Freeport graduate coaches Pittsburgh dancers for spot on Team USA
Twelve aspiring pre-professional dancers from the Pittsburgh area auditioned Oct. 4 at Dance by Cami Studio in McMurray for a chance to represent the U.S. at the Dance World Cup in Ireland in July.
Dance World Cup — an international youth dance competition for dancers ages 8 to 24 years old — takes place each year in Europe, and often is referred to as the “Olympics of dance.” Dancers from studios and schools around the world compete in a variety of styles, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, hip hop and acro.
Participants qualify through national auditions or competitions and earn a spot on their country’s team for the world finals. The event brings together dancers from dozens of countries — in recent years, as many as 77 nations have participated.
Team USA auditions are coordinated by Isenberg Entertainment, a Freeport-based company established by Alex Isenberg and his wife, Hannah. This year, Isenberg Entertainment partnered with World Performers International — an organization representing North American talent — enabling teams from the U.S. to compete alongside their European peers in the World Cup Europe competition.
“We want to get the word out and get excitement brewing around Team USA,” Alex Isenberg said.
Hannah Isenberg, a Canadian-born singer, dancer and actor, was thrilled when the World Performers International was given the opportunity to partner with the European dancers.
“After traveling across the USA for the past few years and seeing the talent level that exists here, I knew we needed to make this opportunity available,” she said. “Highlighting the training these kids are receiving on an international stage and making our mark at the Dance World Cup against the best in the world instantly became the goal for us.”
For Alex Isenberg, bringing the auditions to Pittsburgh is personal. Raised in Freeport, he began dancing at Lisa Marie’s Dance School, owned and run for 46 years by his mother, Lisa Isenberg. Weekends as a child were spent traveling to competitions, experiences that fueled his love for choreography and performance. “She gave me my love of performing,” he said.
As a senior at Freeport Area High School in 2010, Alex Isenberg participated in athletics and the arts, balancing football, basketball, track and musical theater. While male dancers didn’t always command the same respect as male athletes, his peers supported him, and that’s all he needed to feel comfortable and accepted in a non-traditional activity.
“The entire basketball team came to one of my performances and thought it was really cool,” he recalled. Family encouragement, especially from his grandmother, also reinforced his confidence.
“From a young age she told me to be exactly who you want to be, and be loud and proud,” he said.
After a brief stint playing college football, Alex traded the field for the stage, moving to New York City to pursue dance. His career in choreography and performance eventually led him to Los Angeles, where he met and married Hannah. Together, they launched Isenberg Entertainment, offering auditions, workshops and coaching to dancers.
Among their programs is Bridge the Gap, a pre-professional training program designed to help dancers transition from their local studios to professional portfolios, with guidance in auditioning, technique and performance.
Although the Isenbergs reside in Los Angeles, they maintain an office in Freeport and frequently travel the nation, regularly returning to Freeport for projects.
At the McMurray audition, the competition-trained dancers from the Pittsburgh area moved through routines with focus and professionalism, while their parents waited outside the studio.
One was Megan Patton, whose daughter Annabella, 11, is a dancer at Borelli’s Dance Gallery in Bethel Park. Anabella has been dancing since she was 18 months old. The family loves to travel, and Patton said they would be thrilled to participate in an international competition. “To combine travel and Anabella’s love of dance would be exciting,” Patton said.
Ruthie Lawson, 11, of Rhythm City Dance in Washington, has dreamed of a dance career. “This is a great experience,” her mother, Chelsea Lawson, said.
Kenna Bianco, 20, who trained at Platinum Dance Company in Ohio for 12 years and participated in the Isenbergs’ Bridge the Gap training program, hopes the World Cup will inspire the young girls she trained with and taught at the studio. “I’m 100 percent ready for Ireland!” she said.
The Isenbergs said they would love to see local enthusiasm translate into sponsorships for Team USA. “This is a very exciting adventure, and we have a lot of work ahead” said Alex Isenberg, who hopes to have at least 40 participants in Ireland. “With the right backing and careful team selection, we can bring Team USA to the forefront of this international competition.”
As auditions wrapped up, Alex Isenberg offered a simple message: “Trust your training, and have fun.” In less than a year, that lesson from back home will echo halfway across the world in Ireland.
