In 1989, CEO Shari Tomasiello and her mom created Headliners with a easy mission: that it will be an educationally primarily based and goal-oriented competitors, offering a enjoyable and inspiring surroundings that’s inclusive of dancers of all sizes, ranges, and skills. As Headliners continues to broaden—the 2025 tour boasts 33 regional competitions, two nationwide competitions, and 5 conventions this fall—Tomasiello stays dedicated to that basis, and to retaining the dancers on the middle of all of it. “We’ve at all times been in regards to the youngsters,” she says. “This isn’t only a job for us. It’s actually and really a ardour.”
Headliners’ strategy speaks for itself: Over the previous yr, the competitors has acquired a report variety of optimistic opinions, commending Tomasiello and her workforce on their professionalism, heat, and enthusiasm for younger dancers, and noting the equity of the judging. “We’re at all times rooting for the dancers,” says Tomasiello of Headliners’ values. “We hope they focus not on the award earned, however on the expertise, the chance to proceed to study and develop, and to make new friendships and connections.”
Conserving Competing Inexpensive
Coming from a dance studio background, Tomasiello and her two daughters, with whom she now runs the corporate, know what it feels prefer to attend a contest as a dancer, father or mother, and trainer. Conserving the bills that come with competing in thoughts, Headliners goals to take care of affordable entry charges. Headliners was additionally the primary competitors or conference to supply pictures and video freed from cost—a convention Tomasiello is proud to uphold.
Accommodating College students’ Schedules
To streamline the registration course of, studios are prompted to point scheduling conflicts that they want the competitors to accommodate. Realizing this data upfront permits Headliners to create particular schedules for every occasion, that are shared with the taking part studios weeks upfront. Tomasiello can be aware of scholars’ college schedules in terms of weekend begin and finish instances. “By limiting entries, we be certain that occasions start after college hours,” she says, including that Headliners additionally goals to finish at an honest hour on Sundays.
Specializing in Progress
Headliners is deeply dedicated to following its personal guidelines. As an example, the competitors gives three ranges, but when the judging panel notices a routine registered in a degree that appears too low for the dancers’ talent degree, they’ll modify that routine to the suitable degree. “Studios ought to need to give their dancers the chance to be the most effective variations of themselves,” says Tomasiello. “And our ranges are such that every offers extra alternatives, with the best degree providing money and different scholarships. We consider passionately that competitions can, and may, be used to boost the schooling of dancers.”
Supporting Dancers’ Futures
Headliners helps dancers’ progress past the competitors stage by partnering with a rising variety of organizations—together with AMDA, The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts, and Peridance Heart—which give scholarships to opponents. By means of Headliners’ Trophy or Charity program, studios and dancers can choose and donate the worth of their awards to numerous charities, together with the Headliners Basis, which offers school scholarships for dancers who attend Nationals and are thinking about pursuing a level or profession in dance.
Tomasiello believes that the life expertise that dancers study from coaching and competitions are important whether or not or not they’re thinking about pursuing knowledgeable efficiency profession. “Dance actually does present a lot extra past the approach,” she says. “It’s the camaraderie, the teamwork, the power, the best way you carry your self. All the pieces can be utilized transferring ahead in your life.”
Increasing Headliners’ Attain
As Headliners heads into its 2025 tour, it continues to develop, including extra stops on each the East and West Coasts which is able to result in Nationwide Championships, in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey, and Northern California.
Headliners is including extra conference stops than ever earlier than, which is able to embody lessons like floorwork, jazz funk, and Bollywood. Exposing dancers to kinds they won’t get of their house studios harkens again to Headliners’ dedication to schooling. “It’s about making the dancers that attend our occasions be ok with their accomplishments,” says Tomasiello. “Whatever the rating or award.”
Pre-registration to carry your spot for Headliners 2024 Conventions and 2025 Competitions is now out there. On-line registration formally opens July fifteenth. For extra data on attending a Headliners occasion subsequent yr, click on right here, or e-mail [email protected].
