In my years as a competition dancer, West Coast Dance Explosion was one of my favorite competitions to attend. Not only did I get to compete against the best dancers in the nation, I also received exposure to some amazing choreographers.
Tough Competition
The main reason dance studios head to competitions like West Coast Dance Explosion is so that they can get exposure to other elite dance studios. WCDE is where the best of the best go to compete. Sure, there are other good competitions out there, but a lot of them are getting watered down with rather mediocre dances. There’s no guarantee that you’ll win big at WCDE, but dance competitions are not always about winning.
Workshop Faculty
The competition itself is great, but what really sets West Coast Dance Explosion apart are the workshop classes. Dancers can train in contemporary, ballet, hip hop, musical theatre, ballroom and plenty of other styles. The faculty changes frequently, but always includes some of the best artists in the industry. Currently, the dance faculty includes Nick Bowman, Ricky Palomino, Jeff Lapes and Natalie Reid.
Nationals Gala
At most competitions, you perform your dance, sit through awards, get a trophy and head home. This is not the case at West Coast Dance Explosion. To celebrate a great week of dancing, WCDE throws a huge gala for all the attendees of the national competition. The WCDE gala provides a chance for the members of all the participating dance studios to dress up and get the red carpet treatment.
Bragging Rights
I never won a high point score or was a featured dancer at West Coast Dance Explosion, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get bragging rights. First off, I got to tell others that I had taken class from the likes of Mandy Moore and Ray Leeper. Second, I would be able to tell people in later years that I had seen some of the biggest stars of So You Think You Can Dance live before they hit it big. Recently, I browsed through an old program from a WCDE national competition in Las Vegas. I learned that in 2007, I competed against some of the greatest stars of So You Think You Can Dance. Familiar names in the program included Lauren Froderman, Paula Van Oppen, Kherington Payne and Jeanine Mason. While people outside of the dance world may not know about these stars, anybody who watches So You Think You Can Dance is completely jealous when I tell them that I saw these girls live and up close.
All in all, I find that West Coast Dance Explosion is one of the best competitions to attend for dancers looking to expand their horizons. WCDE provides great competition, instruction and fun!
To learn more about dance competitions and conventions, see Top Dance Conventions for the Competitive Dancer and Hall of Fame Dance Challenge:Dance Competition Review