Tiffany’s Dance Academy wins four prestigious awards at the New York City Dance Alliance convention in San Jose, CA
LIVERMORE, Calif. - April 12, 2001- Tiffany’s Dance Academy (TDA), a six-month old dance school, announced today that four prestigious awards were handed to the up and coming dance school by New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) founder Joe Lanteri over the April 7 & 8 weekend. The awards are the “Critics Choice Award”, “High Score Group”, “Overall High Score”, and “Backstage Award”. While no other Livermore area dance studios competed, there were over 75 Bay Area studios represented at the NYCDA convention.
Three awards were given for a jazz dance titled “Proud Mary”, in which four young dancers, Nicole Baker, Crystina Robinette, Amanda and Ashlie Stapp, exhibited flawless technique and overwhelming personality as they danced to the up tempo music of Tina Turner. Tiffany’s Dance Academy Owner and Director, Tiffany Henderson choreographed “Proud Mary”.
The “Critics Choice Award” winner, given to one Junior Entry selected from over 100 dances, was awarded a free trip to New York for the NYCDA Nationals and two NYCDA Regional Convention scholarships. They were also presented with a special plaque of achievement and a one-year subscription to Dance Magazine.
Tiffany Henderson said, “I am so proud of the kids. They have really only known this dance since January and they worked so hard to get ready for some of the toughest judges in the country. Of the 102 entries in the junior competition, “Proud Mary” took home four top awards. It’s really incredible. They are very talented dancers.”
“Proud Mary” also received the award for “High Score Group” and “Overall High Score”. This award is given to the entry of 4-9 dancers who receive the highest score for choreography, technique, performance, and costume.
A very special “Backstage Award” for their professionalism and encouragement of competing dancers was also awarded to Tiffany’s Dance Academy. Joe Lanteri said, “Of all the awards we have given, the Backstage Award should be considered the most important.”
Tiffany says “winning isn’t everything, especially in a subjective art form like dance, but it sure feels good to be rewarded for sticking to our belief that technique, training, and most of all…fun, are the most important parts of what we do at TDA. The judges at NYCDA consist of professional dancers who have experienced a great deal of success in their dance careers. It feels really good to be recognized by real dancers that have really done incredible things in their own lives. The kids are excited and the kids’ parents are simply beside themselves. Actually, I am almost more proud of the Backstage Award the kids won because that confirms that we’ve been teaching our kids how to behave professionally and to support all the dancers from all the studios.”
About Tiffany’s Dance Academy
Tiffany’s Dance Academy is a dance studio founded in October 2000. TDA emphasizes excellent training in Classical Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Hip-Hop. Tiffany Henderson, owner/director graduated from the University of Arizona, Magna cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 1998. She has performed professionally with the Arizona Jazz Dance Ensemble at the Kennedy Center, in Washington D.C. She has also performed as far away as Amsterdam, and Japan. She currently performs bi-annually with the professional jazz dance company, LAJAZDANZ! in Shreveport, Louisiana-the birthplace of modern jazz dance.. TDA’s goal is to provide professional, fun training in all the disciplines of dance. To that end, TDA has only hired the very best teachers. The Ballet School director is Laura Sefchovich of Western Ballet. The Tap Director is Anthony Locascio of “Tap Dog” fame, and the Hip-Hop Director is Kory Watkins of Oakland’s famed KATO group. The combination of excellent instructors, reasonable rates and high-quality facilities located at 1515 North Vasco Road, and 4046 East Avenue in Livermore have led to a very large student base approaching 300 dancers in less than 6 months of operation. Contact 925-447-5299 for registration information.
