The IDA Story
To understand the story behind IDA, we have to go all the way back to the beginning.
Amy Semtak received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in dance from Montclair State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. There, she studied under many famous choreographers, such as Martha Graham, Alwin Nikolais, Jose Limon, Bill T. Jones, etc., as well as performed in the American College Dance Festival (ACDF). Amy has been teaching dance since the age of 16.
In 2002, Amy opened a studio of her own, "Dance Mania." Amy was well known throughout the dance world not only for her dancing abilities, but for her teaching and choreography skills as well. Her students and routines (in all disciplines of dance) won numerous overall, high score, and judges awards at both regional and national competitions. She was continuously recognized for her outstanding choreography.
Amy's students have performed at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, not to mention, the halftime show of the Orange Bowl. They have also received invites to perform at both the summer and winter Olympics. Amy's students were 1 of 5 schools selected in the Northeast Region to compete in the first ever World Dance Championship Series (WDCS) hosted by the Federation of Dance Competitions (FDC). Amy's students have gone on to Broadway and TV, as well as highly renowned dance teams across the US.
After 11 years of success, and the birth of her first daughter, she decided to close "Dance Mania" in order to spend more time with her family. She took a position at For Dancers Only, where she assisted in running the competition team, as well as teaching, choreographing, and expanding their acro department.
In 2019, Amy decided she wanted to get back into the game and have her own studio again. After an extensive search for a new location, we stumbled onto the former Bograd's building. Bograd's was going out of business and the space available was a blank canvas for a studio. With only 3 weeks to get everything done, it was crunch time. We are talking the buildout of walls, installation of subfloor and marley floors, ballet barres, mirrors, etc. In the end, everything was completed on time and Inspiration Dance Academy was born.
Then 2020 happened. IDA was forced to shut down for 3.5 months. In that time, we pivoted, shut down all systems, pivoted, and went to an online dance model. Focusing on technique and ballet, which were the only types of dance in which you can get the most out of over Zoom. In July 2020, IDA reopened its doors, with all safety protocols in place, and it was business as usual.
With all the challenges that COVID brought, Inspiration Dance Academy is still going strong and waiting for YOU to come in and join us!!!