DANCIN DOWNTOWN AT THE JOYCE RAISES $26,955!!!

Dancin Downtown at The Joyce was a huge fundraising success! On April 20, 2009 over 160 dancers competed in a choreography competition at the famous Joyce Theater in the quaint New York City neighborhood of Chelsea. In order to participate, dancers paid an entry fee, a participation fee and sold tickets. All proceeds benefited Dancers Responding to AIDS. The Joyce is known around the world as one of the most prestigious places for a dance company to perform. The young dancers who competed in The Finale had already been through a selection process and the top 19 dances were in the running for “The Joyce Choreography Award” and “Best Presentation.” The competition was intense, but the outstanding group of judges were well equipped to make the final decision. The panel included Joe Lanteri, Director and Founder New York City Dance Alliance; Pam Chancey, Director of The Pulse Tour; Martin Wechsler, Director of Programming The Joyce Theater; Jennifer Muller, Artistic Director of Muller l The Works; Rob Ashford, Tony ® Award-winning Choreographer; Lucille DiCampli, Director of MacDonald Selznick Agency; Christopher Freer, Director of Clear Talent Group; Katie Langan, Dean of Dance, Marymount Manhattan College; Joe Tremaine, Founder and Director of Tremaine Dance Conventions .

In the end, the award for “Best Presentation” went to East Coast Movement’s “The Game of Life”, choreographed by Emily Shock. This piece was praised for the outstanding performances by the dancers and their commitment to clear story-telling through their movement. “The Joyce Choreography Award” was given to Denise Wall’s Dance Energy’s “It’s Going to be a Long Walk”, choreographed by Travis Wall. Travis’ choreography was honored for communicating solitude with chaos while showcasing the amazing artistic and technical ability of those on stage. Along with these two special awards, stand out dancers received scholarships to The Pulse, Tremaine Dance Convention, New York City Dance Alliance and Jennifer Muller l The Works summer intensive.

The energy backstage was very indicative of the honor each performer felt in sharing this phenomenal performance space for a terrific cause!