Amanda Allyne, Studio Owner and Artistic Director, describes High Definition Dance’s studio as a second home to their dancers. High Definition Dance (“HDD”) in New Windsor, New York, is a child friendly environment that nurtures the inner spirit and provides a strong dance education. They aim to give their students the necessary resources to reach their potential and to achieve the unthinkable! High Definition offers classes in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Fosse Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, Acro, Boys dance classes in Ballet and Hip Hop, Leaps & Turns, Combo Classes, Adult dance classes, Competition Dance, Glee and Voice. They also have private lessons and birthday parties available.
She believes it is their genuine love for children, people and the relationships they have make along the way that sets HDD apart from other dance studios. HDD cares deeply about their clients – both the dancer and family. Children rise to their potential when their families are able to support them. HDD’s goal is to help families support their children and create an environment of trust. In Amanda’s opinion, the ability to dance is a gift and she believes in sharing that gift through their relationships and through kindness.
Amanda’s proudest moments coaching have been watching her young dancers overcome and achieve things they never thought they could. She says it has been more of a series of moments. They started competing about 4 years ago; her studio will be celebrating its 5th year this summer! There are students had moved from other studios and didn’t have the opportunity to grow up in their studio. But, it has been awesome to watch some of the young dancers who began dancing with her at the age of 4 and 5, grow and accomplish so much in only a four year period. Amanda is even more proud to see these dancers begin to take ownership of their dancing. She has seen them learn how to work as a team, and develop an understanding of healthy competition. It makes her proud to see these children accomplish things they never thought they could.
One of the biggest mistakes Amanda sees dancers make is giving up on Ballet. She 
believes Ballet is crucial to healthy dancing, as well as being a foundation. When something has a foundation, it will not fall down easily. Ballet is that foundation for a dancer. If a dancer has a strong ballet foundation, that dancer will have sound technique, good discipline, strong body, stage presence, balance, etc. The list goes on. While not everyone is designed to become a ballerina, Ballet is a necessary class that should be taken for the length of a dancer’s career at least twice per week for dancers pursuing other dance genres.
The second most common mistake Amanda sees dancers make is not taking the time to “warm-up.” Warming up the body before dancing prepares the muscles for optimal performance. Warming up also reinforces good technique. Dancers who properly warm up their bodies before stretching and dancing do not get injured as easily. When the body is warm and the blood is circulating, it brings more oxygen to the muscles. This allows the dancers to stretch deeper without pulling muscles or getting hurt. Dancers do not realize that it is a great disservice to their bodies to skip over warm ups. At HDD, they warm up in EVERY dance class.
HDD is striving to help their dancers achieve a standard of dance that has not previously been seen in their community. When they began competing, Amanda brought her dancers to competitions like JUMP and CoDance. These are competitions with no level divisions, just age brackets. She wants their dancers to see that many of their dancers out there who are just as talented as they are and who work just as hard as they do. She wanted them to see what they had to work up to. Her goal for this year is to show their dancers that hard work pays off. They have had much higher expectations for their dancers this year in class and in rehearsal and the dancers have stepped up to the plate. Her goal for them is to see improvement in themselves at competition this year.
After receiving her BFA in Dance Studies, performing in companies and teaching for other dance studios, Amanda was not satisfied with the work ethics or technique that was being taught. When Amanda was a young dancer, she was blessed with a teacher who shared her love for dance with Amanda in a way that impacted Amanda’s life deeply. After a year or two of teaching at other places, she decided it was time for her to share that love of dancing with other young dancers the way it was done for her. Starting High Definition Dance was a way for her to reach young children and hopefully make a difference in their life through dance. 
Amanda wanted a studio that provided the best teaching and dance education so that their dancers would be well prepared for entering into the field. Having and running High Definition Dance has been a rollercoaster of a ride for Amanda. However, the impact and the importance it has to some of their dancers is priceless. Her long term goal is to train dancers that would be sought after, not only because they are beautiful, hard-working dancers, but also because they are extraordinary people who care about others.
HDD’a dance studio is located in New Windsor about an hour and a half north of New York City. They have three studios in their building. They hire teachers who are currently working in the industry. Their dancers train on a weekly basis with teachers who currently work for Steps and Broadway Dance Center in New York City. They have teachers who appeared on America’s Got Talent, toured with Bad Boys of Ballet, So You Think You Can Dance, Bolshoi Ballet, Broadway and so much more.
HDD also has a Non-Profit called A Dancers’ Blessing, Inc. This organization sponsors their competition company as well as scholarships for underprivileged dancers in the area to attend weekly classes with HDD. This summer they are taking their dance school to Disney as part of Disney’s Dance the World to dance down Main Street USA in the parade line to celebrate their 5th year anniversary.
Their High Definition Dance Companies are for dancers that are interested in studying dance on a more serious and competitive level. Currently, they are offering one Repertory Company and one Hip Hop Company. Participation in these companies require dedication, commitment, and some extra rehearsals outside of regular company. Membership in either company is limited to dancers over 6 years old and is by audition only.
If you would like more information about High Definition Dance, visit their website at http://www.hi-definitiondance.com, call them at 845-245-4439 or email them at highdefinitiondance@yahoo.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, check them out on Google, view them on YouTube and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Amanda Allyne of High Definition Dance .
