Velocity Convention Info & General Schedule

A message from the directors of Velocity:

The general schedule for the weekend is available here. A detailed competition schedule will be posted soon.

We are so excited to be coming to Provo in just a little over a week! Below you will find the information needed for this event.

Season VI | Change Your Perspective Tour:

At Velocity Dance Convention, we are always striving to improve the experience that our attendees have. From dancers and parents to studio owners, it is important to us that you feel that you are getting your money’s worth during a Velocity weekend, as well as investing your time wisely.

We want to encourage you to Change Your Perspective on how your children/students take class in a convention setting. Last year we offered dancers from a few of our larger cities the opportunity to experience class in a setting with no observers. The results were fantastic! We discovered that closing classes to observers enabled the students to be less inhibited and more focused. This change promoted an atmosphere of concentration and learning and lead to a more fulfilling dance experience for many students. Best of all, we noted that no observers gave classes a little more room to spread out, allowing each dancer more space in which to work. This meant fewer injuries and a safer environment for everyone.

Velocity Dance Convention is pleased to announce that we will be extending this opportunity to all students in attendance this season! We will be closing our classes to observers for Junior, Teen, and Senior ballrooms in order to reap the benefits of a safer dance environment and greater focus for students and instructors.

Minis classes will be unaffected by this change. Open observation will still be permitted for Minis. One free Mini observer band will be provided for each student registered.

Parents – Velocity Dance Convention is also pleased to announce the continuation of a new program we have designed specifically for you. We invite you to Change Your Perspective, get inspired, and join Gina Pero for a selection of exciting and informative seminars covering topics, such as tips to help your child build his or her confidence through dance. Gina will be offering these valuable seminars exclusively here at Velocity. Please check the weekend schedule for times and locations.

A FREE admission to these Parent Seminars will be given to one parent for each room booked at the host hotel. Please visit the Velocity registration booth to receive your wristband. If you are not staying with us at the host hotel but would like to purchase a wristband, they will be available at the Velocity registration booth for $30 and will cover the cost of admission to all seminars throughout the weekend.

Teachers are still allowed in classes. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: What other options will there be for how parents can spend their time during Velocity Dance Convention?

A: In addition to the exclusive seminars offered by Gina Pero which parents are encouraged to attend, we will set up a remote viewing area for parents that are still interested in observing their child’s class. Parents will still have the option to observe classes via closed-circuit television at this location.

Q: I’m concerned about the safety of my children. What does Velocity do to ensure the safety of the dancers, especially since parents will not be physically present for classes?

A: Velocity has no higher priority than the safety of its attendees. To promote the safety of the dancers, Velocity Dance Convention has staff members with medical training who have a great deal of experience in handling any potential injuries or medical concerns which could potentially arise.

TEACHER AND PARENT PROGRAM

Velocity is thrilled to welcome Gina Pero, a certified life coach, dance educator, and speaker to the 2017 Be the Light Tour! Gina Pero is the first ever engagement speaker taking a convention stage to uplift, motivate, and inspire each audience. Transforming the lives of students of all ages and on all levels, Gina has developed innovative seminars that offer simple and quick solutions to problems specific to dance studios, universities, and artistic programs. Three common dangers include, self doubt, body image, and communication barriers. Gina has become a pioneer in setting our dance industry and families up for a new level of success. This year, Gina has created our very own parent/teacher program that will be offered each weekend. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from the University at Buffalo and is a also certified Simonson Dance Technique Teacher. Having an extensive and versatile experience in performing arts, she has danced, modeled, and taught around the globe for the past 13 years. A proud former Radio City Rockette, Holistic Fashionista Cover Model, runway model for Nike, Bebe, and Guess, dancer alongside Meatloaf, and a co-director of two fashion shows for Cirque du Soleil, Gina’s adaptability and broad range is sure to benefit each of her audiences. She is dedicated to using all of her gifts to touch and educate each person she meets on and off the stage. This year she started her very own podcast called The Gina Pero Show : Living Life Full Out, and has co-created a fashion line with Sugar and Bruno called, The Gina Pero Collection, where fashion meets purpose. Velocity is thrilled to have “live" interviews broadcasted in over 67 countries each weekend! Gina holds fast to her values of family and faith, and continues to walk the path of self development. She says, “In sharing our gifts with the world, we become makers of miracles.” For more information on Gina, visit www.ginapero.com.

Friday Night Classes:

Last season during our Be The Light Tour, we partnered with an organization called Dance. Hope. Cure. Dance. Hope. Cure. is a childhood cancer awareness campaign sponsored throughThe Truth 365, the Emmy Award- Winning grass-roots documentary film and social media campaign that gives a voice to children fighting all forms of cancer. Their mission is to shine light on the state of childhood cancer research funding by uniting the childhood cancer community, members of Congress, top pediatric oncologists, and several of the the country’s most influential celebrities.

Last year, through our Friday night classes and Season Finale Pro-Show, we raised $15,000.00 to put toward the fight against cancer and the search for a cure! We are proud to say that we will again be partnering with Dance. Hope. Cure. this year and continuing to hold our Friday night classes to raise money for this charity. Every weekend we will have a night class will be taught by one of our professional assistants or faculty members in a genre that is not offered during the convention weekend. The cost is $5.00 per person, and all proceeds go to Dance. Hope. Cure.  In Provo, the class is going to be on Thursday. 

Liability Forms:

We will need a signature from all students' legal guardian(s) if they are under the age of 18. Please come in to the Ogden Studio office to sign the waiver for your dancer.

Competition Program:

We will not be selling competition programs this year. The Provo Program will be available via printable download on Wednesday February 21st through our website. Please share this information with your parents.

Music For Competition

CDs will not be accepted at the event.

Teachers should have a back-up flash drive for every entry on hand in the event that primary flash drive does not work.

Audition Ages:

All auditions must be completed by the the 1st of the new year (January 1, 2018). Students are allowed to take classes in any level they would like, however we do ask that all students return to their appropriate age level for auditions in order to be considered for a scholarship.

We are looking forward to having you at our event!