Little did Debi Barr know, but her vision would create a legacy of magic. Dance the Magic was established by Barr, a former studio owner, when she was looking to create more cherished opportunities for her dance students. She believed that competitions had the capacity to perfect her team’s performance, but she realized that the truly magical moments were made when performing in front of large crowds at spectacular venues — for both the dancers and their families! Thus, her idea was born, to give talented studio dancers the opportunity to perform at Disneyland California. After years of hard work, Barr was able to host the first dance parade down Main Street, U.S.A.!
Dance the Magic offers an experience like no other for dancers from across the world – the chance for your whole studio community to shine, in a dream-come-true setting. Through their ground-breaking partnership with Disney, Dance the Magic gives every dancer the opportunity to perform and sparkle in front of friends, family and literally thousands of people who flock to Disney experiences.
And there’s even more fun than that! Dance the Magic has grown from one parade performance in 2001, to hosting multiple events at Disneyland, Walt Disney World Orlando, Universal Studios Orlando, Disney on Broadway, and The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville over the past two decades. Each destination offers an immersive experience with parade and showcase performances, workshops and private parties.
Dance Informa sat down with Barr and her Executive Assistant and daughter, Mandy Taoatao, to learn more. You can read more on how it all started in our recent article here. But let’s hear more about the experience itself and what to expect.
Each event requires lots of planning and logistics. It takes military precision and attention to move dancers around the sites. Disney is huge, after all! Accommodation, rehearsal venues, backstage and downtime all happen in different locations, but Dance the Magic plans every last detail just for you.
The reason for this seamless experience is that Barr has hand-selected a team of passionate, hard-working women with a background in dance who are dedicated to preparing for Dance the Magic events. The team understands the nuances of the dance studio world and works to be mindful of competition season, recitals and all the challenges studio directors face. Every member of the team is committed to delivering a magical experience for all studio directors, tour operators, dancers and their families. From the registration process to arriving for rehearsal onsite, they strive constantly to bring a sense of creativity, connection and wonder to all the events.
“It’s all about the end result – that everyone leaves happy having had an unforgettable experience,” says Barr. “Parents don’t see us; they don’t know us. We’re behind the scenes. But the studio directors know if their families are happy, they’re more likely to continue at the studio. And Dance the Magic events are a good experience for them. We take great pride in helping Studio Directors add value to their studio and look good.”
So how does it work for a studio group? Barr explains that providing teachers with the choreography takes a lot of the pressure out of the experience. “They say, ‘Oh good, all we have to do is teach it; we don’t have to come up with all the parade choreography!’” One month before the event, groups are asked to submit a video of themselves performing the routine in forward motion in a parking lot or around a school track to demonstrate they’re working to keep their lines straight.
“Our Artistic Director, Jennilee Barr, will provide positive feedback, which is complimentary and helpful,” Barr notes. “Then when the kids arrive on site for final rehearsals, they recognize her and they’re like, ‘It’s Jennilee! Can we get your picture?’ She loves doing this and it shows.”
“The way we choreograph and teach is with a very positive mindset,” adds Taoatao. “It’s such a positive experience. We hope to inspire more dancers to continue in the arts and to grow, thrive and learn. Maybe they’ll want to pursue a career? Or maybe we just give them a unique memory that they’ll treasure forever. It’s very special.”
In the lead up to an event, the Dance the Magic team also makes sure studio directors are feeling as confident and organized as possible. “We do Zooms to go over everything, answer questions, and let everyone know the process and what’s expected,” says Barr, who adds that she aims to give every studio director “an experience of a lifetime that is high quality and fun.”
And with added experiences like the new program at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, there’s an option for every group! Performing in such an iconic venue is such a treat for the dancers. “It’s so fun,” says Barr. “Backstage, there are 17 dressing rooms, and they’re all themed, and every studio gets their own dressing room or two depending on how many dancers they have. The history of the Grand Ole Opry is just so amazing!”
Another unique aspect of the Dance the Magic experience is that dancers are performing alongside groups from other countries, exposing them to different cultures and people. “We love working with dancers from around the world,” says Taoatao. “It brings such joy. It’s such fun to see the kids making friends with dancers from different countries or different states. And they say, ‘We’re all doing this together, all of us as a team – we’re going to bring our very best!’”
There’s already so much history and legacy with Dance the Magic, but we wondered, is there anything that has really stood out for Barr? “I think the event that really holds dear to my heart is the first Broadway event we did in New York, because you’re on a Broadway stage,” she recalls. “You’re in the Disney New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street! We were in tech rehearsals when they asked me to step outside. I walked out and they said, ‘Turn around.’ I turned around and lit up in LED on their marquee, it said, ‘Dance The Magic welcomes you’. Disney had never put anything other than a Disney message on the marquee, but it rotated the names of the studios that were there so that they got to see their name in lights on Broadway!”
It’s without a doubt for Barr and her team that the dancers walk away from Dance the Magic experiences more motivated and excited than ever before, with a boost to their confidence and memories that last a lifetime. Who wouldn’t dream of something so magical?
If you’d like to offer this life-changing experience to your dancers, reach out to Dance the Magic via their website and bring some extra sparkle to your studio community. Debi Barr will also be at VDF’s renowned Vitality Dance Teacher Conference this May in Melbourne. Debi will be presenting, as well as present at VDF all weekend to connect with you. See www.vdf.com.au/teacherconference.
To learn more about Dance the Magic, visit www.dancethemagic.com.
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