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We want to know who, the when and the why about the UK’s dance competitions. The awesome Destination Dance are next up to answer our ‘5 questions’….

Who are the people behind Destination Dance and what has been their experience in the events/ dance industry?

“Our Founder and Director Mandy Montanez, started her career in film and television. She was finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 1 and has appeared in feature films including Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast” and “Mama Mia 2 Here we go again” she has danced with the Rolling Stones, Rhianna, Florence and the machine to name a few. In addition to dancing, Mandy is a keen business women and entrepreneur who believes anything is achievable with hard work, wisdom and a little determination.

 

Mandy Montanez
DD founder, Mandy Montanez
All of our staff from our compare to our backstage manager are not just experienced performers but are all positive, kind, hard working and most of all believe in the company and what it does for our customers. This unique combination of skills makes the Destination team a pleasure to work with.”

 

When did Destination Dance start – and has it lived up to your expectations?

“Destination Dance was started 5 years ago with a one day competition and 11 dance schools. Since its first year, its popularity has exceeded expectations and now runs competitions all over the UK and Spain. We have seen highly talented competitors coming from all around the world including, Brazil, Australia, Iceland and Cyprus. Our largest competition saw 800 entries over 4 days and sold out 3 months before the closing date. We are proud of the success we have seen over the past five years and are excited about our future plans to bring Destination Dance to the rest of the world.”

 

What aspects did you consider as particularly important when you started out – what did you want to achieve?

“Mandy Montanez our founder was very clear with her objectives when she started Destination Dance. She herself grew up dancing in competitions and wanted to give the next generation the same excitement she felt when she competed as a child. It was important to her that the competition was not about winning but about learning, growing and creating a wider dance community where all schools can come together to celebrate dance as a whole.”

 

We love reading about the background of judges when we’re at a competition – who are your favourite go to judges?

“It takes a special kind of person to be a Destination Dance judge. All of our judges are not just experienced dancers and performers but they are all chosen to join the team because they share one special quality, passion. All performances are recorded then overlaid with each judge providing independent feedback to be used in the studio after the competition for the school to learn from and improve upon. Because of our unique way of giving critiques it is imperative our judges are knowladgeable, positive, and most of all believe in inpsiring young dancers to achieve their potential.”

 

Destination Dance

 

Tell us about anything else that makes your events special, what can we really look forward to?

“Destination Dance prides itself on being well run, professional and friendly, but mostly we are a team passionate about dance. We of course have big awards cermonies prizes and scholarships to some of the best schools in the UK including Bird College, London Studio Centre, Tring Park and Pineapple Dance Studios. But what really sets us apart is the feedback we get from teachers and parents who say how fun and stress free our events are. Its not easy running a dance competition but we think we have found a winning formula which give parents, students and teachers fun professional and exciting events to take part in. Like our competators we continually strive to refine and improve!”

Next Up For Destination Dance….

Destination Dance – Surrey

February 1, 2020 – February 2, 2020

Destination Dance – Kent

February 29, 2020 – March 1, 2020

Destination Dance – Scotland

March 7, 2020 – March 8, 2020

To see a full list of comps check out our DestinationDance page or head to destinationdanceuk.com