Located on the second floor on the 6700 block on Hollywood Boulevard is the home of International Dance Academy. Nestled snugly above and across the Ripley Museum between Highland and McCadden Place, it is conveniently accessible to those looking for it. Having arrived fresh off the Metro Red Line last Wednesday evening, I didn’t know what to expect - other than perhaps leotards, gym bags, and some good beats - but let’s just say that the first impression most definitely delivered.
Passing through its narrow unassuming entrance and up two flights of stairs is revealed to the public a different view than that which could be suggested from standing on the street. If Heaven were a dance studio, this would be the place. With many rooms and glistening wooden floors, crystal clear windows with a view of the city, and a central hub with which to run into fellow students from all walks, it is easily a place that any burgeoning talent could call home. Of course, any reputable studio is entitled to its share of self-acknowledged splendor, but a highlighted feature was pleasing to this observant femme - while its name graces every other wall in red-and-black print, the message and aura is simple: ‘It’s so nice to have you here with us. Let’s dance’.
Mad skills
Due to the determination of Maya Katsuragi, president of International Dance Academy, five Academies have been opened in Tokyo, already having inspired 10,000 students in Japan alone to excel in their admirable talents. Part of the Campus Hollywood family, IDA has been established for dance students from all walks, encouraging positivity and diversity within the dance community. Katsuragi’s current goals consist of opening Academies on nearly every continent, and with offers from China, Shanghai, and Korea, she doesn’t intend on stopping there. Classes at IDA currently range from hip-hop and jazz to ballet and samba, taught by a staff mainly of professional choreographers, many who have worked with some of the hottest modern acts around. The opportunity to be under the tutelage of those with such success is influential to those who will train to be professionals; however, a imperative common thread is clear: dance is a celebration of life. International Dance Academy has been built upon such a foundation, which has apparently served as a motivating factor to invite as many persons to the celebration as possible.
DJs get the party started
At the realization that I was standing in the midst of one’s dream-turned-reality is where the evening began. One of the main dance rooms at the Academy effortlessly became a dance circle, with breakdancers and street dancers pumping up the crowd surrounding. Many performers commanded the room’s attention - starting with Tiffany Dunn, a new singing talent whose voice enchanted the audience in preparation for dancing team Peppa and Bailafuco, who moved about in the style of lindy hop meets hip-hop. Hollywood Pop Academy educator LeJon Walker, his band, and his students brought the whole room to their knees with original songs, arrangements, and renditions, including Al Green’s “Let’s Get Together” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. Instructors Ed Moore, Paula Prata, and Legacy - whose individual portfolios are bursting at the seams - showcased their skills in the realm of hip-hop, belly-dancing, and break dancing, respectively. Marie Poppins, Pandora, Joell, Kid Boogie, and Jay Smooth - instructional performers and friends of the IDA family - all took their turns on the floor with hip-hop and street dance. Styles of popping, crunking, stepping, strutting, boogaloo, and robotics kept the heads a-boppin’ and the whoops a-hollerin’. Entertaining and to the brim with feel-goodness and camaraderie, it certainly was a party no one - and I mean no one - wanted to quit.
With equal parts of electricity moving through one’s body and the ability to hone a talent, thereby remaining versatile in a world that exists to wow the audience, the International Dance Academy prides itself in being a company for and by the dancers. Truly the best quality about it is its human quality, from the president and the instructors right down to the students - in that whether you come with dreams of being the next best thing, or you’re simply learning something new, you still leave a human being: educated, enlightened, and with wonderment at what your body - by way of your mind and your spirit - can do.
International Dance Academy Hollywood
Campus Hollywood
Hollywood Pop Academy
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