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Date: 7/25/2023
EASTHAMPTON — Hackworth School of Performing Arts, co-owned by Alison Forance and Lisa Anthony, was recently named as Ultimate Studio of the Year by the American Dance Awards. The award is given to a dance studio that successfully trains its dancers in all age groups and across a wide variety of styles.
“Receiving this award carries with it a level of pride, honor and respect, not just for our studio’s reputation, but for our individual students themselves,” said Forance.”It shows that we as a dance family care enough to go above and beyond just teaching dance.”
For Forance and Anthony, and the faculty at HSPA, the culture of the school affords them the opportunity not just to teach dance but a way for their students to become successful adults and members of society.
“It demonstrates our unwavering dedication and commitment to developing unique artists and humans who will have the confidence to go out into the world, and make their mark, whether they decide to pursue a dance career or any other profession,” said Forance. “They will be able to do so with the same diligence, integrity and compassion they obtained throughout their dance journey with us at HSPA.”
HSPA was chosen from nominees from all over the United States, Canada and even South Africa. The American Dance Awards looks for studios that have a well-rounded program and who compete at the highest level. Forance explained that to be considered the school must attend a national competition, having first qualified at regional competitions, and be able to “showcase versatility at the highest level, entering dances in every dance style, while achieving and maintaining the highest scores in all of those genres throughout the entire week of competition.”
In addition to the prestige of the award itself, the studio also received a cash prize which has been allocated to its scholarship fund for dancers facing hardship.
“Each and every studio participating at the national level was exceptional and we were incredibly humbled and honored just to share the stage with them,” said Forance. “While many studios specialize and have strengths in a particular style or two, our students are well balanced amongst all genres and work towards the highest level in each.”
While HSPA offers classes in the more traditional styles — tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary — it has also added in a variety of other classes over the years.
“[Ballroom] has helped our students to develop into even more well-rounded dancers, with it now becoming one of our biggest crowd-pleasing dance numbers at our annual recitals and competitions,” said Forance.
Another newer class is “BBoyz-Ready to Rumble,” a class specifically geared for ages 5 through 8 and featuring a combination of tumbling, hip-hop, break-dancing, stomp, parkour and ninja warrior-type obstacle courses.
Forance and Anthony strive to keep the studio moving forward and make sure that everyone keeps learning. Certified members of Dance Masters of America for over 50 years, the studio also seeks professional development with CLI Studios with choreographers from Los Angeles and New York City.
This program was co-founded by Teddy Forance, a fourth-generation member of the HSPA family and professional dancer for 18 years, who operates the CLI Conservatory in Southampton. This partnership allows HSPA to bring in guest teachers on a weekly basis.
“While the majority of our own faculty have been teaching and sharing their wisdom for over three decades, we ourselves still continue to attend, learn, and grow alongside our students, always striving to be at the top of our game and confident in knowing that we are giving them the best we have to offer,” said Forance.
Now entering its 90th season, HSPA plans to continue building the same legacy it has throughout four generations of owners.
“For us personally, carrying on our dance family legacy is what has continued to drive us to be the best we can be. We feel blessed to play a role in so many young lives, providing them with not just a quality dance education, but more importantly, a home away from home,” said Forance. “Our relationship with our students is a lifetime connection which is undoubtedly the most favorite part of our job, getting to share, and build lasting memories together. It’s a beautiful circle we cherish and never take for granted.”