Within the high-stakes world of aggressive dance, the place trophies usually overshadow the pure pleasure of dance, Meghan Harvey, founder and CEO of Ignite Dance Competitors, noticed one thing lacking: real group, genuine encouragement, and a reminder that dance is about a lot greater than first place. Launched in 2019, simply earlier than the world shut down, Ignite was born from her years as a choose touring the nation, witnessing younger dancers’ ardour dim beneath rising strain as they acquired older.
What began as a daring leap from company life has grown right into a beloved east coast competitors with a devoted following. Ignite now spans over 20 cities with 1000’s of dancers every season. Each Ignite occasion is constructed on one highly effective pillar: group, which helps each dancer really feel seen, valued and free to be themselves.
This need to let dancers be totally themselves flows from Harvey’s ardour for equipping them for the long-haul, whether or not they have a profession in dance or elsewhere. She shares, “As a choose, I felt the load of ‘Are we doing every little thing we are able to to empower these younger dancers to go forth and set their hearts on hearth?’ Generally that’ll be an expert dance profession. Different instances they’ll develop into nice bodily therapists or dentists or academics.” Harvey continues, “The youngsters in my lessons can say, ‘Oh Miss Meghan is so humorous,’ however the dancers I’m judging can’t see that in a two-and-a-half-minute critique. Sure, we can provide nice suggestions, and I hope they return to the studio and that excites them, however what concerning the relationship half? That’s such an enormous half as soon as they get out of competitors.”
This deal with relationships shines brightest in Ignite’s Ambassador Program. What began to assist dancers really feel a part of the group, and lift model consciousness, has become the true coronary heart of Ignite’s group. “We choose a gaggle of about 30 dancers yearly, usually one dancer per studio. They symbolize us for the yr,” says Harvey. “We’ll deliver them to Charleston the place we do some coaching and conference lessons with them. We wish them to get to know one another. Once we’re out on tour, these dancers turn out to be the bridge between us and the dancers competing.”
The Ambassador Program provides dancers permission to cheer each other on, even when they’re from completely different studios. Ignite’s ‘Firecracker Award’ has turn out to be a pivotal software for Ambassadors as they ignite group. Harvey explains, “At each session, Ambassadors get a choose variety of rubber orange and black tie-dyed bracelets that say “firecracker” to provide to dancers. They offer them to dancers that encourage them, and for each Ambassador that appears completely different – generally it’s that they danced to the identical music as their first solo, different instances it’s overcoming nerves, others it’s their approach. Our aim for them is to encourage dancers and that’s one of many methods they get to.”
The Ignite staff had no thought how impactful receiving a rubber bracelet can be. Harvey shares, “Generally I genuinely suppose which means extra to them than an adjudication as a result of for that second, somebody noticed them for who they’re and went out of their option to say one thing.”
Ambassadors additionally assist hand out awards, and as Ignite has grown, help with conventions. Along with three non-competitive fall conventions targeted on studying and progress, Ignite affords two free 30-minute conference lessons every competitors weekend, taught by judges – one more bridge for constructing group. The guts of those lessons is to provide dancers a possibility to develop on what they know with out the strain of competing.
Harvey says, “Our aim with the conference lessons was to drop that fourth wall between the judges and the dancers to assist them see themselves. We attempt to be very intentional with who’s on our judging panel and the experiences they’ve had, in order that after they have the lessons with dancers, the dancers can see themselves doing one thing much like what the choose does. The judges do a extremely nice job of speaking that they wish to see dancers present up as themselves and never have every little thing excellent. That helps the dancers see that the judges are individuals too.”
As a result of constructing group and real relationships are such pillars of Ignite, choosing judges that align with their imaginative and prescient is essential. When interviewing judges, Ignite appears to be like for the proper quantity of robust love, a capability to make every dancer really feel seen and valued, but in addition giving sensible suggestions they’ll apply within the studio straight away. Their three-judge panel comes from various backgrounds, however all are united by the need to pour every little thing into their time with dancers, hoping even only one receives encouragement to gentle their journey.
Harvey explains, “It’s all about supply. Let’s imagine the identical message in two alternative ways. It comes again to the willingness to go above and past, that they’re so invested in seeing this subsequent technology succeed and wish to see the dance world proceed past us.”
Ignite retains weekends manageable with capped entries for cheap finish instances, no begins earlier than 8am and no late nights, and schedules constructed with academics in thoughts. As a fellow studio proprietor, Harvey is aware of firsthand the fact of lengthy competitors weekends, so each occasion features a ‘trainer tent’ stuffed with snacks, drinks, and even a few stools to take a fast breather.
Those that have seen an Ignite occasion in motion understand how particular they’re. Harvey shares, “The crew and judges all have the mentality that we could also be from completely different studios, however we’re all in one another’s nook and someday we might find yourself working jobs collectively. We’ll hear from mother and father that their dancers felt they may present up authentically themselves, reasonably than simply to suit a mould to get first place. If we are able to train a dancer to really feel that at 9, the strain they’ll really feel at 15 or 16 is so completely different as a result of they’re dancing for them and never everyone else.”
Harvey’s mission of making a contest with genuine group, real encouragement, and stuffed with reminders that dance is about a lot greater than first place stays unwavering. She hopes the following technology of dancers really feel this. “I hope that they’re inspired to be them, and know there’s a spot for them and it doesn’t must be onstage. Whether or not it’s a dance profession, or one thing else, all the teachings you discovered at school – self-discipline, time administration, teamwork – these will carry you far in life.”
Ignite’s 2026 season, its largest season but, is underway now, with tour dates throughout the east coast. Go to ignitedancecompetition.com to be taught extra, and observe Ignite on Instagram: @ignitedancecomp.
By Melody McTier Thomason of Dance Informa.
