Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie McQuitty.
Hi Annie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Celebrating our 35th anniversary, DANCE EXCELLENCE has been bringing young dancers and teachers together from around the world to inspire their artistic dreams and goals through education, performance, and friendship. We began by inviting one dance studio from each of the 50 states in the USA, provinces in Canada and the states in Australia which grew into expanding invitations into Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. The world becomes a smaller and friendlier place when you have lunch with, dance next to and make a friend from Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, St. Maarten, Tahiti or Seattle! (About getting started, there were no computers or cell phones when I began this adventure 3+ decades ago, so I spent days and days in the “Stacks” at the library downtown Los Angeles researching dance studios by looking through the big yellow pages telephone books and invited the one with a yellow page ad from the city in each country that had an international airport! I followed up by calling, for example, the studio owner in Sydney, Australia at the cost of $7.00 per minute, and now all these years later, she is my best friend and happily married to one of our DEX Master Teachers!) We are so happy that everyone can find us on Insta, FB, TikTok, and on our website today! We truly appreciate all of the benefits of current technology!
The dancers at DEX enjoy 30+ hours of exciting Master Classes throughout the week with the top Teachers and Choreographers in the Entertainment Industry in a nurturing environment. Many students have their first Singing Class, Tap Class, African Dance Class and Ballroom Class with us… everyone has to try each style offered. 28 years ago the top Ballet School in the Philippines attended and the dancers were terrified to enter the Hip Hop Class and Tap Class…. we asked them to give these a try, and now that same school offers exceptional training in those styles as well as Musical Theater. We want the students and the studio owners to see what is happening in the big dance WORLD!
Dance Excellence and the fun at our global gathering is due to a wonderful group of people who take a week of vacation from their fulltime careers to organize, prepare for and love these dancers for the week… the DEX Staffers. The Staffers come from all walks of life…. producers, editors, actors, executives, administrators, designers, marketers, teachers, even a retired pediatrician… and they are the “secret sauce” who create the magic… a family by choice. I am grateful for this opportunity to thank each and everyone of them… past, present and future… my dear friends.
We are proud of so many “firsts” we started for the student/dancer global community:
First to bring student performers to the stage at Disneyland …. and proud to have helped to develop their program for performance opportunities for hundreds of thousands of kids over the past 35 years at the happiest place on Earth.
First to bring live musicians as their accompaniment into the dance classroom at dance conventions.
First to gather dancers from around the world together for a non-competitive, educational, performance event.
First to offer a Master Teacher Performance/Show at the event, which has become a standard at competitions and conventions in the USA.
First to include the parents completely in the activities of the week with Mothers and Others Classes, Outings and Sightseeing Fun!
We also organize performances for all DEX dancers on stage at Universal Studios Hollywood, at the DEX Showcase and as Company Dancers at the formal Awards Gala … memorable performance experiences for so many young dancers who are first time visitors to Los Angeles, California, and the USA.
Monday Night Live is a special gift from the Master Teachers, LA Choreographers & Dancers in concert ….. a unique night of performance created just for the DEX students, parents and studio owners. We are grateful for our talented Master Teachers and Professional LA Dancers for sharing their talents on stage and inspiring the next generation of global dancers in their classes so generously … our faculty is the creme de la creme of the dance industry.
We have many dancers who attended as young dancers and now own their own dance studios and bring their children and their dancers to DEX… full circle
of the global dance world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have always believed that everyone who is supposed to be at DEX, will be here. DEX is a vehicle for people who love dance to connect. I always tell the kids that when you look out the window from your home you might see a farm in the Midwest, a castle in Scotland, or a skyscraper in NY … and you all love dance… you all have that in common… a perfect connection.
The struggles have been the same throughout the world for “gatherings” like Dance Excellence during and since the pandemic. Traveling internationally was impossible during 2020 and very challenging in 2021 – 2024. It is much more difficult for countries and individual dancers who need a visa to enter the USA. There seems to be an overall uncertainty about committing to traveling internationally now that did not exist previously, along with struggling economies. We are working hard to overcome these challenges.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in the “special touches” far beyond providing dance classes. We choose a new theme for each year noted in many ways… in signage, the DEMail message which is deliver under their hotel room door each night, and shared at community warm up each morning before Master Classes. Some of our recent themes have been TOGETHER, BELIEVE, FLOURISH, GRATEFUL HEARTS to name a few. Another special touch is that our Master Teachers use live musicians for accompaniment in many classes including pianists, African drummers, guitarists and singers. We celebrate every day and decorate dining rooms for all the lunches and dinners, with “over the top” decor, musicians and gifts at the formal Awards Gala.
The studio owners and teachers are “in the trenches” every day at their studios, so our goal is to refresh, restore and honor them every day of the week in some way…. Directors-Only Luncheons with live entertainment, guest speakers and gifts, receptions with champagne, mimosas and juices, and Director Only Classes with some movement and a lot of sharing… the joys and challenges of running a dance studio are the same whether you are located in Wales or Kansas. Since their studios are not from their neighborhoods at home, the sharing is safe and very real. Other than the actual week of DEX, my favorite days throughout the year are spent on the phone or FT with our studio owners…. they are smart and funny and loving… mostly business owners by default due to their love of dance, and all of them artists. They become my friends and advisors.
You ask what I am most proud of? I am proud that I have created a space for people who all love the same thing, to connect and support each other in a deeply meaningful way. They open their hearts to each other and develop forever friendships based on this shared experience, and their respect for each other.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
During the Pandemic, a group of studio owners began meeting every Tuesday night on zoom and I was invited to join them. They are problem solvers and now after meeting consistently for 5 years, they have given me a real understanding of what it is like to be a dance studio owner… the joys and the challenges. With admiration, I bring these shared ideas to our group of studio owners each year at DEX.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danceexcellence.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceexcellence/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanceEXLA/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danceexcellence7726
Image Credits
@boivinphoto
