Within the aggressive dance world, Starbound Nationwide Expertise Competitors has earned a particular place among the many high names within the business. Based in 1994, Starbound has grown into one of many largest and most revered dance competitions in the USA, admired for its inclusive and family-like environment. This Dance Informa interview brings us behind the scenes with founder Sandra Coyte, revealing the journey behind Starbound’s success, its influence on the dance neighborhood and the thrilling plans in retailer for the longer term.
Since its inception, Starbound has distinguished itself with a singular mixture of professionalism and heat. Moreover having essentially the most regional occasions per season, it is usually acknowledged by many from its appearances on the hit present, Dance Mothers. The competitors additionally boasts a prestigious judging panel, which incorporates top-tier expertise from Broadway choreographers, Radio Metropolis Rockettes, and dancers with credit in movie and tv.
Coyte’s imaginative and prescient for Starbound grew out of her personal experiences as a dance instructor and studio proprietor. Reflecting on her motivations for founding Starbound, Coyte explains, “I knew a contest was wanted which might relate to the shopper as their peer. I additionally knew we would have liked some new recent concepts to pioneer this business!” From its earliest days, Starbound has championed a deal with customer support, setting itself aside by constructing sturdy relationships with studio administrators, dancers and their households. “Buyer Service is a real concern for the way our occasions are run,” Coyte emphasizes. “Together with making a household oriented, nurturing setting for academics, dancers and their households.”
Constructing a platform like Starbound didn’t come with out its challenges, notably in an business the place women-owned companies are nonetheless within the minority. “The most important problem was being a feminine and a mother of two younger youngsters making an attempt to make her mark in a male-dominated company platform,” Coyte displays. “Having to show that our prospects are households, and a family-friendly occasion is what was wanted. Nothing company about that!” Starbound’s dedication to this imaginative and prescient has made it a favourite within the dance neighborhood and a supply of inspiration for dancers of all ranges.
Starbound’s influence additionally extends past the competitors ground. By way of its partnership with the Dancers Care Basis, Starbound has raised over $2.4 million for most cancers analysis, underscoring its dedication to creating a optimistic distinction. The neighborhood can stay up for much more within the coming years. “We plan on increasing Dancers Care Basis by holding a NYC awards gala in 2026, the place dancers can earn their efficiency place and meet among the dance idols from Broadway,” Coyte reveals. On the subject of what else we will count on within the coming years, Coyte mentions, “We additionally plan on a world tour to Australia, London and Eire.”
In relation to inclusivity, Starbound goes the additional mile to make sure that dancers of all ranges really feel supported and impressed. “We work exhausting to ensure all dancers shine,” Coyte shares. “Not simply the highest general, however all for his or her exhausting work and efforts. We’re consistently searching for methods to inspire and encourage the younger inexperienced dancer.”
This strategy has grow to be certainly one of Starbound’s defining traits, fostering an setting the place everybody — from learners to superior dancers — can really feel snug and motivated. It’s heartening for among the judges to go to the identical cities yr after yr and watch the dancers develop from season to season. Starbound’s occasions have a good time effort and progress alongside achievement, which Coyte sees as integral to the competitors’s core mission.
Starbound’s success is a testomony to the power of the relationships Coyte has cultivated with dancers, households and studios throughout the nation. As Starbound continues to develop and evolve, Coyte stays devoted to her authentic imaginative and prescient — one which locations individuals and their ardour for dance at its coronary heart. Whether or not creating new alternatives for dancers or constructing a optimistic dance neighborhood, Starbound is poised to depart a good larger mark on the dance world within the years to come back.
For extra data on Starbound, go to www.starbound.internet.
By Abby DeReamer of Dance Informa.
