Where To Dance
April 15, 1997

Dear Dancers,

As I write this, brave little dandelions have poked their way up through the cracks in the city's sidewalks and the traffic islands on Broadway are all abloom with daffodils and cherry blossoms. The Sabrett's hot dog carts are back, the street vendors are hawking their wares and the familiar sound of the Mr. Softee tune, NYC's version of the Good Humor man, signals the start of spring in the Big Apple.

As usual, flocks of young dance students from out of town, shepherded by teachers and parents, have been spending their school vacations here, and the summer will surely see an even bigger influx of youngsters and adults alike. I hope you'll be among them! Sampling the smorgasbord of dance classes and events in this pulsating Dance Mecca is an experience not to be missed. Even so, Manhattan can be a tad overwhelming, so I'm delighted to be your guide to Gotham.

For starters, let me introduce you to the main dance schools where you can take open classes. Most of the summer intensives are filled by this time of year, but it's never too late to create your own schedule from the astonishing array of offerings in all disciplines. Commonly, you either pay for a single class or you buy a multiple-class card or "book" at a discount and take any classes you choose within a specified time period, usually two months. You can jump to the Dance Schools page for a complete listing of where to study, but I want to steer you to some of the really happening places around town.

Two studios you'll definitely want to frequent are the Broadway Dance Center and STEPS on Broadway. Sometimes fondly referred to as the "factories," they evolved over a decade ago when rents skyrocketed and individual teachers could no longer afford to keep their leases on loft-size spaces. As a result, former competitors found themselves to be colleagues of sorts, teaching under the same roof , with their pictures displayed on a "Wall of Fame" for prospective students to peruse. Some teachers, in fact, conduct classes at more than one studio.

An initial uneasy truce among teachers has evolved into a genuine sense of camaraderie over the years and dancers float from one class to another without worrying about being disloyal. I don't mean, certainly, that dancers don't have their favorite teachers and obviously every teacher hopes to have full classes and to keep the regulars, but the fierce rivalry that rages in many suburban areas among local schools doesn't exist in the city.

Be forewarned, however, that taking class at one of the big studios means jockeying for space with 30, 40, even 50 or 60 other dancers. Particularly in the summer, studios are crammed and most have no air conditioning. This, combined with the fact that many spaces have columns smack in the middle of the floor, can make a grand allegro feel more like gridlock on Times Square than a dance combination. Also, don't expect to get much personal attention. If a teacher notices you and gives you one or two corrections, feel duly blessed. Still, the top teachers give such fabulous classes that you'll definitely feel your time and money are well spent.

Besides that, you'll be "seen" (and maybe discovered?) and you'll be dancing right along with Broadway greats as well as with members of the big name ballet and modern companies. Baryshnikov and most of the New York City Ballet dancers are partial to Nancy Bielski's class at STEPS; Judy Fugate is a devotee of Mme. Darvash at the Broadway Dance Center; Donna McKechnie and Ann Reinking show up here, there and everywhere as do the American Ballet Theatre dancers; and Savion Glover, when he's not teaching at BDC, can be seen taking class there.

There's no need to feel intimidated, however. Lots of lesser lights and even some avocational adults take class as well. New Yorkers are rabid dance fans and plenty of lawyers, doctors, editors and stockbrokers, having graduated from adult beginner courses some years ago, have no qualms about stepping right up next to the pros and strutting their stuff, whether on their lunch breaks or in the evening. Also, no one seems to pay much attention to designations such as "beginner" or "intermediate," or "advanced." People simply take whichever class fits their schedules, and teachers teach to whomever is in the room.

Some people, admittedly, hate the rush and crush of big collectives, but I'm one of those who loves the "factories." While some New Yorkers think of summer as a time to share a beach house in the Hamptons, I prefer being in those steamy studios with dance luminaries and hopefuls all milling around, stretching in the hallways, massaging sore muscles, coaxing long tresses into French twists, sipping bottled water and exchanging bits of industry gossip. I love the sound of Gershwin coming from one studio and mingling with the strains of Chopin from another. I love standing outside the door of any of the individual studios and watching the dancers in various versions of tattered practice clothes, their sculptured bodies glistening with sweat as they put themselves through the paces of yet another daily class. And I love heading outside to the sun-seared streets after class to have lunch at one of the dance world's hang-outs, shop at one of the city's dancewear emporiums, and then proceed to an evening of dinner and the theatre. I'll hazard a guess that you'll love all of that, too!

I have, of course, a million other things I want to tell you. This letter has only touched on what we call the "uptown scene," meaning dance on the Upper West Side near Lincoln Center and the theatre district. I also want to introduce you to the "downtown scene" in and around Greenwich Village, once mostly modern dance except for the Joffrey School, but now also including the American Ballet Theatre headquarters with open classes at 890 Broadway. Also, the East Side has seen a resurgence recently, and I'll let you in on that, too.

I'm going to sign off for now, but look for news of all of the above (the eateries and the shopping as well as the schools) shortly. I also plan to give you a little tutorial in getting around the city and making sure your sojourn here is a safe one. In the meantime, check out my new flash on the postcard Alvin Ailey/Fordham BFA. I'm in the process of letting companies and venues all over town know that I'm writing to you regularly with news from the city's trenches. Press releases have started pouring in, and I'll sift through them and give you sneak peaks and best bets the minute I have them.

Keep dancing!

Sondra