We are currently working on the Venue for our Annual February Dance Machine Convention. We will post and communicate with Studios as soon as this information is solid and available. Thank You for your Understanding, Kindness, and Patience during this time.
SCROLL DOWN FOR FALL CONVENTION
Venues, Host Hotels, & Faculty Bios
VENUE:
Smokey Mountain Convention Center
4010 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
HOST HOTEL:
Evergreen Smokey Mountain Lodge
4010 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
(865) 453-1823
RATE $95.00
**Same Property as the Convention Center**
VENUE:
Kristy’s Dance Academy
Starmount Crossing
217 Winston Road
Jonesville, NC 28642
There are Separate Outside Entrances for each Classroom Space at this Venue. We also have access to additional spaces as needed. The Solo Competition portion of the Convention will be held at an off-site location. We will follow all guidelines/restrictions in place at the time of this Event.
HOST HOTELS:
Hampton Inn Jonesville/Elkin
1632 Winston Road/ NC Hwy 67
Jonesville, NC 28642
336-835-1994
RATE COMING SOON!!!
Classes in: Jazz, Lyrical/Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Tap, Commercial Dance, Audition Session, and Improv
SPECIAL FEATURE: The X-treme Dancer Competition…dancers are judged on Combination/Skills from Core Classes, compete in an Improv Round, and perform their Solo. Judged by the Teaching Faculty. Multiple Awards are given in each area of competition, Top Overall Scores from each Age Division are named Xtreme Dancers.
Meet The Faculty
Ryan Bartley is from Vinton, VA. She is the director and lead choreographer at Studio 45. Ryan has been dancing since the age of 5, and has been teaching since 2010 when Studio 45 opened its doors . She teaches multiple styles of dance, from clogging, and tap, to jazz, contemporary, and hiphop. Ryan has choreographed multiple theatre productions including “Smokey Joe’s Café” which earned her recognition from Disney Executives when they traveled to a national competition in Orlando, Florida. Ryan attended Radford University and studied Dance Education. In 2013 Ryan was chosen as the America’s Teacher of the Year at Dance Machine Nationals in Rock Hill, SC. Ryan and her competitive dancers have achieved multiple high scoring awards, special judges awards, ADCC Studio of Excellence for regional competitions in 2017 and 2018, and the studio also received the National ADCC Studio of Excellence award in 2017 from Dance Machine Productions, and in 2020 from Boogie Fever. Ryan was also chosen to co-choreograph the National Dream Team for Dance Machine Productions in 2019. She has also choreographed for multiple National Title weekends, has also judged many different competitions on the East Coast, and is a sought after Choreographer for many studios in the Southeast. Ryan is known for her innovative, cutting edge, and dynamic choreography. She is a favorite Instructor for the Xtreme Dance Convention, we are excited to have her back with us this year.
Daniel Browning is the Creator and CEO of Dance 2 Inspire and the Unleashed Convention. He has been featured on So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent and has worked with artists all over the country, dancing, choreographing, and directing. He has most recently partnered with Stephen Jones from Step Up: All In to launch Hip Hop Augusta, a stepping stone for young dancers to understand the hip hop culture and to experience the entertainment industry. He’s worked with Leon Lee (Beyoncé, Ciara, Beth Spangler from The Voice), Stevo Jones (Lyndsey Sterling, Step Up, Lloyd), and He has been featured in many commercials and feature films such as Baywatch, Baby Driver, and Harley Davidson. His passion is to empower the younger generation, providing resources and opportunities that he never had. Daniel is a favorite Instructor in the ANDC Family and is well known for his exciting and out of the box approach to hip-hop not only in his choreography but in his teaching as well. We always love having Daniel with us and are elated to have him back at the Xtreme Dance Convention this year.
Chi Lopes grew up training at excellent dance studios in Arizona (Dance Connection) and Tennessee (DC Dance Factory). When she turned 18 she moved to LA to pursue her dreams of performing. Once in Hollywood Chi instantly started booking jobs and from that point on has had an extensive career in the arts. Everything from TV, Film, Commercials, Awards Shows, World Tours, Corporate Shows, Musicals, Theme Parks, Casino’s, Resorts and more. Chi has worked with legends and super stars across the world. Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Pitbull, Neyo, Mike Meyers, Jake Owen, Kenny Chesney, Danny Gokey, Lenny Kravitz, Natalie Grant, Tom Jones, Heather Locklear, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson to name a few. Chi has also performed on and represented: Grammy’s, Emmy’s, VMA’s, CMA’s, CMT Awards, America’s Got Talent, CSI, Nickelodeon, Fruit of the Loom, Haagen Daz, Dom Perignon, Nike, GMC, Maybelline, Redken and MANY more. After several years dancing Chi naturally fell into assisting choreographers and Choreographing herself. She has choreographed for Ringling Bros Circus, K-Love Fan Awards, Dollar General, Ally Bank, Bellissimo Dance Boutique, Krystal Meyers on the Revolve Tour, Harrah’s Casino, and Wyndham Bahamas Resort to name a few. She’s also no stranger to the dance competition world, working for and choreographing at many studio’s in the south and holding multiple choreography awards and national titles. She has also worked on a couple conventions and been a judge at dance competitions. With her years of experience in Los Angeles and beyond Chi Lopes has created a production company to open up even more opportunities for young dancers called Shy Dance Productions. SDP provides specialty master classes held around the Nashville, TN area that are open to all dancers from any studio, privates in multiple styles, on-camera training, seminars, placing dancers in job opportunities, and taking yearly trips to LA to train and educate among the best in the industry. Chi has a passion to help young dancers reach their full potential in training and in their profession.
Christopher Robbins a born South Carolinian is an International Performer. A Member of the Actors Equity Union, Chris has worked professionally in Entertianment for ober 24 years and his spectrum ranges from Singer, Dancer, Actor, Producer, Director, and Choreographer. Chris ahs worked with artist/choreogrpahers such as Donny & Jimmy Osmond, Daris Rucker, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Holiday, The Pointer Sisters, Lee Greenwood, Caroline Lewis Jones, Gil Stroming, Adrienne Cantera, Jean Whitaker, Dusty Button, Joe Lanteri, and More. He has worked for companies such as Opryland Productions,Gaylord Productions, Victoria’s Secret, Hardrive Productions, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Walt Disney World Productions, and Tokyo Disney Productions just to highlight a few. Chris was int he Disney Productions of “Beauty and the Beast”, “Lion King”, and “Tarzan Rocks” to name a few. He was a Full Time Swing for “Legends in Concert” based out of Las Vegas for 8 years. He has played the role of “The Grinch” for the City of Savannah for the past 4 years and in “The Nutcracker” Ballet at the Lucas Theater as a Gust Artist Grande Pas de Deux from 2017-2019. He has worked with Hardrive Productions as the Production Assistant to the President/CEO Pamela Bolling where he facilitated shows for Celebrity Cruises & many other companies. Chris recently finsihed on the movie “1 Chance 2 Dance” filmed in LA as choreographer & played the role of “Alex.”
Presently, Chris is an adjunct college professor in the Theatre & Dance major department at the college of Charleston. He is a well known and loved master teacher, choreographer, and faculty member for many competition/convention circuits and member organizations across the US. Chris is the CEO and residing Artistic Director of E’clatez Production Company.
Kelly Sammon a favorite in the Dance Machine Family is a 2007 graduate of Kent State University in northeastern Ohio. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance. The dance program at Kent State University focused not only on the technical aspects of a meticulous training schedule, but also on a strong historical and academic perspective of dance, preparing her to become a professional dancer and educator. Kelly benefitted from training in an academic environment and was able to train alongside professionals in the field, who came to the University to set pieces on the pre-professional company, The Kent Dance Ensemble, where Kelly was chose as a sophomore to join. Kelly’s performance credits consisted of works under Cliff Keuter, Robin Richardson, Tanya Mucci and Sabatino Verlezza. She also had the privilege of performing at The American College Dance Festival at University of Buffalo and Wayne State in Michigan. While at Kent State, Kelly studied under the direction of many greats; Barbara Verlezza, Andrea Shearer, Joan Meggitt and Kimberly Karpanty through the concentrations of the May O’Donnell technique, Erick Hawkins technique, Lynn Simonson jazz technique and Release Post-Modern. Kelly has also had extensive training in Improvisation and Composition. Through her tenure in college, Kelly was the Teacher’s Assistant for master classes for students with disabilities at the SELS Division of Kent State University and also
acted as a Dance Instructor (KSU Non-Credit Instructor). She was invited to teach several master hip-hop and jazz classes to students enrolled in Dance as an Art Form at Kent State University.
After graduation, Kelly danced professionally with Travesty Dance Group and Verlezza Dance until she relocated to Washington D.C. in 2008 to accept an esteemed full-time position with Adagio Ballet in Arlington and Fairfax,
Virginia as a Program Director and Marketing Coordinator. She also acted as a guest artist as the Advanced Tap instructor at the Center for Ballet Arts in Fairfax City, VA. Kelly danced professionally in the national setting with
Dancin’ Unlimited under the direction of Marilyn York, and also worked with the CAPS program, Creative Arts Program in Public Schools. Kelly was a choreographer and trainer for the competition troupe Blair Dance Studio
until Patrice Blair’s retirement in 2015 where in the same year she received ANDC’s Dance Machine Productions 2015 ‘Teacher of the Year’ in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kelly is also the Dance Team Coach for the Battlefield High School Dance Team where she works and collaborates with collegiate programs and coaches, reviews, and implements rules and regulations from organizations such as the American Spirit Championships, Universal Dance Association, and National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Purple Reign Dance Team holds several winnings and title with the Prince William County Dance Championships Dance Team and the Union Regional Championships.
She continually extending her dance education by traveling across the country to attend master classes and conventions along with teaching master classes and setting choreography on various studios along the east coast.
