According to Amanda Tae, the Director of Focal Point Dance Studios in Miami, Florida, Focal Point is a home away from home where young dancers are trained for excellence not only in dance but in life. Their teachers give instruction for many different styles of dance while leading by example; showing and teaching students respect, discipline, and how to leave one’s ego at the door.
In Amanda’s 11 years owning a dance studio, the main difference she has witnessed between her studio and others there in Miami is that the Art is held in highest esteem at Focal Point. They aim to produce dancers who are technically excellent and personally mature, well adjusted, and responsible. At Focal Point, they believe that no one’s ego, nor any dollar amount, should ever cause the Art to be compromised.
Amanda says it is impossible for her to name her proudest moment, but she says that the most pride comes to her not while her students are there at the studio. She is most proud seeing the kind of people her students become after they graduate. It is not their commercial success or fame that makes her proud, but knowing that they find fulfillment, happiness, and ways to continue dancing even after they graduate.
In Amanda’s eyes, the biggest mistake any dancer can make is letting their ego get the best of them and influence their decisions. It is essential to stay humble and to be better than no one but the person you were yesterday. When you find you’re comparing yourself to others, stop immediately. Be honest with yourself. Are you doing everything you can to improve? If not, train harder and make it work.
Her goal for this year is to continue to expand the types of classes Focal Point offers and in doing so create a stronger sense of community. Last year, they added Salsa, Acrobatics, and BBoy/BGirl Class (Breakdancing). This year they added Yoga and Martial Arts classes to their roster. They would love to continue using their space to provide opportunities for any movement based discipline to thrive and connect.
Having worked and trained at the studio in which she was raised, Amanda found herself disagreeing with many aspects of how the studio was run both artistically and financially. Amanda opened Focal Point Dance Studios so her students could have a home away from home with dance at its heart.
Amanda opened Focal Point to train young dancers based on the artistic and interpersonal ideals she holds dear. Wanting to provide dancers with as many opportunities to train, work, and share their passion for dance as possible, Amanda opened Tae Talent Agency 6 years ago to bridge the amateur and professional dance worlds. The Agency helps dancers seek credible industry work while they ensure they are paid fair wages. This year, she was able to take her dream one step farther by opening Mosaic Dance Project, a nonprofit professional dance company. Mosaic performs throughout Miami to raise funds, hosts a yearly scholarship competition, and offers free dance classes to Miami’s underserved communities. Mosaic is the final piece to the puzzle, bringing dance to those who cannot otherwise reach it and further strengthening the sense of community in Miami’s dance world.
Amanda Tae founded Focal Point Dance Studios in 2005 as a means of bridging the amateur dance world with the professional. From a modest single studio facility to a larger three studio complex, Focal Point has become one of the nation’s top dance studios. Located just minutes from the Florida Turnpike, their facility has state-of-the-art sound systems and monitors to watch classes from the comfort of the front lobby.
Focal Point offers professionally taught classes in Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Lyrical, Tap, Contemporary, Ballroom, BBoy/BGirl, and Acrobatics by some of the finest teachers Miami has to offer, as well advanced adult classes for those who still want to pursue their dance education after high school. From ages 3 and up, Focal Point combines a fun learning environment with energetic instructors to provide the best learning experience possible. They also keep class sizes to a minimum, guaranteeing individualized instruction and attention. Master Classes and/or Catalyst Classes taught by professional dance teachers and choreographers from around the country are also available weekly to the public.
Simultaneously realizing the growing potential of talent in Miami and how few resources exist to assist the transition into the professional dance industry, Focal Point brings a fresh new edge to the dance studio concept – training young dancers and providing them with the opportunity to work in professional environments such as television, film, music videos, and live shows. Working with networks such as MTV, BET, Univision, and Telemundo, as well as music recording companies like Universal, EMI, BMI, and Sony, Focal Point joins the professional dance industry with the music and commercial industries. You’ve seen their teachers share the stage with Chris Brown, Missy Elliott, Britney Spears, Ciara, Thalia, Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio, David Bisbal, Olga Tanon, Wisin Y. Yandel, and many more. The professional industry is brought to their doorstep and to your dancer, everyday!
Through dance, students at Focal Point learn discipline, good sportsmanship, physical fitness, and responsibility. Utilizing the many outlets dance has to offer, Focal Point continues take dancers to the next level.
Dancing since the age of three, Amanda Tae attended New World School of the Arts High School in Downtown Miami and continued her education at Florida International University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management. In 2002, she graduated Magna Cum Laude on the Dean’s List as a member of both the Honor’s College and Phi kappa Phi. Utilizing her background in Sports Management, she opened up Focal Point Dance Studios in 2005 and Tae Talent Agency in 2007.
Wanting to share her passion for dance with others, she continued teaching and choreographing while also performing professionally locally, nationally, and internationally. She is a constant and welcome presence in the community schools as a guest artist setting work and educating. As a choreographer, she has received praise and recognition for her fresh and artistic approach to dancing. Her work extends beyond the walls of Focal Point Dance Studios to music video sets and concert stages for many artists and companies in the commercial music industry. As a teacher, her students have been honored with titles, high scores and special awards both regionally and nationally. Many of them have continued with their dancing working professionally and becoming teachers themselves. Ricky Ruiz toured with Chicago’s River North and is now teaching in Chicago. You can see her boundary pushing, award winning choreography on stages across the country, along with Julien Valme’s inspirational and award winning choreography. Julien was also handpicked to perform for Twila Tharp’s Women in Philanthropy Luncheon. Nicole Hellman shared the stage with the touring cast of West Side Story at venues World Wide! Another of her Alumni, Jeanine Mason, was named “America’s Favorite Dancer” as she was crowned the Season Five Winner of So You Think You Can Dance, and has since then appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Disney’s Big Time Rush, and other various TV shows. She was also nominated for Best Lead Actress for her lead role in an Indie Film The Understudy. Following in Jeanine’s footsteps, Ricky Jaime became a Top 6 Finalist in Season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance and went off to film for Disney’s latest movie Teen Beach Movie! Angela Cifone and Amanda Vieira can be seen in the Summer 2012 movie: Step Up 4 Revolution!
Amanda has performed and choreographed for a variety of shows, tours and films. She has worked with Pitbull, P. Diddy, Mase, Will Smith, Thalia, Enrique Iglesias, Lenny Kravitz, Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Christian Castro, and Method Man. Her clientele include Dodge, Mattel, MTV, Subway, Univision, Telemundo, Emilio Estefan’s Crescent Moon, EMI Records, BMI Records, Universal Records, Sony, Barbie Mattel Fashion Show, and Nike. Some of her credits include the 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, MTV VMA’s Premio Lo Nuestro, Latin Billboards, Subway commercials, Barbie Mattel Summit Fashion Show, and the movies Sex Drive starring Seth Green and James Marsden, and Bachelor Party II with funny faces Harland Williams and Greg Pitts. In addition, she directed and co-choreographed the grand prize winning Dance Dub for Paramount Pictures’ Step Up 3D Dance Dub Contest, beating out the top studios The Edge in LA, Broadway Dance Center in NYC, and Studio 411 in Atlanta. Most recently, the talent she represents under Tae Talent Agency are all over both 2012 Movie Box Office Hits: Rock of Ages and Step Up 4 Revolution!
Among all her honors and achievements, none are as significant as the creation of Focal Point Dance Studios and Tae Talent Agency. Both were created as a means to bridge the amateur and professional dance industry. The vision and standard of Focal point is evident by the commitment, passion and excellence of both the students and teachers. While hoping to continuously influence and be impelled by the dance world, she plans on utilizing her multiple outlets to enrich and challenge this art form.
If you would like more information about Focal Point Dance Studios, visit their website at www.FocalPointDanceStudios.com, call them at (305) 259-6960 or email them at focalpointmiami@gmail.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook (FocalPointDanceStudios), follow them on Twitter (FocalPointDance), connect with them on Instagram (FocalPointDance), and enjoy watching them on YouTube.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Amanda Tae of Focal Point Dance Studios.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
