LAYTON -- The interest in dance in the Top of Utah continues to pound a steady economic beat for its event planners and Davis tourism promoters.
The latest: A dance workshop to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.
"So You Think You Can Dance" performer and judge Lil' C will offer instruction in two workshops, in addition to a short lecture on the do's and don'ts of auditioning for the show.
The cost is $39 for a single workshop and lecture. That cost includes an autograph session with Lil' C.
This is the 15th time in the last five years the center has served as host to a "So You Think You Can Dance" celebrity workshop sponsored by Dancelink of Kaysville.
But organizers say this particular workshop is offering something new.
Lil' C being a judge and a choreographer on the Fox television hit series will offer insight as to how to audition for the show, said Tami Larson, owner of Dancelink.
"It is very exciting that we have him coming," she said.
Larson said the timing of Saturday's workshop could not be better, with the Salt Lake City auditions for the show being held Feb. 23.
As a result, Larson said, she is anticipating another good crowd for the workshops.
The one-day dance workshops provide a $25,000 boon to the Top of Utah economy each time they are held, said conference center officials.
"We have actually brought in people from 11 different states," Larson said of prior workshops she held at the center using dance celebrities from the television dance series now entering its ninth season.
Despite the current economy, Larson said, she has not seen a drop-off in the number of participants attending the workshops.
Holding workshops in Salt Lake City may be more convenient for the participants and instructors who fly in to attend the dance sessions, Larson said. But she has found the Davis Conference Center to be a more affordable facility, with an accommodating staff that makes everyone feel welcome.
Area tourism promoters are happy, Layton is serving as a dance center.
"Anytime you can utilize the Davis Conference Center for activities, it brings revenue into our community," Davis Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau CEO and President Barbara Riddle said. "It's great we are able to host her in our community."
"This is a big dance area as well," Larson said of the Top of Utah. "The other draw is that I live in the (Davis County) area and I want to support my community, too."
Larson said celebrities from the dance show are also willing to come to Utah to conduct the workshops because Utah dancers have such a rich history of being successful on the show, and because the state has "a very strong dance base."
"I bring the dancers here so the local dancers can have exposure to that kind of talent," she said.
"Within the local and state market, many event planners love this location, the product and the quality of service," Davis County Community and Economic Development Director Kent Sulser said of the center.
"The brand that the Davis Conference Center brings is exceeding expectations," he said in a statement.
This dance clinic program appreciates the service the conference center delivers to the workshops, a program to prep a few hundred attendees to try out for the "So You Think You Can Dance" television program, Sulser said.
The two dance workshops at the center include an intermediate and an advanced class.
Registration begins at 11 a.m., with the intermediate class -- 6 years or older -- to begin at noon, Larson said.
A 2 p.m. lecture and autograph session with Lil' C will follow the intermediate workshop, with the advanced dance workshop to begin at 3 p.m. The advanced class is generally for adults, or anyone age 13 or older.
Comments