(Photo by Katrina Boone)
Deandra Clarke walked out of the studios of Dogtown Dance Theatre one February evening, looked around at the other dancers and had a revelation.
“We were all dripping in sweat,” Clarke says, “and we were doing it without recognition, for pure passion for dance.”
Deandra Clarke, artistic director of Studio 4 Dance Agency, is the catalyst behind the first RVA Dance Awards. (Photo courtesy RVA Dance Awards)
At that moment, Clarke, artistic director and founder of Studio 4 Dance Agency, decided that Richmond dancers needed to be recognized. “There are so many people doing great things for dancers in RVA, and they need accolades.” That post-rehearsal epiphany motivated Clarke to create the RVA Dance Awards.
She soon developed a website where dancers could be nominated for awards in 21 categories, including Dancer of the Year, Best Artistic Direction and Lifetime Achievement.
“We got over 1,500 votes,” Clarke says.
Once the votes were tallied, the top three nominees in each category submitted videos of their performances. Those videos were screened by a voting committee — comprising Virginia Commonwealth University faculty, a professional dancer, a dance agent and dance studio professionals — that chose the winners.
Ilana Burger, who performs with Dogtown Dance and teaches dance at Thomas Dale High School, was nominated for Dancer of the Year and Best Contemporary Choreography.
“The RVA Dance Awards are bringing positivity to the dance community and visibility to everything happening,” Burger says. “To be recognized alongside people I looked up to when I first moved to RVA is amazing and humbling.”
Josh Jones, who was nominated for Best Hip Hop Freestyle, says he feels validated by the recognition.
“I don’t know if people really understand how excited I am,” says Jones, who teaches math at Lucille Brown Middle School. “I’ve never been nominated for anything in dance. This makes me realize people are watching me and are aware of what I am doing.”
The winners will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Hofheimer Building. The show will feature performances by Studio 4 Dance Agency, Karar Dance Co., RVA Dance Collective Youth Ensemble and others. It will also bring together the dance community.
“For the first time,” Clarke says, “we’ll get all the dancers of all different genres together in the same room.”
Clarke, 38, didn’t begin dancing until the end of college, but she started a hip-hop performance group after graduation. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she danced for R&B singers Alicia Keys and Neo and other well-known performers. When she realized her true purpose was to help other dancers, Clarke returned to Richmond.
“I wanted to create a professional, performance-based dance company for aspiring dancers to fulfill their dreams without having to leave,” she says.
Kara Priddy, artistic director of Radar Dance Co., nominated for Best Dance Company, was surprised to hear about the RVA Dance Awards.
“We have never had anything like this in Richmond,” she says. Priddy wasn’t surprised, though, when she heard Clarke was spearheading the event.
“She has done so much to promote local dancers,” Priddy says. “This is a natural segue for her.”
The first RVA Dance Awards will take place Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Hofheimer Building. $25 to $35.
