December News

Happy Holidays to all my dance friends!

As I look back on the year, I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had to meet and dance alongside some amazing and talented people. 2011 has been a great year for me and I am thankful to everyone I met for their energy and support.  Before I reflect on the new year, I have a few more things to share with you from the last two months.

In November, I was honoured to participate in "Conteur's" first-ever performance entitled "State of Mind". Video highlights are coming soon but if you want a sneak peek...please check out talented videographer Kody McWilliams link at: http://vimeo.com/32521873

I played 'mini' Melissa Mitro of 'SYTYCD' Canada fame in a piece called "La Force".  It was very athletic and it was danced by Melissa Mitro, Bianca Melchior and myself. It consisted of a series of flash-backs and flash-forwards with us dancing the same introductory choreography, representing Melissa in three stages of her life.

The whole Conteur cast are very talented, as is the creator and director Eryn Waltman. I feel so lucky to have met her this year and consider her a friend. I look forward to many years training under her guidance. Please check out her website at www.conteurdancecompany.com and at www.OIPdance.com to learn about her schedule of classes!


I also had the opportunity at the last ASH Tour City to interview Wes Veldink, Master Teacher, Dancer and Choreographer. Below is a facebook link to his production company "Calm & Sense Creations". You can like his page and stay tuned on everything related to his company!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Calm-Sense-Creations/112565525496835

Wes Veldink is a Contemporary teacher on faculty with ASH dance convention. He is a sought-after choreographer throughout the world and can be found teaching at Peridance, Steps and Broadway Dance Centre in New York.

I sat with Wes while at ASH Pittsburgh, where I am fortunate to be one of his ASH tour assistants. He kindly answered some questions for me:

M: How has the dance industry changed through the years?

W: With dance more mainstream and popular in the public eye I think young dancers have developed a narrow view of the dance industry.  Look beyond the commercial world and discover dance companies and dance on film.

M: What advice do you have for dancers?

W: Dance is a journey and a lifestyle.  Regard yourself as an artist.  Surround yourself with other artists that inspire and challenge you.  Don’t settle.

M: What qualities do you like in a dancer?

W: Imagination, empathy, passion, courage, the desire to evolve, express and share.

M: Who would you like to work with in the future?

W: I would like to work with Directors Pedro Almodovar, David Fincher and Spike Jones.  I would like to work with musicians Roisin Murphy and Bjork.

The most interesting and affirmative piece of advice I learned from Wes was during a Question and Answer session. He said: "You drive the car, no one else. It is your career and your life". I feel this advice is so pertinent as we approach 2012 with new goals and purpose in mind! I can't wait to see him at ASH Philly in two days!

This month, I participated in the Karpov Ballet Academy premiere production of "The Nutcracker". I danced as a doll, in a duet 'Chinese Dance' and played the Nutcracker. Congratulations to Ms. Anna and Mr. Vladimir on the opening of their studio!

Last but not least, I took a Master Class with Juliette Irons at Canada's National Ballet School. Video highlights are below...her combos are always quirky and fun! It was great to see my friends Maddy and Robert from JCSOD and Bailey from Kicks too!

Thank you to everyone who has followed my blog since its inception, for sharing your love of dance with me, and for the opportunities to learn and grow as a dancer and artist!  I look forward to 2012, sharing more of my experiences and things I've learned with you.

Special thanks to these individuals who impacted me in a special way: Wes, Eryn and Braham. To Irina, Teddy and Alison F for believing in me. And to my family for their constant love and support!! 

Happy New Year everyone...please join me in 2012 for more "Move it with Maddie"!

Fall 2011 - Everything ASH!

I am very proud to be an assistant on the 2011-2012 ASH Tour. The tour is in full gear and I recently travelled to Kansas City and Pittsburgh, two of the first cities on the Artist Simply Human tour.  I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Braham, the choreographers, assistants Lexi, Logan, Maycee, Montana, Dena'h and the mom posse! My mom is enjoying the tour as well...she takes part in Tovaris' Parents Hip Hop Class each weekend with the parents of the other ASH Assistants!!

I've posted lots of highlights below from the two workshops so be sure to check everything out. Please visit www.ashdance.com for more tour cities and news regarding their summer event "The Company". Up next is Philadelphia, PA December 27-30th with Braham, Dee, TOKYO, Wes, Christopher, Sascha, Jason, Lisette and Melanie! I hope to see some friends there...

I also had the opportunity to sit with Braham Crane and asked him why he founded ASH, the "Company" and who he would like to work with in the future:

Next month I'll be blogging about my opportunity to work with "Conteur Dance Company". Congratulations to Eryn Waltman, Choreographer, Creator and Director on her first production called "State of Mind"!! The three performances were amazing and it was great to see Conteur be supported by so many people in the dance community. A big thank you to Eryn for including me in her production!

In December, I'll be participating in the Karpov Ballet Academy performance of the Nutcracker December 20th at Markham Theatre! It's a Christmas classic and I can't wait to perform my first ballet duet. Tickets are available online through Markham Theatre if you live close by.

Thanks for checking my blog...happy dancing everyone! Can you tell I LOVE ASH!!!!

Fall 2011 Workshop & Convention Highlights

Hi Dance Friends!

The last three months have been very busy! Many conventions began their 2011-2012 tours and I was fortunate enough to attend a few conventions. I can't wait to share my dance journey since my last post!

First up was a Contemporary class with Juliette Irons at Ryerson University. I first met Juliette one year ago at IMPACT where she did my first-ever blog interview. It was a fun class and a quirky combo dancing to music by Bon Hiver + James Blake.

Next up was a Teddy Forance Master Class offered by Lindsay Ritter Dance Company at the National Ballet School. It was a very well-attended event and I was honored to dance alongside Teddy, Julia and Jeff. Check out the highlights compliments of Lindsay Ritter Dance (www.lindsayritterdance.com)



JUMP Toronto took place October 1-2nd and was the largest turnout in JUMP Toronto history with 1500+ dancers. Congratulations to JUMP on this milestone! It was a great weekend and lots of amazing dancers attended the event hosted by Gil, Katy, Mike, Bobby, Ivan, Teddy, Nick and Mia Micheals! It was my first convention as a "teen" and I was a tad nervous. But I had a fantastic time, saw friends from other studios and won one of the TeenVIP Scholarships!  The best bit of advice to dancers came from Mia who said "our bodies are earth suits and don't represent who we are as people...our dancing represents who we are as people". So work with what you've got and dance through your soul...I love that!

CDR Toronto was held October 29-30th and was hosted by Shannon Mather, Twitch, Chaz Buzan, Beau Fournier, Kha'san and Dee Casparay. The classes were amazing and the calibre in the teen room made be proud to be from Toronto! My favorite class was Chaz Buzan's....he is not only a brilliant dancer, but an amazing choreographer as well. I was selected as a "Prodigy" and am honored to have been chosen from the pool of talented dancers at the convention.

In November I attended JUMP in Greenville, SC. I saw many friends from Southern Strutt I met last summer..shout out to Jenny and Isabella! I enjoyed the classes with Katy, Teddy, Misha, Mike, Andrew, Nick, Mandy, Doug and Mia. Thank you again to JUMP for always providing dancers with such great opportunities to learn.

Below is a teaser from JUMP Greenville. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed dancing it!

Generation IV Dance Intensive

Stop 3: Generation IV

Generation IV was held in Easthampton, MA during the third week in August. I stayed in the dormitories at Westfield State College where the teen, senior, advanced and pro level classes were held. Mini and Junior class levels were held at Hackworth School of the Performing Arts.

The faculty consisted of Teddy Forance, Alison Forance, Amy Gardner, Devin Jamieson, Billy Bell, Jen Hackworth, William Wingfield, Monique Borromeo, Albert Cataffi, Jen Pinard, Noel Bajandas, Channing Cooke, Hani Abaza, Chaz Buzan, Ben Susak, Jeff Lapes, Katy Spreadbury, Dha-Sean Serrano, Alicia Monaco and Chantelle Aguirre. The faculty was supported by Teddy's talented Aunt Lisa Hackworth, cousin Nick Anthony and brother Johnny Forance.

Each day we had classes with the faculty and were cast into two pieces to perform in the closing show at the Academy of Music in Southampton. All dancers participated in a mock agency audition as well for Clear Talent Group. It was a busy, fun-filled week of great dance. Check out my video highlights from Generation IV!



Here is my interview with Teddy that took place after the second show:



And here is Teddy's piece I was cast in. His choreography was assisted by Alison Forance, Amy Gardner and Sandi Duncan...thank you to each of them for giving me such a special part in your choreography.


Thank you so much to the talented faculty of Generation IV; for sharing your passion for dance with us, your talents and giving me support along the way. Thank you Teddy for an amazing experience...can't wait until Generation IV's third annual event!

I had an amazing summer of dance and am so thankful to everyone I met and for all they shared of themselves with me. I promise to take all that I have learned and apply it to the dance year ahead to become a stronger dancer!

The Collective Dance Intensive

Stop 2: The Collective

I also attended a new workshop offered by Break the Floor Productions/JUMP. It was held at Century City, CA and was a contemporary focused workshop featuring classes with Stacey Tookey, Teddy Forance, Peter Chu, Dee Casparay, Benoit Swan Pouffer, Mark Meismer, Ray Leeper, Mandy Moore, Andrew Winghart, Denise Wall, Kenny Wormald and a mock agency audition.

This workshop was geared toward older dancers as there were late evening rehearsals and early morning starts. Dancers rated their preference of choreographers to be cast in their respective piece for the end of week video shoot premiere. I was cast in Mandy Moore's piece...her piece was lots of fun and she is hilarious! Video of the Collective can be found on facebook under Jump Dance Convention - The Collective. They have been posting live feeds so check the site often for a peek at the video!

All dancers also attended Peter Chu's "Chu This" performance at the El Portal Theatre. It was of a series of performances as part of Dee Casparay's "Nvitational" event. It was an amazing show and I left so inspired!

Soul Escape Dance Intensive

Hi to all my dance friends! I've had a busy summer and can't wait to share all the great experiences and amazing people I met the last few months with you!

First Stop: Soul Escape

In August I attended Justin Giles' Summer Intensive in Burbank, California. It was a week-long workshop that began with all attendees watching a performance of Soul Escape The Company's work called "Beyond the Canvas". It was a show made up of ten performances based around ten famous paintings that provided the back drop for movement. IT WAS SO COOL!

The Soul Escape Company dancers are Madison Burg, Sammi Farber, Merissa Gassel, Lindy Giles, Austin Goodwin, Will Johnston, Deanna Mondello, Amy Nadeau, Jen Osorio, Rachel Gill, Haley Kostas, Cheryl Smith and Rose Yager. Justin is their supportive, creative Coach.

Each morning we would have master classes with Justin, SE Company members or guest choreographers Chris Jacobsen, Matt Cady, Jesse Rae Hartley and Leo Morimune. In the afternoon/evenings, we would go into rehearsal to learn the same choreography the company performed for us. Each summer intensive participant was a cast in a minimum two numbers following an audition and performed "Beyond the Canvas" choreography in the closing show! I performed in "Dust Bowl" and "Scream". In Dust Bowl I played the youngest daughter of a man who left his family and returns later only to deal with the disappointment of his family. I enjoyed every minute of rehearsals!!!

I met the nicest dance kids ever from all over the United States...shout out to my friends Kendall, Nyla, Kaelie, Micheala, Yazzmin, Liv and Rachel!

Below are a few highlights of the master classes...



I had an amazing time at Soul Escape learning from such talented and kind dancers/choreographers.  Justin Giles has to be one of the most humble, creative and supportive people I have ever met. I miss him and can't wait to be back at SE next summer to part of such a supportive artistic environment again. Thank you Justin for everything!

Summer Nationals Update!

Happy Summer to all my dance friends!

I just returned from New York City where I attended two National Competitions...New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) and The Dance Awards!! New York was amazing and I can't wait to share all the exciting things I did with you!

This was my first NYCDA Nationals and it was one of the best weeks of my life! The Faculty Joe Lanteri assembled for the workshops, the competition, and extra opportunities offered was unbelieveable. I competed in the Junior division "Outstanding Dancer" competition against 108 other girls! The calibre of the dancers was great and it was a fun week dancing alongside some of the best dancers in the United States. As part of the Outstanding Dancer Competition, I competed a solo and took part in a jazz and ballet audition over the course of the week. These scores were then tabulated and they announced the Top Ten on the evening of the Junior Gala. It was so exciting to see all the dancers on stage in their costumes in the hope of being called by Joe Lanteri as one of the top five, then top three dancers who would go on to re-compete their solos shortly thereafter.....I was one of the Top Three and placed 2nd Runner Up! I competed against Kalyn Berg and Sarah Pippin for the title - both amazing dancers and I was happy to be in the finals with them!

In addition to the Outstanding Dancer and Competition opportunities, NYCDA also offered casting auditions for girls for Annie on Broadway, Clara for the Nutcracker at Radio City, Peter Pan for boys and Broadway's Memphis for senior dancers! NYCDA also offered Girl Frenzy with Taja Riley and a Sea Monkeys class with Mother Monkey, Lauren Adams!! It was a very busy but fun-filled week! Check out the Girl Frenzy class where we learned Beyonce's choreography:



I also had the opportunity to interview Lauren Adams about Sea Monkey Enterprises following her class. Check out the video below for a sample of what Sea Monkeys is all about. For more information, check her website at www.seamonkeyenterprises.com.



Everything about NYCDA was amazing and it was an awesome opportunity to work with the talented faculty of NYCDA: Joe Lanteri, Suzi Taylor, A.C. Ciulla, Jason Parsons, Andy Blankenbuehler, Scott Jovovich, Joey Dowling, Danny Wallace, Chloe Arnold, Andy Pellick, Lauren Adams, Tony Testa, Dana Wilson, Kim Craven and Rachel Kreiling. The Junior class had workshops with EACH of these talented individuals! The atmosphere of the week was so supportive - Joe Lanteri is one of my favorite people...he was so kind to everyone, giving support and hugs all week long!

Below is a video by NYCDA that was shown as the introduction to the Junior Gala. You can catch me at 1:37, 1:50, 1:55 and 2:00!



Not only was the dancing great but on the evening of the Senior Gala, Joe handed out $2.8 million in college scholarships to graduating dancers. It was an amazing night of talent and hope for the future of education in dance. NYCDA is a great convention to attend at either the regional or national level. You will be inspired by such talented and supportive master teachers. Check out their website for 2011-2012 convention dates which are now available.

When I was not competing, I was able to attend some drop-in classes at New York City's famous dance training centres....Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Centre. I participated in a ballet class with Fabrice Herrault and a Hip Hop class with Caitlyn Gray. At BDC, I took class with Wes Veldink. It was exciting to be in both environments that support dancers of all levels, interests and ages! BDC is very close to Times Square...if you get the chance, check their website for up to date information on weekly classes! Steps on Broadway is in the Upper West Side...right across from The Beacon Theatre, home of the Closing Show of the Dance Awards and the 2011 Tony Awards!

I also attended the Dance Awards...the first National Competition combining Nuvo and JUMP conventions. The Dance Awards offered classes with Ray Leeper, Mandy Moore, Mark Meismer, Mike Minery, Doug Caldwell, Bobby Newberry, Nick Lazzarini, Stacey Tookey, Kim McSwain, Sonya Tayeh, Teddy Forance, Travis Wall, Ivan Koumaev, Misha Gabriel, Anthony Morigerato, Katy Spreadbury and Billy Bell. I loved every class....It was another amazing week with some of the best choreographers and dancers in the industry. Every teacher left me inspired to keep working hard and renewed my love of dance.

I competed in the VIP competition and placed in the Top Ten for the Junior Division. All VIP dancers competed a solo and did an audition at the Roseland Theatre that was a jazz/ballet combination. I also competed with my studio which was a "Top 5 Studio" and we re-performed five numbers at the closing night Awards Show for cash awards. Congratulations to my friends at JCSOD for winning Top Studio!

I had a great time in New York City. Thanks to the Dance Awards and NYCDA for creating such a great experience for all dancers :)

June News!

As many dance fans know, spring/summer is a busy time of year. As we wind down from competitions and prepare for year end studio shows, there are lots of performances available to watch that celebrate the arts and dance.

Recently I attended an evening performance at the "Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival". This year marked the 13th year of the festival which showcases contemporary talent "in the park, in the street and on-stage" over three days. Contemporary dancers from Canada, the United States and Israel showcased their talent in a series of demonstrations, theatre performances and open workshops.

I attended the program on Stage B on June 4th which showcased Lesandra Dodson, Pulse and Puppet and The Lunge Collective. The Lunge Collective was my primary reason for attending - it is the one year old contemporary company founded by Billy Bell...a dancer famous for his appearances on "So You Think You Can Dance" US version.

His choreography called "Dokus" is based on a Sudoku puzzle. He describes it as "inspired by numbers and architecture, the piece represents the step-by-step process in solving puzzles and the concentration we endure while making the attempt". The piece marks his transition from dancer to choreographer.



It was interesting to watch as each dancer was assigned a number and moved about the spaces of a sudoku puzzle as if they were the numbers to in the puzzle. The stage was lit with nine boxes of light, 3 squares by 3 squares and the dancers moved around and within the boxes performing their unique choreography. I recognized a few of the company dancers including Channing Cook who I met in 2008 at ihollywood dance!

I met with Billy following a talkback session where the audience could ask questions of dancers and choreographers. Please check on my video to see the full interview. Billy was so nice! I asked him three questions I thought other dancers would like answers to if they had the opportunity to meet him

I wished him lots of luck with his company and hope to see him again soon on the convention circuit!

I've also attached a video of one of my teams competitive numbers this year. It is called "Cosmic Love"...I hope you enjoy it.

April/May 2011

The last two months have been very busy with training and competition season! I love performing with my team-mates and seeing friends from other studios! I just finished my last competition and soon it's off to the Dance Awards in New York City! I am so excited!

On May 23-23 I attended the Monsters of Hip Hop Convention in Toronto. It was my first time at Monsters and I LOVED it! The faculty consisted of Rhapsody, Nappytabs, Luther Brown, JaQuel Knight and Tony Testa. In addition to the workshop classes, there was also an audition class, a freestyle battle, parent improv battle and a Club Stylz Showcase. Click on the video above to see highlights from the weekend!

There were so many talented and versatile dancers (even the parents rocked it!) - the freestyle battle with advanced room dancers was ridiculous! It was like watching a live taping of America's Best Dance Crew or seeing some of Ushers' dancers perform. I participated in the intermediate freestyle battle and won first place. My team mate Robin was third - yay Robin! The workshop was lots of fun and physically demanding. I was tired after Rhapsody's first class on Saturday morning!!! I feel a lot stronger  and confident in hip hop after attending this workshop - it was a great opportunity to learn from such talented dancers/choreographers.

Meeting Tony Testa was a highlight of the convention for me. He is the co-choreographer of Micheal Jackson's "This Is It" Tour. He performed in the faculty show on Sunday and brought the house down with his choreo to "Bad".  His class choreography was fun to do - he had us be cats, dogs, artists and scared football players all in one piece!

Another highlight was interviewing the funny and talented Tabitha D'Umo of Nappytabs. Click on the link above to see my interview with her! Nappytabs is famous for judging and choreography on "So You Think You Can Dance" but, they also have their own line of hip hop dancewear under the Nappytabs brand, are directors that work with many performing artists and work on other television shows like "Rock the Reception" and "ABDC". It was fun interviewing her even though I was TOTALLY nervous!!!

In the months ahead, I'll be writing about the first ever Dance Awards (the combined JUMP and NUVO Nationals). There will be a crazy amount of talent there.... I can't wait to experience it.  I will also be attending some new summer intensives and will share my experiences with you.

Thanks for checking my blog! See you next time on Move It With Maddie!

February & March News

Wow! What a busy year 2011 has been already!

In January I attended my first NUVO convention in Buffalo, NY. I had a great time taking classes from Kim McSwain, Chebar Williams, Ivan Koumaev, Ray Leeper, Travis Wall and Jessica Hendricks.

The convention is very similar to JUMP but with different faculty.  NUVO is a two-day convention offering ballet, an audition class, hip hop, musical theatre and contemporary. It was amazing to work with such talented choreographers in a small class setting...we had lots of room to travel when doing the combos and because of the smaller class size, we did progressions in jazz and ballet in addition to learning combos. I had so much fun and I was chosen as a "NUVO Break-Out Artist"...yay! I am SO looking forward to the Dance Awards in New York City this summer.

Check out my video from NUVO...the combos were lots of fun - try them yourself!




In February, I went to New York City to audition for the Ailey Extension Summer Intensive. I met the beautiful and talented Paloma Herrera, Principal Ballerina at ABT and Fabrice Herrault, a Master ballet teacher. It was an awesome experience to be in the Alvin Ailey facility and dance in one of their  studios. I wore my lucky #4 for the audition. I was accepted to the summer program but I've decided to attend other events this summer...can't wait to blog about those soon!!

In March, I attended the Buffalo NYCDA convention. It was my first time at NYCDA and it was a great experience. The faculty included Joe Lanteri, Suzi Taylor, Dana Wilson, Andy Pellick, Danny Wallace, Lauren Adams and Scott Jovovich. I LOVED all the combos and was honored to take class with such well-respected teachers. I was happy to be chosen as one of the "NYCDA Outstanding Dancers" in the Junior Class! It was an amazing weekend dancing alongside my friend Taylor and on-stage with Sabra Johnson!






In March I also attended JUMP Buffalo with my new studio Elite Danceworx. I love being part of the team at Elite...everyone has made me feel so welcome and part of the team. I am excited about the competition season, dancing in group numbers, my first pointe solo and a contemporary solo choreographed by Nick Lazzarini!!!

As competitions grow close, good luck to everyone with their practices and competitions!!

Before I go...congratulations to one of my mentors, Francisco Gella whose company Nuevo Contemporary School of Dance attended their first YAGP event in New York City. Congratulations to FG and all his dancers on their hard work and success!

January News

In December (27-30th), I had the opportunity to attend a new workshop called ASH (Artists Simply Human) in Philadelphia. It is a contemporary focused workshop offered by Braham Logan Crane.

Braham assembled an amazing faculty consisting of Wes Veldink, Dee Casparay, TOKYO, Tovaris Wilson (Hip Hop), Sascha Radetsky (Ballet), Christopher Huggins (Modern), Melanie LaPatin (Ballroom) and Jim Keith (former Agent, now Manager).  Sonya Tayeh was also scheduled to teach but due to the massive storm on the eastern seaboard, was unable to safely land!

The workshop aims to "connect emerging dancers with working choreographers and directors". It offered small class sizes and four days of instruction. In addition to the opportunity to learn alongside these amazing dance talents, you could participate in a solo competition, parents could attend a Question and Answer session and there was an informative discussion with Jim Keith about the realities of the dance industry.

Check out the videos above to see two class combos. The first is a contemporary class with Wes Weldink and the second a clip from TOKYO's jazz funk class.

It was an amazing week of dance and I was fortunate to be selected as a Demonstrator for future ASH events! I am so honored to be affiliated with this convention and it's organizer Braham. Not only is he a talented choreographer but he gives great recommendations on where to get an authentic Philly Cheese Steak sandwich!

Not only was the dancing great...but so were the sights. Our trip to Philly would not be complete without a visit to the famous "Rocky Steps" at the Museum of Art and the Rocky Statue. My mom and I sang the Rocky tune as we raced up the steps just like Sylvester Stallone in the original movie!

For more information on ASH Productions, visit www.ashproductions.com or Facebook "ARTISTS SIMPLY HUMAN".
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In December, I travelled to Chino, California to train for a day with Francisco Gella, Founder and Creative Director of Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance.  Francisco is the Ballet expert on the Coastal Dance Rage Convention Tour and a very inspiring person.

Nuevo offers Monthly Master Class Series with some of the best choreographers in the industry. They are mandatory classes for his company dancers but the school allows guests to participate too. In December their Guest Instructor was Sonya Tayeh. She put everyone through their paces with a technical warm-up and challenging combos!

For more information regarding the Master Class Series or Nuevo, check out the school Facebook site at "Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance". Thanks to Francisco for permitting me to attend his school and for sharing his knowledge of ballet and physiology...I now have a pretty arabesque! It's easy to love Ballet when you can work with someone like Francisco...ballet is the foundation of all dance genres...so keep practicing!!!