Ali Dietz
Dance Specialty
Tap
Best Advice to Young Dancers
The best piece of advice I could give a young dancer is to take advantage of every class and allow those lessons to apply to everything. Also be yourself within the choreography and continue to hone your voice and be inspired, not intimidated by others.
Favorite Thing about an NYCDA Weekend?
My favorite part of the weekend is the family that is NYCDA. It is such a joy to see kids grow year after year. I love seeing students at the end of class push themselves and not give up especially if it is not their primary genre of dance. Seeing that smile of accomplishment and joy truly fills me up. As our masters say, if you have a heartbeat you have rhythm. It is also an honor to work alongside everyone in the organization from every department. Weekends wouldn't be possible without the effort from every one of them.
Background
Born in Buffalo, NY, Ali grew up dancing at Mary Alice's Dance Studio under the guidance of her mother, Mary Alice, and their faculty. After graduating from SUNY Geneseo with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication, and a minor in Sociology, she moved to New York City. Within three months of moving, Ali was working with Dorrance Dance, a dance company founded by her main mentor, Michelle Dorrance. She is an alumni of the school at Jacob's Pillow School featuring Michelle Dorrance, Dormeshia, Jason Samuels Smith, Nicholas Van Young, and Dianne Walker.
Her other mentors of many years are Derick K. Grant and Jared Grimes. Tap brought her to learn from a plethora of people at tap festivals across the country and internationally in Sweden. Ali continues to study throughout the week, and train in other styles as well
Performances
Ali has performed SOUNDspace, and was part of the original workings of the show with Dorrance Dance. She performed it on a college tour with Dorrance Dance, Spoleto Dance Festival, and at a fundraiser for The Joyce. She has also performed Myelination (Dorrance Dance) at the New York City Center as a part of Fall for Dance. Another performance at Spoleto Dance Festival was "Delta to Dusk" (Dorrance Dance), as well as a variety of works by Michelle at Battery Park and the 14th Street Y. Other performances include a duet with Byron Tittle in a cabaret at The Duplex (NYC), and her work was shown at The New Choreographers Festival in NYC. Along with performing, Ali was able to understudy some incredible works by Dorrance Dance, most notably, The Blues Project.
Off Broadway Pre-Production: "42nd Street" by Jared Grimes
Broadway Pre-Production: "Funny Girl" by Ayodele Casele
Teaching Credits
Ali has served on faculty at both STEPS on Broadway, as well as Broadway Dance Center. She is also teaching at the Children and Teens Program at BDC. On top of her weekly teaching in the city, she travels across the country to teach and choreograph.
Community Service: In 2008, Ali and her mother, Mary Alice Dietz co-founded Dancers Give Back, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization whose proceeds directly go to a research team making incredible strides in blood cancer research. Another part of raising this money has gone to
families financially struggling with medical bills and/or other expenses that they are faced with. To date, after 13 events, they have raised and donated over $700,00! This organization has also spread to have a branch in Dallas, Texas, run by Jessica Hendricks and Ida Saki.
For More information: @ali_dietz,@dancersgiveback,@dancersgivebackdallas