Studio Celebrates First National Dance Day With Grand Opening (17 Photos, 4 Videos)

We're going to play a little game of "Where's Waldo" to find me in the accompanying hip hop video, and the few pictures I didn't manage to escape from.

If you found me, please look away. If you didn't, thank you, because then you didn't see me, a former ballet dancer, trying unsuccessfully to master a hip hop dance, which is completely out of my personal element.

And yet, despite my awkwardness, I still had a blast Saturday, celebrating National Dance Day at the grand opening of Premiere Dance of Bridgewater, on Rte. 202/206, as more than 60 dancers showed up to celebrate both occasions with free dance classes in several different styles, including contemporary and tap.

But the main focus of the event was on the opening of the new studio, which will officially begin classes Sept. 13. The studio itself is another branch of the Premiere Dance franchise.

Before opening this new venture, studio owner Michael Cuomo, of Bridgewater, was a teacher at Premiere Dance of Hillsborough. Before that, his time was spent as a dancer on tour with such acts as Justin Timberlake and Pink.

"When I was young, I watched Michael Jackson, and I always wanted to be a dancer because of him," Cuomo said.

After teaching in Hillsborough, Cuomo opened his own branch of the studio in Flemington in 2004, and is now opening his second branch–the studio in Bridgewater.

The owners of Premiere Dance of Hillsborough do not have a stake in the Flemington and Bridgewater locations, but the name is franchised out.

"This is a great town, and I love the people," Cuomo said. "But there are no competitive schools in the area, and we are hoping to open with a competition team."

Studio teacher Colleen London Link, who used to teach at Premiere Dance of Hillsborough, said she believes opening in Bridgewater will provide a real opportunity for students that they might not otherwise get.

"There is so much newness, and Bridgewater is on the cutting edge," she said, adding that she used to live in town. "There is a lot of exposure here, and a wide range of families who want to include their children in these programs to make them well-rounded. I think we will be successful, even in our first year, and I'm excited to meet all the families."

Aside from a competition team, Cuomo said, he is planning to offer several classes that are not normally offered at other studios.

"We will have break dancing, contemporary and street tap," he said. "I think they will be well-attended. We are state of the art here, with the best trained teaching staff."

The main attraction was the inclusion of season two finalist of FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" Ivan Koumaev, who taught three hip hop classes, one of which I decided to attend as a dancer, fan of the television show and editor eager to enhance her coverage of the event.

But let's ignore me completely if we can because, while I had a great time in the class itself, I am currently still trying to master the about minute-long dance Koumaev taught, while trying to find the "groove" he encouraged the other dancers to have.

Since the show, Koumaev said, he has been traveling around the country on auditions and teaching engagements, in addition to dancing on the Academy Awards and in the upcoming film, "Step Up 3D." And, he said, he recently decided he prefers performing on stage.

"The hype and energy from the crowd gets me excited," he said. "I just realized I do prefer the stage."

Still, Koumaev said, he enjoys the teaching opportunities, despite the difficulty in teaching hip hop steps to younger children.

"You have to relate to preschoolers," he said. "Once you get their attention and they get into you, they're your biggest fans."

Koumaev led the students in each of his classes in a pre-choreographed number, guiding them through the steps and offering his knowledge about making it in the world of dance.

"I try to throw in different life lessons," he said after the final hip hop class. "Some come to dance classes to get away, and some come to build a career."

For Koumaev, who spent time after the classes taking pictures and signing autographs, he really enjoys teaching these kinds of intensive programs.

"I do a lot of these for different studios, but it was really cool to do a grand opening today," he said. "And they picked a good day for this studio to open since it's National Dance Day, [which] is a really neat concept."

National Dance Day is a grassroots initiative, started by "So You Think You Can Dance" Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe, to encourage individuals across the country to just get up and dance.

Many of the students in attendance felt the same way about the day.

"It's cool that dancers have their own day," said 16-year-old Sean Murphy. "It's perfect, and it's National Dance Day, so why not go to an open house?"

Link said she was sure July 31 would be the perfect day to hold the grand opening.

"I said we have got to do the grand opening on National Dance Day," she said. "And the kids are all coming together and having a great time."

Although many of the students attended to support Cuomo, who they had worked with at the other Premiere Dance studios, several said they were glad to spend National Dance Day at a dance event.

"Just to see all the new people here and all the dancers [is great]," said 17-year-old Neal Doshi. "And this is a day for our kind."

For others, the day was all about the chance to learn something new.

"My love for dance brought me out here," said 15-year-old Nicole Petrosino. "New experiences are always good. I am enjoying the atmosphere, and learning a lot."