Do you know someone that deserves some recognition? Is there someone special in your life that you look up to? Why not nominate them for 'NYCDA'S FEATURED DANCER OF THE WEEK'! Every Monday NYCDA will post information about that week's featured dancer along with their picture. Just shoot an email to nycdancealliance@gmail.com and answer these questions for us!
1. Your Name
2. Your Studio
3. Your City, State
4. Nominee's Name
5. Nominee's Studio
6. Nominee's City, State
7. Why are you nominating this person?
8. Why do you look up to this person?
9. How does this person make an impact on the world around them?
Copy and paste these questions into the body of the email and email us the answers! Please attach a picture of who you are nominating and make the subject of the email 'FEATURED DANCER OF THE WEEK'.
Friday, December 28, 2007
NYCDA'S FEATURED DANCER OF THE WEEK
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
IF YOU ARE AMONG THE VERY YOUNG AT HEART...
Happy Holidays everyone! Seeing as today is Christmas and this time of year is a celebration of what it means to be young at heart, I thought I would write about music that makes me feel like a kid! I know that it is hard to find new music and even harder to find music that is age appropriate. What does “age appropriate” even mean? In a world where the radio is bringing sexy back and the candyman is droppin’ panties and poppin’ cherries, what is a parent or teacher to do about finding music for younger dancers? Well, look no further. Music Mama is at your service!
First things first, let’s cross the pond. The Queen, Posh and Becks, Fish and Chips, Big Ben. Dance Music! I am in love with what’s been happening over in Jolly Ole England the past few years as far as dance music goes and more importantly music that you can use for your young ones. I know what you’re thinking, “But Music Mama, Amy Winehouse is running around town in her bra refusing to go to rehab!” Take heart, my friends! This is the country that gave us the Spice Girls in their prime and seeing as the circle of life is still in tact, there is a new group of young girls ready to pounce on the throne of Girl Power. They are The Pipettes! 
This trio of ladies, backed up by their band The Cassette, dropped their North American debut in October (which means they are still undiscovered by the masses). The girls do sing about bumping and grinding from time to time but I think you’ll find a few gems on their album, We Are The Pipettes. Their sixties inspired pop is comparable to the fun tunes of Hairspray! My favorite songs include Pull Shapes and Your Kisses are Wasted on Me. Give ‘em a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.
If sixties pop isn’t what you need and what you really need is something a little more “Willie Wonka by way of New Orleans" then I've got your number. That is the way ClassCAir reviewed Patrick and Eugene’s Postcard from Summerisle and I couldn’t agree more with that description.
Patrick and Eugene are two blokes with a taste for the eccentric! Their album, Postcard from Summerisle, was released in 2004. You may remember the opening song, The Birds and the Bees, from the VW Rabbit commercial a few years back but if you don’t then give it a listen! I promise visions of little bees in tutus dancing in your head or maybe something a little more Busby Berkeley is in order! Whatever you decide I am sure you will find something fun on this album. Their covers of Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get you Out of My Head and Beyonce’s Crazy in Love are also worth a spin.
Well, it is almost midnight and I have after Christmas sales to hit up bright and early so I should get to bed! Be sure to check back next Tuesday for more mini and junior music suggestions! We’ll stay on this side of the pond next week. I promise!
Lyrically Yours,
Music Mama
PARENTAL ADVISORY: As always, parents should screen first for explicit content on all albums suggested by Music Mama! As certain songs suggested by Music Mama may be appropriate, full albums may not and should be screened accordingly.
Friday, December 21, 2007
CONGRATS to Andy Blakenbuehler
NYCDA wants to give a huge shout out to Andy Blankenbuehler! Andy is hot, hot, hot right now! As if opening a show in London, winning the Lortel, Outer Critics, and the Drama Desk awards for Outstanding Choreography for In the Heights, and continuing to teach for NYCDA weren’t enough, now as Andy enters rehearsals for the Broadway transfer of In the Heights, he has another honor to add to his resume! In the Heights has been named the Best Musical of 2007 by New York Magazine. Congratulations to Andy and the rest of the creative team behind this smash hit!
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Music From Nashville
Joe Lanteri:
Seniors/Teens – “Udu Chant” by Mickey Hart
Juniors/Minis – “Dance With You” by Lauren Hildebrandt
Suzi Taylor:
Teacher – “Lost” by Anouk
Seniors/Teens – “Blue Skies” by Strays Don’t Sleep
Juniors – “Home” by Vanessa Carlton
Minis – “Big Sky” by Annie Lennox
Joey Dowling:
Teachers – “Bitter” by Me’Shell Ndegeocello
Seniors/Teens – “Gravity” by Sara Barielles
Juniors/Minis – “The Way I Are” by Timbaland
Jason Parsons:
Seniors/Teens – “Samskeyti” by Sigur Ros
Juniors/Minis – “ Cha Cha Cha” by Offer Nissim
Mike Schulster:
Teachers – “Paradise City” by Guns and Roses
Seniors/Teens – “Let’s Go” original music from the show “Revolution” can be found at www.myspace.com/revolutiontheshow
Juniors/Minis – “It’s Only Rock & Roll” by The Rolling Stones
Dana Wilson:
Teachers – “Sign” by Snoop Dogg, Charlie Wilson & Justin Timberlake
Seniors/Teens – “My Way” by Usher
Juniors – “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry
Minis – “PYT” by Michael Jackson
Men’s Class – “Can We Chill” by Ne-Yo
NYCDA Nashville Showcase
Check out the NYCDA showcase from Nashville. Performers include faculty member Dana Wilson (fresh off the Justin Timberlake world tour), Robbie Nicholson, Ryan Steele, Alex Hathaway and Dusty Button. Keep checking back for new showcases from every weekend!!!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
COVER ME! I'M GOIN' IN!
So everyone likes a good cover band, right?! Or more importantly everyone likes to hear a band reach out of their comfort zone and take a risk by covering a song that their fans might not expect to hear. On the competition scene we have seen some covers rise to the height of popularity. Natasha Bedingfield’s cover of The Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses” comes to the forefront of my mind when thinking about popular covers. And while there are great cover albums out there featuring various artists like “Even Better Than The Real Thing” and “BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge,” are there great covers out there from one band on multiple albums? I say yes!
Meet Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. 
CLICK HERE for the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Website
This quintet of rockers from San Francisco, CA is one of the best cover bands as they cover all genres of music. Their six albums and special edition Square Dance Series leave no note unheard covering everything from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Stevie Wonder to the Dixie Chicks! They are definitely worth a listen if you are in the market for a little bit country or a little bit rock 'n' roll!
PARENTAL ADVISORY: Be aware that Me First and the Gimme Gimmes do take some lyrical liberties on their albums and parents should screen first for explicit content!
Lyrically Yours,
Music Mama
Check back next Tuesday for Music Mama’s picks for age appropriate Mini and Junior music!
Convention Music from Boston
Joe Lanteri:
Seniors/Teens – “Udu Chant” by Mickey Hart
Juniors/Minis – “Dance With You” by Lauren Hildebrandt
Joey Dowling:
Teachers - "Bitter" by Me’Shell Ndegeocello
Seniors/Teens - "Gravity" by Sara Barielles
Juniors/Minis - "The Way I Are" by Timbaland
AC Ciulla:
Teachers - "Won’t Let You Fall" by Fergie from ‘Poseidon’ Soundtrack & "Ladies' Dishes" by Sarai
Seniors/Teens - "Defying Gravity" DANCE REMIX by Idina Menzel from WICKED
Juniors/Minis - "Run and Tell That" by Elijah Kelly HAIRSPRAY Film Soundtrack
Danny Wallace:
Teachers - "Aiko" by Aiko Artist Domesticated Primates
Seniors/Teens - "Message In a Bottle" by John Mayer
Juniors - "Cloud Burst" by John Hendrinks
Minis - "Shine On Your Shoes" by Liza Minnelli
Andy Blankenbuehler:
Teachers – “Beyond The Sea” by Royal Crown Revue
Seniors/Teen – “Blackout” on the In The Heights Soundtrack (not available yet)
Juniors/Minis – “Shake It” by Future Trouble on the Riddim Driven: Wipe Out album found on itunes
Allison Holker:
Teachers – Widorlicker by “Apex Twins”
Seniors/Teens – “Silver Screen” by Felix de Housecat
Juniors/Minis – “Toy Soldier” by Britney Spears
Girlfrenzy – “Breaking Dishes” by Rihanna
Monday, December 17, 2007
Boston Showcase 2007-2008
Check out NYCDA's showcase from Boston!!! Including Sabra Johnson, Jaimie Goodwin, Corey Cox, Allison Holker, Taja Riley, and Craig Dionne. Keep checking back for future weekends!!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Convention Music for Houston
Joe Lanteri:
Seniors/Teens – "Udu Chant" by Mickey Hart
Juniors/Minis – "Dance With You" by Lauren Hildebrandt
Suzi Taylor:
Teachers – "Dark Road" by Annie Lennox
Seniors/Teens – "The Scientist" by Aimee Mann
Juniors – "Frightened" by Toby Lightman
Minis – "Big Sky" by Annie Lennox
Jason Parsons:
Teachers - "Takk" by Sigur Ros
Seniors/Teens - "The Air" by Modest Mouse
Juniors/Minis - "Cha Cha Heels" by Rosabel
Joey Dowling:
Teachers - "Bitter" by Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Seniors/Teens - "Gravity" by Sara Barielles
Juniors/Minis - "The Way I Are" by Timbaland
Chloe Arnold:
Teachers - "Ti Mon Bo" by Tito Puente
Seniors/Teens - "The Way I Are" by Timbaland featuring Keri
Juniors/Minis - "Tambourine" by Eve
Tony Testa:
Teachers - "Greenlight" by Beyonce
Seniors/Teens - "Wall to Wall" by Chris Brown
Juniors - "Get It Shawty" by Lloyd
Minis - "Give It To Me" by Timbaland
Men's Class - "Girlfriend" by *NSYNC
Keep checking back for future weekends!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Music from Los Angeles!
Here is the music the faculty used for the weekend in Los Angeles.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving Wishes from London!
Hey Guys!! :) Just a little update and I'll start off by saying...Happy Thanksgiving!!! :D Its weird because no one celebrates Thanksgiving here in London, I suppose its because they were the Thanksgiving-ers haha, sooo I'll be cooking for everyone else...well trying...hmm, everything is going really well here, busy as ever! With only 4 weeks until break, its crunch time! We've just finished learning our contemporary ballet piece called "The Unwritten," its crazzzy and everyone is superrr tired, but its good fun to do! We'll be performing it sometime in February in Washington D.C. Yipee! London still amazes me everyday, sometimes I have to wake myself up and realize I'm here! :) Its great, and classes are going really well! Learning more and more everyday. I hope you're all doing great things and are happy and inspired! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat lots of food! :D Love and miss everyone!! XO Dusty :-)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Weekend Music from Topeka!
Hey Guys!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Note From Jaimie Goodwin!
Hey everyone! Hope everythings going well and that everyone's planned which NYCDA cities you're coming to! I'm planning to be at as many as possible! Starting in December! I can't wait!...anyway tours going really well. We all really love seeing all the new cities. Even though we don't have much time to explore or sight see, we get really great postcards. Haha. To be honest the tour bus is everyone's favorite spot. The boys and girls are on separate buses, but occasionally we get to mix them up. Which is pretty exciting since we all get to be together! =) Its nice that we all get along so well, but its gonna be sad to leave them. =(
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Letters From London
Hey guys!! I just wanted to say hi from across the "pond" hehe :) Things are going great over here in London. I've just started school about 4 weeks ago, and so far so good! :) I love it so much, classes are great and I'm working really hard. Right now we're learning a new ballet called "The Unwritten" and we've learned four variations, crazy! I love it! London is amazing...its like New York, but a little less crowded with strange accents all over the place. Its great!!
