Dance The World Summer 2024 Recap
As summer winds down, it’s time to take a look back at our incredible Dance The World Events that brought joy to thousands of dancers and their families from across the globe, including Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Dubai!
From our remarkable three weeks in Disney World, to our first ever event in Disneyland in California, to the unforgettable performances on Broadway stages and in Times Square in New York City, Dance the World held events that covered over 3,500 miles across the United States! Let’s check out what made each event so memorable.
Dance the World Disney
Our summer events kicked off at the Walt Disney World® Resort on June 20th, featuring three weeks of spectacular performances from dancers of all backgrounds. After countless months of preparation for the big stage, performers dazzled guests from around the world with stage show performances. The excitement shown by the dancers after they put on the performance of a lifetime is what Dance The World is all about!
The memories did not stop there, as studios joined together to showcase their talents in front of thousands as they participated in parades at Magic Kingdom Park® and Disney Springs®. Each week concluded with a gala dinner celebration that included a dance party with Mickey, Minnie, Max, and Goofy!
Dancers also had time to work on perfecting their craft, as they took part in master classes with Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach from Dancing With The Stars, and choreographer and artistic director, Geo Hubela, who has performed with the biggest names in the entertainment world.
World Dance Competition
The smiles continued into our World Dance Competition event, but the stakes were a bit higher as 200 entries took part in our preliminary round with 26 moving on to the finals at Hollywood Studios. The dancers were judged by Pasha, Daniella, and Geo, as well as David Houde (Disney talent coordinator), Thomas Murphy (Disney Entertainment Show Director), and Amanda Schaeffer (choreographer for Dance The World Events and owner of LimeLight Dance Studio). David joined Pasha, Daniella, and Geo in teaching master classes to the performers.
While performers strived to achieve perfection and come out on top in the competition part of the week, the competitive juices between studios quickly turned to bonding. Despite a light drizzle, the groups gathered to parade down Main Street in Magic Kingdom® and left feeling accomplished, smiling ear-to-ear knowing they put on a show to remember.
Much like the Dance The World events, this week concluded with a gala dinner, but with a much anticipated aspect included. Performers and families eagerly waited for the announcements of the award winners, and after multiple winners were announced in various categories, Inspirational Dance Studio from New Jersey erupted with joy as they were named the World Class Studio Award winner (overall winner).
Dance The World Disneyland®
Dance The World Disney has been such a huge success over the years, we thought, “Why not bring the excitement to the west coast?” Well, that’s exactly what happened this summer, as we held our first ever Dance The World Disneyland® event!
The passion and joy for dance was on display during the inaugural event in California, as performers paraded in Disneyland® Park. They then showed off their choreographed routine with their studio during the stage show performances at the Hollywood Backlot Stage.
With the bright lights of Hollywood just an hour drive north, there was no doubt that the dancers would have a chance to learn from some of the top performers in the industry, as Sasha Farber and Britt Stewart from Dancing with the Stars taught masterclasses to the participants. Families gathered for a spectacular finale to the week, as they took in the amazing sights at the World of Color dessert party!
Dance The World Broadway
In our final event of the summer, dancers surely didn’t get their eight hours of shut eye after reminiscing about their performances in The City That Never Sleeps. Dance The World Broadway put dancers in the spotlight as we shut down Times Square for three showstopper performances that were hosted by Geo Hubela and Alex Wong (So “You Think You Can Dance” and TikTok star). The shows included a special performance by the ICONic Boyz, performers from Geo’s dance studio, ICON Dance Complex.
The stage show performances took place at the New Amsterdam Theatre, home to the Broadway show “Aladdin”. Dancers cheered each other on from the crowd during the routines that brought unique flare to the stage and showcased a variety of different cultures.
There were three different choices of masterclasses to choose from for dancers, one being taught by Alex Wong, with another taught by Gabriella Sorrentino (dance captain from Hamilton on Broadway), and the final class instructed by Michael Lee Brown (Dear Evan Hanson on Broadway).
The event concluded with breathtaking views of the NYC skyline on a dinner and dance sunset cruise that allowed dancers from all walks of life to come together and cap off the weekend with unforgettable memories!
Thank you to everyone who spent their summer with Dance The World at our events across the country! We loved helping you make memories that will last a lifetime and we hope to see you again in the future!
If you are interested in joining us in the future, click here to check out all our upcoming events! You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all the latest Dance The World events and news!
