Founded in 1981, the multifaceted Tremaine Convention is in its 35th year of inspiring and training the next generation of dancers as they learn from the best in the industry. Cities on the current tour schedule include Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Greensboro, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, and Tulsa (see schedule below).

35th Annual Tremaine Convention Gala Event & National Finals –
The 35th Annual Tremaine Convention Gala Event and National Finals, set for Wednesday, July 6 through Monday, July 11, 2016 in Orlando, FL, is an action-packed week of daily classes, celebrity guests, competitions, special performances, awards, interviews, and special Q&A sessions. At this year’s milestone 35th anniversary event, the highpoint of the season, dancers who have placed in regional conventions throughout the 2015-2016 tour will vie for the prestigious $5000 “2016 National Performance of the Year” and “2016 National Dancer of the Year” honors. A “2016 National Teacher of the Year” will also be awarded.

Tremaine 2015-16 35th Anniversary Tour Faculty: (clockwise from top)
Meghan Sanett, Keri LaGrand, Derrick Schrader, Tiffany Maher, Marty Dew, Colby Shinn,
Laurie Johnson, Tony Bellissimo and Joe Tremaine. Emily Zachary not pictured.
Photo courtesy Tremaine Dance Conventions

Participants will have the unique opportunity to meet and learn from high profile celebrities as well as dance industry leaders. The week will culminate in a red carpet gala event on Sunday, July 10, 2016, which will include an elegant black tie party, sit down dinner, awards ceremony, and live performances by competition winners and special guests. Guests dress to impress at this festive event.

For the first time ever, all former honorees, many with a Tremaine history, will be invited to this year’s extra special gala event. Past honorees include legendary entertainers Paula Abdul, Debbie Allen, Mitzi Gaynor, Nigel Lythgoe, Ann-Margret, Kenny Ortega, Chita Rivera, and Dick Van Dyke. Choreographers, directors, and dancers who have been honored in previous years include Josh Bergasse (Smash), Stephen “tWitch” Boss (So You Think You Can Dance), Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars), Jamie King (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Cirque du Soleil), Charles “Chucky” Klapow (High School Musical), Barry Lather (Emmy-nominated, MTV and Billboard award winner), Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance), Dee Dee Wood (Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music), and Zach Woodlee (Glee, Grease: Live).

Book –
Joe Tremaine and dancer, author, and blog talk radio host Laurie Johnson will share their wealth of knowledge with the world in a new book (title TBD) set for publication in June 2016. Written for parents, recreational dancers, professional dancers, and dance teachers, the practical book explores the art and craft of professional dance. It serves as a guide to navigating the dance world – what to expect and how to pursue a career in the field.

Behind the Curtain Documentary –
Behind the Curtain: An Untold Story of Dance, Dancers, and the Man Behind the Curtain takes a peek into the world of professional dance to explore the raw drive and passion of dance. The feature-length documentary focuses on Joe Tremaine, the man behind the curtain, a legend in the dance community who has influenced, trained, and mentored thousands of dance careers throughout the years. Tremaine, often referred to as the architect of the commercial dance world, has launched the careers of some of the most notable dancers of the past 35 years and is still going strong. His protégés have been in dance crews behind Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Pink, Rihanna, and Justin Timberlake. Some are world-renown choreographers, award-winning directors, producers, and creative directors. Tremaine Dance Conventions are also featured in the upcoming film. Behind the Curtain, currently in production, is scheduled for a 2017 release. The film is directed by Shane Valdes; produced by Lynn Givens; and co-produced by Shelli Margheritis.

Tour Schedule –
Considered the first of the “new breed” of touring dance educational programs, the Tremaine organization offers classes and competitions in approximately 25 cities annually. Award-winning choreographers and dance teachers are on the team in every city. The 35th Anniversary schedule includes upcoming dates for both the remaining Winter 2015-2016 season and the four big Summer 2016 conventions. Tour stops include:

Winter 2015-2016:

• Mar 5-6, 2016 • Cleveland, OH • Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
• Mar 12-13, 2016 • Tulsa, OK • Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center
• Mar 19-20, 2016 • Chicago, IL • Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel
• Apr 2-3, 2016 • Los Angeles, CA • Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel
• Apr 9-10, 2016 • Greensboro, NC • Sheraton Greensboro Hotel

Summer 2016:

• June 30 – July 2, 2016 • Dallas, TX • Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center • Convention & Cash Awards Competition
• July 6-11, 2016 • Orlando, FL • Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld • 35th Annual Convention Gala Event, National Finals & Cash Awards Competition
• July 22-24, 2016 • New York, NY • Grand Hyatt New York • Convention & Cash Awards Competition
• July 29-31, 2016 • Las Vegas, NV • Alexis Park Resort • Convention & Cash Awards Competition

Tour stops listed above, which are structured around weekends, are for convention events unless otherwise noted. For online registration, please click here. Competition details are here.

Joe Tremaine, Co-Founder & President –
Internationally acclaimed choreographer/educator/performer Joe Tremaine is one of the most influential dance personalities in the country today. He has worked on television, Broadway, film, and many stage-focused live events. A native of Oak Ridge, LA, he started dancing at age 4, started to teach dance in high school, and is still leading the way and going strong. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Northeast Louisiana University, he moved to New Orleans to train and perform with the New Orleans Ballet Association and the New Orleans Opera.

Tremaine ran his adult professional dance center for nearly 30 years in Los Angeles, starting in 1971. He became the president and co-founder of Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions in 1981. As the new organization grew, he stepped aside from his studio in order to devote more time to the conventions and competitions. Tremaine and his staff tour the country annually to about 25 cities, bringing professional choreography and teaching to over 50,000 dancers nationwide every year.

He was a June Taylor Dancer on The Jackie Gleason Show, danced in the movie Hello Dolly, and performed in Ed Sullivan Specials. He also served as a judge for the Miss Louisiana competition in 1999 and a preliminary judge for the Miss America Pageant in 1998. Tremaine has been honored with the prestigious Bob Fosse Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education. Other awards, to name just a few, include the Professional Dancers Society Award for Excellence in Dance Contributions, the Gus Giordano Lifetime Achievement Award, the Dance Educators of America Excellence in Jazz Dance Award, and, most recently in 2015, the Gene Kelly Legacy Award at the Dizzy Feet Gala for lifetime contributions to the field. Career Transitions for Dancers also recently honored Joe Tremaine as well as Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance.

He is a current member of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance Board of Councilors. Tremaine has also been very active with the Professional Dancers Society in various roles over the years, including acting as the former Vice President, serving on the Board of Directors, and co-founding the organization’s scholarship fund.

Relativity School in Los Angeles, a film and performing arts college/university created with a major Hollywood studio, named its annual $25,000 commercial dance scholarship after Joe Tremaine. Every year, the scholarship is awarded to one freshman dancer/choreographer that demonstrates powerfully connected stories through dance.

Over the years, Tremaine has worked with many stars including Paula Abdul, Alan Alda, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Carol Burnett, Cher, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cameron Diaz,Jeff Goldblum, Joel Grey, Goldie Hawn, Bob Hope, Helen Hunt, Gene Kelly, Jerry Lewis, Liza Minnelli, Mary Tyler Moore, Olivia Newton-John, Donny Osmond, Diana Ross,Barbra Streisand, John Wayne, Raquel Welch, and many others.

Additionally, many of his students have gone on to professional careers as working dancers, dance teachers, and choreographers. International dance star and Emmy-winning choreographer Charles “Chucky” Klapow, a former student, describes Tremaine as, “the man who helped shape the pulse and energy of dance in LA, and in pop culture, into what it is today by giving so many of us a real gateway into the dance industry.”

Julie Adler, Co-Founder & Vice President –
Julie Adler has worn many hats over the years. She was a dancer, teacher, studio owner, choreographer, and business entrepreneur. After raising her family and running six successful dance studios for many years, she partnered with Joe Tremaine to produce Tremaine Dance Conventions and Competitions.

Born in Detroit, Adler’s love for dance surfaced in an incident where she was taken to a Broadway-type musical. Sitting beside her mother in the theater, she suddenly disappeared, soon to be found up on stage dancing the Charleston with the performers. She began teaching dance lessons in her basement for twenty-five cents a lesson at age 12, then went on to tour local nightclubs in Detroit with Danny Thomas at age 13. She opened her first professional studio at age 17.

She and Tremaine partnered and, with great expectations, presented the first Tremaine Dance Convention at the Sheraton La Reina Hotel in Los Angeles in the fall of 1981. The early days of Tremaine Conventions began in Adler’s home in Granada Hills, CA. The bedroom was the office, the kitchen and dining room were for mailing and shipping, and the pantry and linen closet stored videos, albums, and t-shirts. Four years later, the budget allowed for a real office on Hamlin Street in Van Nuys, CA. Currently, the offices are in North Hollywood on Vineland Avenue. Tremaine Dance Conventions wouldn’t be where it is today without her tireless devotion and the countless hours of work she has spent on the company.

Tremaine Dance Convention and Competition –
An education-based convention, established in 1981 by Joe Tremaine and Julie Adler, the Tremaine Dance Convention and Competition fosters the love of dance. The highly engaged and accessible faculty, which includes top working professional choreographers, teachers, and dancers, gathers to conduct master dance classes for Teachers, Assistant Teachers, as well as Senior, Teen, and Junior dancers from across the United States and around the world. Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, and Open categories are included. (Ballroom is not included in the offerings.)

Tremaine conventions changed the landscape of dance education by implementing state of the art sound systems, dance floors, and high standards for participants. First and foremost, the emphasis is on education – classes are highly organized and structured. Exciting dance competitions are also a vital component of the events. Talented youth dance teams and individual dancers compete for highly coveted awards in each dance category. Each year just over $350,000 is awarded in scholarships to hundreds of students.

Links –
• Official Site – http://www.tremainedance.com
• 35th Season Faculty – http://www.tremainedance.com/faculty
• Online Registration – https://tremaine.mydanceregister.com/login.php
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TremaineDance
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/TREMAINEDANCE
• YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/THETremaineDanceCO
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tremainedance

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For additional information, images, a copy of the new book, interviews, or to request complimentary press passes, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

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Photo courtesy Tremaine Dance Conventions.