DECADANCE PARTNERSHIPS
We are proud to partner with these amazing industry leaders who are paving the way for a healthy and inclusive dance industry for ALL. Not just dancers, but adjudicators, studio owners, artistic leaders, educators, families and their communities as well.
O'MARA SPRUNG FLOORS
In 2024, we're realizing a five year dream of elevating competitive dancer safety with a sprung competition stage. Although DECAdance is the first US dance competition to offer the opportunity to compete on a sprung dance floor, we do not wish to be the only ones to do so! By making this investment into dancer safety, we hope to inspire a shift throughout the industry.
When it came time to choose our floor, there was never a question who we'd call. We are proud to support family-owned and operated O'Mara Sprung Floors based in Flint, Michigan. The O'Mara family invests incredible detail into every sprung floor they create.
Our 40x30 black birchwood sprung floor from O'Mara Sprung Floors has already made its debut at our 2023 DECAdance Conventions and we are absolutely over the moon with the craftmanship. We are so excited to elevate the DECAdance experience with this safety feature for Season 5. Read more about our mission to prioritize dancer safety from the ground up!
IMPACT DANCE
ADJUDICATORS
With our inception, DECAdance Competition introduced a four-judge panel where each judge is assigned genres that align with their specialty as educators. We consistently staff every event with a dynamic combination of in-house DECAdance adjudicators - who dancers have come to recognize and connect with season after season - and judges from Impact Dance Adjudicators - the first and only service in the industry providing professional, pre-screened judges to dance competitions worldwide.
In 2024, we're proud to bring in a FIFTH adjudicator who will be staffed by IDA for half of our season and staffed with one of our in-house adjudicators for the other half. This individual will monitor choreography to ensure each piece aligns with DECAdance competition policies and focus specifically on special awards! This new position was partly inspired by our friends at Impact Dance Adjudicators who dedicated an entire podcast episode to the benefits of a designated Specials Judge. We highly recommend you give it a listen here!
RELATIVE MOTION
Three years ago, Cara Dixon and Jaimie Goodwin joined forces to create Relative Motion: a program where the concepts of anatomy are both accessible and understandable to every dancer and teacher. The goal is to simplify anatomy so it is understandable and applicable - taking the complex and making it accessible. This will strengthen and align the body for technique, so that movement serves the body and the body supports the movement.
With the introduction of Relative Motion's anatomy inspired-leggings that accompany their training programs and in-studio workshops, our team at DECAdance knew we needed to connect. In 2023, we proudly hosted Relative Motion at our PA and NJ Dance Conventions and dancers were enthralled. We watched our attendees hang on every word during each breakout session and we're excited to collaborate with the entire Relative Motion team as our 2024 season unfolds. Watch footage from our Relative Motion convention breakout sessions here.
APOLLA PERFORMANCE
DECAdance Competition and Convention prioritizes injury prevention and dancer safety from the ground up. Layer by layer, we're consciously building events that consider the whole dancer - mind, body, heart, spirit. The first step is our O'Mara sprung floor - and next, the cherished feet that dance across it!
Apolla Socks is a women-owned business that has brought the world patented compression socks loved by thousands and trusted by top celebrity artists and athletes. They believe when you have less pain, you really can do more to conquer the world! And we agree. We believe that our partnership with Apolla Socks will not just benefit DECAdancers physically, but also mentally and emotionally - as chronic pain prevention is essential to a dancer's mental health and longevity as a performer.
DECAdance will stock Apolla Socks at our merch table at select regional events in Season 5 so that dancers, teachers and families can purchase a pair for themselves and feel the immense difference (and relief) they can bring during a long competition day! Our team is especially THRILLED and GRATEFUL for this collaboration as Apolla Socks has also donated a pair of socks to each of our educators and in-house adjudicators for Season 5! Every masterclass taught on our Celebration Tour will be taught in Apolla Socks because both Apolla Socks and DECAdance believe our teachers deserve all-star treatment!
Heather Booysen, Author and Founder of Dance Knows No Boundaries
“Dance is for everyone, no matter your dance style, ability, gender, body shape, ethnicity, or age. Movement is a language we can all understand and an art we can all create.”
DECAdance proudly hosts a signature event each year just for minis and petites. Dancers under the age of nine have a full convention day dedicated to their age group called DECAdance Mini Mayhem. During our 2023 event, we were honored to host Heather Booysen, owner of Movement in Motion Photography and the author of Marley Takes The Stage, a sweet story of dance, performing, and friendship. Heather treated our Mini Mayhem dancers to their very own book reading!
In Marley Takes the Stage, Marley gets ready for her her first dance performance. She joins her dance friends as they learn about everything that goes on backstage and watch each other take turns dancing on stage during dress rehearsal. Marley and her friends also visually showcase what dancers in the real world look like. Each and every dancer varies from the next and has a visual representation of inclusion and diversity in dance style, body type, age, ethnicity, gender, and ability. Included after the story are images of real life dancers with the same varied representations, celebrating and honoring the beautiful and amazing dancers of the world.
DECAdance is proud to partner with Heather to share the diversity of dance with our youngest dancers. To find more events where Heather is offering a book reading, follow her here.
Glam'r Gear
At DECAdance, we believe competition weekends are great learning experiences for youth and teens - organization, time management, communication and other essential life skills are all necessary components required at each event, from each individual. That's why we're proud to partner with Glam'r Gear - the pioneers of dance bags with a sturdy hanging rack, costume storage and a privacy curtain!
During DECAdance competition weekends, dancers learn the value of packing ahead of time, keeping organized throughout events, and caring for themselves and their gear when they have their traveling Glam'r Gear "office"! Each Glam'r Gear bag is designed for families to feel confident that their dancer has space for all of their gear and has an opportunity to create privacy within competition spaces.
Each Glam'r Gear bag...
~ Allows for a privacy curtain
~ Has a bright lining for better visibility
~ Maneuvers on 4-spinning wheels
~ Can be set up fast and easily
~ Adjusts for two different heights, so it grows with your dancer!
~ Has a sturdy rack
~ Can be zipped up while the hanging rack is in use
DECAdance is proud to offer the GLAM'R SPECIAL AWARD for the Debut Division at each event, sponsored by Glam'r Gear! Recipients will receive a Glam'r Gear Hanging Travel Cosmetics Bag AND a scholarship to a 2024 DECAdance "Un"Convention of their choice! *Note, Glam'r Gear has donated Hanging Travel Cosmetic Bags for our regional events. The only event where a full-sized Glam'r Gear Bag will be awarded is our July 2024 Nationals event.
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