About NYLA DANCE

New York Los Angeles Dance Conventions & Competitions brings you a season of excellence in dance, arts education, and competition. We now have more cities and dates across the USA throughout the year, plus we end the season with our special summer programs, designed to help the exceptional dancer achieve their dreams though arts education and development, and provide them the chance to come to New York City, where they will work with professionals in the field of Concert Dance and Dance Entertainment so they can excel in their quest to be the best.

At NYLA DANCE, we strive to provide a truely positive experience that helps the dancer grow a deep sense of community, scholarship, education, and competition by measuring success through expression, inspiration, dedication, and career development. We maintain strong relationships with our NYLA Dancers and provide them with helpful info on training, college, or pursuing careers in dance at both the convention & competion levels. Our commitment to the dance industry, customer satisfaction, and to the needs of our students and families is solid and reinforced.

Our faculty and staff are some of the most creative, energetic, and diversified choreographers and teachers who have a direct relationship with Skip Costa, National Director and Owner of NYLA DANCE. With Skip serving as on site director at every event, the judging system, and educational resposibilities of all staff and faculty is unwavering and unmatched in the industry. This brings the highest quality possible so the Dancer and Choreographers at our events receive nothing but the best that NYLA DANCE has to offer.

NYLA DANCE, where everyone leaves with awards and rewards whether it’s a medal, ribbon, scholarship, plaque, dream, or a new friend because after all, our children are our country’s future leaders and everyone makes a difference.

	SKIP COSTA is the National Director & Owner of NEW YORK LOS ANGELES DANCE CONVENTIONS & COMPETITIONS (NYLA DANCE) as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of SKIP COSTA.COREmovement PROJECT.NYC, NYLA DANCE National Youth Performance Project, the Southeast Dance Festival, and the off-Broadway theater experience ROCK STARS NYC combining live rock music and dance. He has been a featured dancer with Mark Dendy Dance (Choreographer of Broadway's TABOO), David Rousseve/REALITY, The Kennedy Center's Washington Opera, The New Orleans Ballet Association, Maida Withers DCC and Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. He has choreographed Off & Off-Off Broadway dance projects at Times Square Theater, The Tribeca Playhouse, The Richard Ellner Theater, and the American Theater of Actors as well as for the American Dance Guild, The Elan Awards(honoring Jerry Mitchell and Anne Reinking), DRA, Urban Artworks 7, DancenowNYC, Jennifer Muller/The Works HATCH Series, DUMBO Arts Festival, RedEye Theater(MN), New Dance Group, Coming Together 2001, University Settlement, 92nd Street Y, The Best of BDC 2001, and various NYC studio showcases. He has taught & lectured for numerous high schools, colleges, & universities within the US and has taught/performed with his dance company within the US, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe. In Manhattan, he was on permanent faculty at Broadway Dance Center, Steps, Peridance Center, Ballet Arts, NDG, and Dance Space(now Dance New Amsterdam). He has also served as Acting Director of the Uptown Performance Series at The Bridge For Dance which was highlighted by The New York Times. During the summer, he teaches in NYC as well as directs the NYLA DANCE National Youth Performance Project in NYC and the Southeast Dance Festival in Louisiana which offers both a young professional program for 9-17 year olds and a professional program. Skip has also directed/choreographed/produced an independent dance video Dancing Alone and will make an instructional contemporary dance class video in 2008. He has an MFA in Dance & Choreography from George Washington University.
	CHIP ABBOTT recently performed at the Kennedy Center's celebration of Roger L. Stephens with host Liza Minelli, and special appearances by Ben Vereen, and Andre Mcardle. Other credits include: The 101 Dalmatians Musical (original Cast, 1st National. Dance Captain), High School Musical (Dance Captain), West Side Story (A-Rab ), David Yazbek’s Ruckus Manhattan (NY workshop), Never Gonna’ Dance (Rome-Tone. and 42nd St.(Andy US). He has also performed at the Fire Island Dance Festival with host Whoopie Goldberg, The National Black Awards with Mistress of Ceremonies Starr Jones-Reynolds and was a featured dancer in a fashion spread in British Vogue magazine with supermodel Jessica Stam.Chip danced with River North Chicago Dance Company, the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and the New York City based Chase Brock Experience. He is so fortunate to not only travel the world as a performer, but as a teacher and choreographer as well. His work has taken him all over the US and across the globe to Euroope, Africa, Australia and New Zealand! His choreography has been seen at Gus Giordano's Jazz Dance World Congress and INAside Chicago Dance Company. Chip has taught master classes at Oklahoma City University, University of Tulsa, The School of Performing arts in Chicago, Northeast School of the Arts in San Antonio and many other schools across the country.
	JODI ADKINS is a graduate of Point Park College with a BA in Dance. She lives in NYC and has performed & choreographed all over the country. Some favorite theatres include Goodspeed Opera House, The McCarter Theatre, and The Cape Playhouse. Jodi is also a member of Rasta Thomas' new dance company The Pretty Girls of Dance.
	LARA LUZIM grew up in South Florida just minutes from Ft. Lauderdale beach. This gave Lara the opportunity to infuse sun, sand and water into her creative process. She attended Dillard High School for the Performing Arts and trained with Magda Aunon, Mia Michaels and Dimitrius Klein She was also given the privilege to teach and cultivate choreography in the greater South Florida area at the tender age of 14. In addition she studied at Jacobs Pillow, Gus Giordano and Alvin Ailey as well as being youngest dancer to attend American Dance Festival. She studied with choreographers such as Milton Myers, James Truit, Frank Hatchet and companies such as Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Pilaboulus. Lara also became a nationally award winning dancer accumulating titles from major competitions. She then began working professionally in Florida for small dance companies and Spanish television. Lara is an alumni of N.Y.U Tisch School of the Arts. Her credits include appearances on MTV, NYC Summerstage, independent films, music videos and off Broadway productions such as On Caring for the Beast. She has been a judge for the All American Talent Awards, Beyond the Stars, NYLA and Barabran. Lara has danced and performed with Mark Dendy, Jennifer Archibald, Jamale Graves and Doug Varone. Doug Elkins, Deborah Jowitt, Sean Curran and many more that influenced her life and art. She is also a producer creating events like Rip Tide and Cut Loose showcasing her choreography and other up and coming artists. Currently, Lara teaches in New York, New Jersey, South Florida and Pennsylvania. Since 2002, Lara has served as Artistic Director of Lara Luzim Dance/Breakthrough. LLD is a collaborative and aggressive company that represents the future in movement and storytelling. LLD has had the fortunate pleasure of performing and premiering repertory throughout the east coast. Her productions have been reviewed as a “feast for the eyes, brilliant, fiercely dynamic and intensely sensual.
	JASON MARQUETTE graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is currently on faculty at Broadway Dance Center and Peridance in New York City. His performance credits include the first national tour of the revival of 42nd Street The Musical (original cast) and regional theaters all around the United States. Marquette has been teaching for over 17 years and has since adjudicated and taught in cities all across the country. He has taught internationally in Helsinki, Finland and Guayaquil, Ecuador. He has won awards for his choreography at numerous competitions. In 2008 he mounted his self-produced NYC production called The Next Step. His work was also seen in the SUNY New Paltz Production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company as well as music videos and various performance projects in New York and around the world.