Alisha Clark Breaks Down the Walls of Rivalry
By: Virginia Peay
Alisha Clark was raised in a dance atmosphere much like one seen in an episode of 'Dance Moms'. Tensions were high and the demand of perfection was ever present.
"I grew up in a small town in New York much like Lynchburg. There were about five studios in a one mile or less radius. The close vicinity made the competition very intense and more often than not, negative," Clark said.
Despite this background, Clark knew the good that could come from dance. So, her journey began as she worked to build a dance community centered around healthy attitudes and a positive outlet for children to learn, grow and flourish in her new home of Lynchburg.
"I have always been heavily involved with extracurricular activities that included people of different backgrounds, ages, and levels into one group I think at some point that transferred into me wanting to create or be apart of something even bigger that took separate groups in the community, and combine them together as one. That may have had a large piece of my desire of community."
Clark made Lynchburg her home after graduating from Liberty University. Although, she longed for a big city, Clark knew the demand in Lynchburg was exactly what she was looking for. The birth of Lynchburg Dance Connection, Clark's dance studio, came quickly after this decision and finally gave Clark her dream of serving the community through dance.
“I knew where I was needed at this time and where there was a demand for what I wanted to do. Massachusetts, where my family lives, did not need it in the area they live in, New York needs it except I did not want to move back there, but Lynchburg really needed it.”
Lynchburg is home to a few dance studios such as Red Shoes, Lynchburg Elite Dance and Seven Hills Dance Studio. These studios are far outnumbered by the dancers in the community making the number of opportunities are limited, especially for the local college students.
“The demand for a place in Lynchburg for college students to train was huge
and then studios began jumping on board and it grew much more than I had originally
imagined. People in this community just want to dance, train, improve, connect, and
network and I believe it was time to put a spotlight on that.”
In her efforts to put a spotlight on these Lynchburg dancers, Clark held the first
Lynchburg Dance Connection showcase on February 24 to capture and display the
talent that exists within the community. The event was held at the Academy Historic
Theatre and featured over 230 dancers from the Central Virginia area.
“This event aims to unify the dance community by bringing them together for one night to showcase, support, and celebrate dance.”
The showcase was a huge success for both her dancers and their audience - laughter, praise and pride could be seen glowing all around the room.
“Having the showcase was a dream. She (Clark) wanted to shut down competition between dancers and promote support and encouragement,” said Kayleigh Light, one of Clark's dancers.
Hannah Gesele, a Liberty student who came to the show to support her friend who danced in one of the showcase pieces, also spoke on her experience as a viewer.
“Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun, the dances were phenomenal, and the location was a great choice," said Gesele. "The director really did an incredible job putting this all together."
Clark aims to make the Lynchburg Dance Connection Showcase an annual event in the community for all dancers look forward to and hints at the date for 2020: March 1. She also aspires to continue bringing dance opportunities to individuals within the community.
“I would love to just have a building where different choreographers and teachers locally and from around the U.S. and the world can come to teach and others to train," Clark said. "I would like to focus more on intermediate-advanced dancing, networking, connections, and training if possible especially for college students.”