A “So You Think You Can Dance!” alum teaches the next generation(s) of dancers
In 2009, Miami’s Victor Smalley was all of 20 years old, the definition of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, when he auditioned for Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance!,” the reigning titan of dance competition shows. Judge Mary Murphy called his self-choreographed contemporary dance routine “dynamic” and “explosive,” and fellow judge and showrunner Nigel Lythgoe added, “when you take off, you fly.” Smalley earned a ticket to the mentally and physically taxing “Vegas Week,” alongside the season’s most promising hoofers, and he would ultimately make it onto the show as one of its top 20 dancers, performing contemporary, jazz and Broadway numbers in front of 6 million weekly viewers before being eliminated in Week Five.
Yet Smalley could just as easily have operated on the other side of the dais. Since 2006, he has run Stars Dance Studio out of Miami with his business partner Angel Armas, instructing promising dancers not unlike himself. “We set out to make Stars Dance Studio different from our competitors, because we understand that we work with artistic kids, so we allow them to express themselves and make dance their own,” he says. “Our motto is ‘Liberate the Artist from Within.’”
Stars Dance Studio earned a national TV close-up as the setting of the 2012 Lifetime reality series “Dance Moms: Miami,” and in 2019, Smalley and Armas opened their second studio here in Boca Raton.
“I am blessed to have so many successful and talented dancers that are the perfect example of the discipline and work we do at our studio,” Smalley says. “We not only teach dance; we teach [our students] to be successful in life as great human beings and extraordinary artists.” Smalley tells us more about his inspiring vocation.
On the trial by fire of appearing on “So You Think You Can Dance!”:
It was definitely a brutal competition, but this is the way a dancer needs to prepare and train for his or her career in dance, whether it is for college or a dance company or even a music video. I learned so much on the show, and I have included everything I learn into the training of my dancers.
On his favorite success story from Stars Dance Studio:
One of my favorite stories is of Ricky Ubeda, winner of “So You Think You Can Dance! (SYTYCD).” Ricky started dancing with us when he was 13. We gave him a scholarship, because in our studio boys don’t pay tuition. He was an amazing, talented dancer and was winning most dance competitions. When he turned 18 he auditioned for “SYTYCD.” He not only qualified for the live show, but he won the entire competition without any negative remarks from the judges, winning $250,000; he also was invited to be on Broadway. Ricky has done Broadway shows like “On the Town” and “Cats” and was a cast member in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” We are so proud of him.
On training virtually during the pandemic:
The virtual classes or via Zoom works really well, because the instructor still can see the dancers to make corrections. When you know and love your work, it is easy to teach, especially when the dancer is hungry to learn.
On teaching dancers as young as 3:
A 3-year-old child is like a sponge: They absorb and learn everything. We have a special program for them that includes ballet, jazz, tap and acro. We teach them movement, the basis of technique and stretching in a fun way. Discipline is very important for a dancer, especially at that early age. We also teach them as if we are teaching the older dancers, because it’s never too early. This young, they are willing to do anything to earn that sticker and lollipop!
51 Glades Road; 786/230-4981; starsdance.co
This story is from the March 2022 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
