The National Dance Alliance, originally named the NCA Superstar, was established in 1999 as a “full service provider in the dance spirit industry”. The NDA is the sister company of the National Cheer Association, which was founded by Lawrence Herkimer in 1948. In 1976, the NCA created the NCA Superstar to make a distinction between the dance and cheerleading aspects of the company. Eventually in 1999, the NCA Superstar changed its name to the National Dance Alliance. The National Dance Alliance is the sister company of the National Cheer Association founded by Lawrence Herkimer in 1948. The NDA is an organization that provides high quality training and teaching to middle school, high school, and college dance teams around the country. NDA hosts many camps, clinics, competitions, and various performance events throughout the year for dancers to attend. Each year, the NCA/NDA hosts over 75,000 cheerleaders and dancers at their summer camps and over 1,500 teams from 45 states at their National Championships. The National Dance Alliance's core goals are to inspire young dancers and to teach them about the importance of teamwork. The NDA emphasizes that the primary purpose of a dance team is to raise spirit for the school's athletic teams as well as the overall community. The NDA instills strong leadership skills in all of its dancers and teaches dance teams how to be role models at the schools they attend.
History
Lawrence Herkimer, a famous innovator in the world of cheerleading, founded the NCA in 1948. The NCA was the first cheerleading company to hold camps and clinics that invited cheerleaders and dancers from around the country to learn new tricks and improve their technique under the supervision of trained and qualified instructors. The NCA had always incorporated dance into its programs, by allowing dance, pom-pom, or drill teams to learn alongside the cheerleaders. In 1976, the company made a distinction between cheerleading and dance by creating the NCA Superstar as the dance section of the company. The NCA Superstar eventually changed its name to the National Dance Alliance in 1999. The National Dance Alliance brand was established and is now a “full service provider in the dance spirit industry”. The NCA and NDA are both a part of the Varsity Spirit Corporation, an organization that hosts competitions, offers camps and clinics to train dancers and cheerleaders, and sells cheer and dance apparel.
Camps
The National Dance Association extends invitations to high school and college dance teams from all over the country to attend its summer or fall camps. Many of these camps are held at university campuses, hotels, and convention centers. Teams that attend NDA's camps get evaluated and receive personalized feedback from members of the NDA staff. These camps are intended to prepare teams for their upcoming season. NDA offers three different types of camps that dance teams can choose from including overnight camps, day camps, and home camps. The overnight camp is either a three- or four-day session that is available to teams at all different technical levels. All NDA overnight camps offer classes that benefit all levels of training, including beginner, intermediate, advanced, and elite. The overnight camp gives participants the opportunity to audition to become an All-American Dancer. Participants selected to be All-American Dancers are given the opportunity to attend many special event performances hosted by the NCA and NDA all over the country. The NDA day camps are two-, three-, or four-day sessions for teams that are not able to attend any of the overnight camps and instead would like to attend a camp where they do not spend the night. The day camps consist of the same curriculum as the NDA overnight camps; however, classes are held from 9am-5pm after which, participants are required to go home. Classes are offered in all styles of dance for all levels. Dancers are also eligible to audition to become an All-American Dancer at the NDA day camps. The home camps are available to teams that would prefer to work privately with a trained NDA instructor in the privacy of their own school. This option allows teams to have a personalized teaching atmosphere that focuses on the specific needs of the team. Home camps give coaches the opportunity to create their own camp schedule that best fits their team. Coaches can choose from a wide variety of technique classes, choreography classes in many different styles, and team-building exercises for their team to participate in. Dancers can also be selected to audition to be an All-American Team Member.
Competitions
The National Dance Alliance gives dance teams the opportunity to compete against one another at the NDA Classic Championships or Nationals. The invitation to compete at these competitions is extended to school and college dance teams, as well as All-Star dance teams. The competitions are split up based on whether the dance team is at the collegiate, school, or all-star level. Each year, the NCA/NDA administers about 40 local, regional and national competitions nationwide.
Nationals
To compete at the National competitions, the NDA College Rule Book for College Teams states that teams must have qualified at the NDA Summer or Fall Camps, Regional or Classic competition, or by video submission. At the collegiate level, teams can be offered bids to the National Competition based on the team's participation, conduct, and achievements at camp.
Classical/Regional Championships
The NDA offers high school and middle school dance teams the opportunity to compete in their classical or regional championships. These competitions allow for teams to compete against other dance teams in their region. Compared to the national championships, the classical and regional competitions are less expensive and allow you to stay close to home. Competing in either of these types of competition can also qualify teams to compete in the NDA National Championship.
Special events
Christmas extravaganza
The NDA gives dancers the chance to perform in the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade. This event is televised and aired on Christmas Day on ABC network. The trip is a four-day and three-night event that is held at Disney's Colorado Springs Resort in Florida. Dancers who participate in this event also get the privilege of visiting many of Disney World's theme parks. Dancers eligible to attend this trip must attend a NCA or NDA camp or be an All-American Team Member or an All-American Nominee of a Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman or Junior High team. Also, all teams who won trophies or plaques in competitions, whether they are individuals or an entire team, may attend.
This event is open to all freshman, juniors, and seniors in high school who were selected to be an All-American Team Member. Dancers eligible to attend are able to perform in London's New Year's Day Parade.
Thanksgiving Day parades
NDA gives dancers the opportunity to perform in a variety of parades around the country that occur on the morning of Thanksgiving. All-American Team Members can perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade, or the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade.
