As an educator and founding director of Francisco Guerra Dance Studio, Francisco Guerra has nearly 30 years of teaching experience at universities, conservatories, studios, competitions and conferences. Now he combines the best aspects of all these different environments at the ROOTS Dance Summit. “The ROOTS Dance Summit I created is a hybrid of many forms,” Gella said. “I want dancers to have the opportunity to compete while also gaining a better understanding of who they are as artists.”
Built on the “6Cs” (Community, Curriculum, Competition, Criticism, Celebration, College/Career), the ROOTS Dance Summit is more than just a competition or conference; it is a comprehensive, integrated experience designed to inspire students passion for dance and helping them chart a path to achieving their goals. The first weekend of inspiring, educational, performance-packed events will be held January 24-26 next year in Phoenix, Arizona, and the second weekend will be held February 7-9 in Montgomery, Alabama held. And that’s just the beginning; as the program grows, Gellar plans to expand weekend events in more cities.
Provide something useful for everyone
Gella designed the ROOTS Dance Summit curriculum to appeal to dancers, teachers, directors, and parents alike. “All dance classes are open for teacher observation, and we will also host specialized sessions for teachers on a range of topics from motivational strategies and technical training to rehearsal guidance,” Guerra said. “We also hope to educate parents by offering workshops on planning for the future, managing expectations and college preparation.” All classes will be led by ROOTS Dance Summit’s esteemed faculty: professional company directors and choreographers who Dedicated to mentoring the next generation of artists. Attendees will also hear at the summit from university representatives and leading dance health and wellness experts on topics relevant to every age group, from tweens (10-12 years old) to tweens (13-15 years old) and seniors (13-15 years old).
build community
The ROOTS Dance Summit at Gella is a great environment both for meeting new dancers and for studios to engage together, strengthen team bonding and grow. “We hope they can use the feedback and strategies they learn from ROOTS as a strong complement for the remainder of the season,” Gella said. The event will also allow students to connect across studio boundaries, blurring the lines between competition and friendship. “On Saturday night, we plan to host an exciting social event where attendees can get out of the studio ‘bubble’ and make valuable connections,” Gellar said. “Community is a core principle of ROOTS, so throughout every aspect of the summit we want to demonstrate the importance of supporting everyone’s success, no matter which team you belong to.”
Break the status quo
The competition portion of the ROOTS Dance Summit is carefully designed to reward a wide range of achievements, yet is refreshingly simple. “We reward the top five solo dancers in each dance genre and age group, as well as the top 10 overall group dances,” explains Gella. “These top 10 routines will then be invited to re-compete for a bronze, silver or gold medal in each category at our finals event.” In addition to medals, students will have the opportunity to win admission to esteemed universities and summer intensive programs. Scholarships, including events in dance works by Francisco Guerra. “We will also create unique juried awards to recognize dancers and teachers for their artistic talent, rehearsal guidance, outstanding training, etiquette and more,” Gellar added.
Kicked off
A high level of valuable criticism and feedback is at the heart of the ROOTS Dance Summit experience. By limiting the number of entries and total attendance, we ensure each entrant receives highly personal and actionable feedback from the judges. In addition to providing participants with written critiques from each judge, the ROOTS Dance Summit will feature an open feedback forum that breaks the fourth wall between judges, performers and observers. “After the competition, the jury will have the opportunity to directly communicate any trends or issues they observed and answer questions from the dancers and audience,” Gellar explained.
Young professional instructors, either college dance students or recent graduates, will assist the ROOTS Dance Summit faculty and provide relevant guidance to the dancers. “This way, students get the perfect balance between mentors who have shaped the industry for decades and young professionals who have recently stepped into the shoes of dancers and grasp what is happening now,” said Guerra .
celebrate the journey
ROOTS Dance Summit’s innovative event blends community building, competition and education to allow dancers to reach their full potential, and Gella hopes to unlock the full potential of the industry as a whole. “Our goal is to combine the best aspects of competition dance and concert dance, which are often on opposite sides of the venue before dancers enter the professional world,” he said. “Competition is part of the fun, but that’s not all. Furthermore, we want to help dancers discover what is unique about themselves and the studio.” The ROOTS Dance Summit will inspire students to define their own art and voice and, most importantly, feel truly seen and accepted.
Registration will open on July 31, 2024 for the two 2025 ROOTS Dance Summit locations (Phoenix, AZ and Montgomery, AL). Register here Receive updates via email.
