SSDM x Hollywood Summer Tours

Last October, our competition dance team attended the Groove Convention in Randolph, NJ. The dancers took part in workshops that specialized in different dance choreography. At the end of the day, 15 scholarships were awarded by Groove to attend The Hollywood Summer Tours. One of our dancers, Ashlyn, was one of the 15 students chosen to receive a scholarship!

The Hollywood Summer Tours, founded by Menina D'amours Fortunato, is an invitation only dance career intensive intended for advanced dancers who want to learn about the commercial dance industry in Hollywood. Dancers are mentored by top industry professionals who are actively working in the entertainment industry in LA. In August 2019, Ashlyn, along with 130 dancers from all over the USA, Canada, and the UK, attended the two-week program.

During this two-week program, Ashlyn trained in hip hop, jazz funk, classic jazz, contemporary, and ballet. She trained at famous studios like T Milly, Playground LA, Edge PAC, Liv Art Dance Studio, The Movement Lifestyle, Millennium Dance Complex, Athletic Garage Dance Center, Starwest Studios, Studio School, and IAF Compound.

The dancers all attended a marketing seminar, nutrition seminar, went to Disneyland, spent time at Venice and Santa Monica Beaches, and attended a pre-release private screening of the movie, High Strung. They completed two demo reels, learned the original choreography from Descendants 3 with Louise Hradsky, and had a professional photo shoot. Throughout the program, the dancers learned original choreography for a dance video, directed by Sir Francis Michael, at Universal Studios, Jurassic World, which was the opening video at the Universal Dance Awards in Universal City, held September 11, 2019. At the end of the program, Ashlyn was granted an open invitation for future tours!

We are so proud of you and your hard work and love of dance, Ashlyn!