As the curtain rises during The Stars of New York Dance competition, Cheryl Todmann hopes you will be in Brooklyn sitting in The Theater at City Tech.
When the 15th Anniversary Divine Nine Dance Off begins at 7 p.m. on November 14, Errol Louis, of Spectrum News NY1, will be the host and Laurie A. Cumbo, Commissioner of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, will be honored. But children will be the beneficiaries of the competition.
Anticipate memorable moments infused with cultural and artistic expression as the National Pan-Hellenic Council is represented. A member of each Black Greek-Letter sorority and fraternity, from the Divine Nine, will take the stage with their professional dance partners.
According to Todmann, the executive producer of The Stars of New York Dance, “I totally believe dance and education go hand in hand. This is an opportunity for us to provide economic equity for local dance companies. The funds we raise are given directly to the dance company to pay for dance scholarships for youth. The winner of this year’s competition will win $10,000 and that will allow them to provide 10 children with a year of free dance tuition and training.”
Todmann founded The Stars of New York Dance, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization to ensure children could experience the structure, creativity, discipline, and confidence that can come from consistent dance training. Todmann, who is also a marketing and communications executive in higher education, said more than 150 leaders and several organizations provide support. They eased the financial burden for families of more than 400 young people for more than 14 years. The list of Stars reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ list. Here are the names of this year’s Stars.
Todmann, who grew up in Harlem and resides in Brooklyn, was trying to clarify her vision when she turned on the television and was inspired by Dancing with the Stars. “Every time we do this event, I’m always surprised at who says yes. They all sort of look at me and say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ”
Enters Collette V. Smith, who is the first African American female coach in the National Football League and Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. It took some convincing, but “As soon as I heard about scholarships for our children, for our community, I said okay, fine,” said Smith, founder and president of Believe N You, Inc.
At age 10, growing up in Queens Village, Smith remembers taking dance classes every Saturday at the Bernice Johnson Dance Studio at the suggestion of her Godmother who was a professional dancer. Initially, “I didn’t think I could be graceful. I thought there was only one side of me. The side of me that I was comfortable in was being rough, running, climbing trees, and playing football. Dance really exposed other facets of me. Now when I talk at schools, to our children, I tell them about going against the grain and about being the leader they would follow. When you’re comfortable, you’re not growing. You always grow the most when you’re uncomfortable. I learned that by personal experience in dance without even realizing it.”
Smith, whose professional dance partner is David Robertson, of Edge School of the Arts in Jamaica, NY, admits experiencing the challenges of rigorous practices.
Brooklyn native Krystal Mackie understands. Mackie, a professional dancer who performed in the Emmy-winning opening number at the 76th Annual Tony Awards also made her Broadway debut in the revival of “Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’” before joining the cast of “MJ the Musical on Broadway.” When she was about six years old, Mackie was one of the children who performed a dance that was choreographed by Todmann. In the audience was the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson. As an adult, she was on the national tour of “Hamilton the Musical” and she performed in the hit Broadway production “GYPSY.”
As one of the judges for The Stars of New York competition, Mackie offers contestants this advice. “With judging, I am looking for not only the love and the passion behind the movement, I’m looking for storytelling and the overall arc (of expressing the narrative). Yes, there are technical aspects to it because you train and study. I want to feel something. I want to be moved.” Mackie hopes each dancing duo in the competition has fun, remembers to breathe, and is present in each moment.
There will be one winning team.
When asked, ‘What would winning mean for your dance studio?’ Professional dancer Kevin A. Joseph, executive director of Purelements: An Evolution in Dance in Brooklyn, said, “First, I am so honored to be asked to be part of such a Brooklyn dance favorite. In this season of Purelements’ rebuilding and preparing for the buildup of our new space in 2027 and 2028, it would be the perfect message for Brownsville and East Brooklyn. That art exists in all communities and fostering art should be a requirement to empower communities to see their way through the next milestone. To be able to provide scholarships to our 2nd inaugural class would speak volumes while they walk through these doors, knowing it’s tuition-free. I’m super excited and, of course, I get to dance with Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, who represents Brownsville. It’s an exciting collage of pictures that seem to be coming together perfectly.” The Honorable Latrice M. Walker, Esq., NY State Assemblywoman, is a member of the Sigma Kappa Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
If you’re picturing yourself in the audience when the dance off begins, Todmann said, your ticket awaits at starsnydance.org/tickets.