed to preface that.” For a teacher who is as beloved worldwide for sharing stories as she is for sharing steps, it’s no surprise that she’s eager to begin with an anecdote about fellow Bostonian and renowned tap dancer Jimmy Slyde. “Sometimes, after a show, Slyde would look at me and say: ‘Thanks for taking the time,’ ” she remembers. “Every time someone ‘takes the time’ to acknowledge your contribution to something that’s […]

Catching Up With Comp Star Cameron Janson

Catching Up With Comp Star Cameron Janson

Cameron Janson has had a heck of a year. After winning Outstanding Dancer at New York City Dance Alliance and Dancer of the Year at Tremaine Dance Convention in 2024, the 18-year-old spent his weekends from November to May touring with both competitions across the U.S. On top of that, he’s been auditioning for professional gigs, and he just graduated high school. Janson, who grew up in metro Detroit, Michigan, started taking hip-hop at age 5 after he couldn’t sit still waiting for his sister to finish her own dance classes. “I immediately fell in love,” he says. After moving […]