Local girls tap their talent
during weekend in NYC
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
Although they’re not shuffling off to Buffalo, they are flapping their way to New York City.
Four girls from Middlesex and Monmouth counties will perfect their "shuffle off to Buffalo" and "flap" tap steps, among others, during a weekend-long workshop at the New York City Tap Festival during Presidents Day Weekend Feb. 15-17. The weekend will culminate with a chance for the girls to show off their moves at a New York club.
Jamie Katz, 15, of Old Bridge; Courtney Lynch, 15, of Sayreville; Krystina Miller, 17, of Matawan; and Jackie Dicker, 15, of Marlboro, will travel to the Big Apple with their teacher, Maureen Dicker, who is Jackie’s mother.
"I’m very excited. It’s a good opportunity," Jamie said of her upcoming trip.
All four girls are students at Ultimate Danceworks, which is on Main Street in Sayreville and is soon to open another location on Route 516 in Old Bridge. They will attend the workshops with other young dancers and, as Lynch said, they will have the opportunity to meet and learn from famous choreographers.
"They’re really very strong rhythmically," Dicker said about the four girls who have been studying different areas of dance since they were about 5 years old.
Five or six years ago, Dicker said, she took other students with her to the tap festival and the girls enjoyed the experience tremendously. However, since the workshops are very intense, Dicker said she had to be careful when choosing which girls she thinks will be able to keep up with the classes.
"They move at a quick pace," Dicker, a dance teacher for 23 years, said of the festival’s workshops.
Jamie, Courtney, Krystina and Jackie have been known to pick up dance instructions quite easily, their teacher said. She added that even when the girls struggle, they continue to give it their best.
To top off the weekend in the city, the four girls will be part of a youth showcase at a dance club called Swing 46, which is located at 349 W. 46th St. on what is known as "restaurant row" in Manhattan.
"I’m excited because I know it’s an experience I will never forget," Jackie said. She added that the experience will be even more meaningful since she will be with her friends.
The girls will perform a piece — which involves the Aerosmith song "Sweet Emotion" — that they have been rehearsing for their recital with Ultimate Danceworks, Maureen Dicker said. She said she chose the song for the girls’ performance since it is "not like a real, straightforward rock and roll song."
The dancers will wear red and velvet costumes adorned with rhinestones during the performance, Dicker said.
"It’s real sharp-looking," the teacher and choreographer said of the costumes and the performance.