At Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions, “Dance Training Is Life Training”
Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions started as a dream: A dream to share the fresh, new training techniques and material being taught in major cities like Los Angeles and New York with dance students throughout the country. President and co-founder Dr. Joe Tremaine (who received an honorary doctorate from The University of Arizona) has a long history of working with the best in the business—as a dancer, a choreographer, and an educator. (He’s worked with a star-studded list of entertainers, including Paula Abdul, Gregory Hines, Gene Kelly, and Barbara Streisand, to name a few.) In the 1970s, Tremaine opened the Joe Tremaine Dance Center in Los Angeles, and in 1981, he decided to expand his commitment to top-notch training. Tremaine threw a record player in his car and hit the road, fulfilling his dream of delivering new classes, instructors, and ideas around the nation—providing greater access in a pre-internet era and setting many of the standards in the convention industry that young artists know and love today.
Now in its 44th season, Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions is much bigger than a one-man show: With a roster of acclaimed faculty, a 26-city tour each year, and a large following of dancers nationwide, Tremaine continues to build on its legacy of being an influential voice in dance education today.
Tremaine Is for Life
Executive producer Terry Lindholm first met Tremaine as a young dancer. He attended a Tremaine convention and was awarded a scholarship to train at the Joe Tremaine Dance Center. Soon after, Lindholm joined the Tremaine convention faculty and taught for over a decade. He also had a performance career working with the likes of Reba McEntire and in the film Newsies, as well as three appearances at the Oscars before opening his own talent agency. Having remained close to Tremaine over the years, Lindholm returned to the organization as its executive producer during the pandemic.
“This is a family at Tremaine,” says Lindholm. “It’s always been a terrific foundation of support.” As he’s transitioned from student to performer to teacher to producer, Lindholm has built a vast network made up of the people he’s met along the way. “Building a professional career is all about relationships,” he says—and Tremaine relationships are for life.
In fact, many of the organization’s faculty members grew up training at Tremaine: Commercial dancer Tiffany Maher was Tremaine’s 2004 Teen Dancer of the Year; Keri LaGrand, Tremaine Performance Company director, studied at the Joe Tremaine Dance Center; and Emmy-winning choreographer Josh Bergasse, who joined the faculty this year, attended Tremaine competitions and conventions every year with his mom, who grew up training with Tremaine co-founder Julie Adler.
Core Values
Forty-four years ago, Tremaine founded his organization with the philosophy “Dance training is life training,” a motto that’s still the heart of Tremaine today. Beyond technique, dancers are encouraged to push themselves and take risks during conventions and competitions. They’re given opportunities to experiment and be inspired by the dancers around them. And Tremaine’s competition allows young dancers to learn the valuable lesson of how to fail graciously since it only awards first through fourth place, understanding that there’s value in the process—not just in winning.
Tremaine understands that many dancers who attend the conventions are not going to pursue dance professionally, but the organization believes that the lessons they learn through dance will benefit them in whatever path they choose. Lindholm is a clear example of this, going on to be a successful agent after studying and performing for years. Other former Tremaine dancers have gone on to become lawyers, directors, actors, and more, including Emmy-winning makeup artist Tym Buacharern, Step Up actress Jenna Dewan, and director Anne Fletcher.
Beyond dance classes, Tremaine has forums and Q&A sessions for parents, teachers, and students on topics like entering the professional world, going to college, and using social media wisely. Teachers give back by sharing industry tips to help dancers take their next steps in their training and careers.
New Faces
This season, Tremaine added to its diverse roster of faculty with newcomers from a variety of styles, including Bergasse, who choreographed Broadway’s Smash; Rhonda Miller, who is the creator and former director of the BFA commercial dance program at Pace University and is the current director of the new Tremaine Dance / Rhonda Miller Commercial Dance Training Program based in Los Angeles; and “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 6 star Jakob Karr. In select cities, dancers can leap and turn with Broadway’s Wicked cast member Matthew Deloch, groove with Jawkeen Howard from Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, master new techniques with Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer of “SYTYCD,” cha-cha with “Dancing with the Stars” pro Emma Slater, and learn more new styles from expert instructors.
But at Tremaine, it’s about more than just bringing in big-name choreographers and dancers. All faculty are established educators with a passion for connecting with the students. “They do a really good job of getting down on the floor to see and interact with the dancers,” says Lindholm. The faculty leave dancers feeling inspired to go home and work harder—in any discipline they choose—thereby continuing Tremaine’s 44-year legacy of educating the next generation of leaders.
To dance with Tremaine this summer or during the upcoming 45th season, click here.
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