Gotta Dance's JUNGLE: Jump into the Wild Virtual Dance Concert
Company:
Gotta Dance NJ
As the name ‘Gotta Dance’ implies, this NJ studio refused to stop dancing! Even if it meant mailing 2,500 costumes to students, they kept dance alive in the homes and hearts of their dance families. JUNGLE: Jump into the Wild, is an innovative and high-caliber dance production that has adapted to meet the needs of the current environment, switching from a live performance experience to one that is not merely virtual, but cinematic.
Under the direction of executive director Jana Belot and artistic director Gabriel Chajnik, this virtual concert experience is on par with the highly produced dance concerts Gotta Dance has put on each June for the past thirty-one years. A tradition revered by dance families and local community members alike, these concerts allow students to perform for thousands throughout the two-week show run. Young dancers work with seasoned professionals to perfect and perform choreography while developing their individual artistic voices. Year after year, the product is a studio dance performance like no other. Despite the ongoing challenge of COVID-19, this year is no different.
In lieu of performing live, each dancer and choreographer has re-imagined their dance for the screen. Dancers put on their stage makeup and brought a high-energy performance to their kitchens, living rooms, and backyards with mom and dad serving as videographer. Hundreds of dance videos were uploaded to Dropbox, all recorded individually at home or on a green screen, and sent away for editing by Gotta Dance’s dream editing team. Mike Delegal, a professional television and motion picture editor from Same Day Productions has been working tirelessly from Los Angeles, CA to sync 10,000 videos for the thirteen concerts. Todd Bright, a professional illustrator and Digital Animator with experience working for Disney and Universal is creating and animating original characters that bring whimsy to this unique dancing jungle. Their expertise mixed with the dedication of Gotta Dance educators and families has created a product like no other.
Sit back, relax, and welcome to the jungle!
For more information regarding JUNGLE: Jump into the Wild follow Gotta Dance's Instagram @Gotta_DanceNJ, and their website at https://www.gotta-dance.com.
