Members of a local dance studio went on the trip of a lifetime recently, enjoying a few days in New York City and participating in “Dance the World Broadway,” an educational program for dancers attended by dance schools from around the world.

While in New York City, performers had the opportunity to dance on a Broadway stage, perform in the middle of Times Square and participate in celebrity masterclasses and workshops. The event culminated in a dinner/dance cruise around the New York harbor. Each dance school that attends the event is given choreography months in advance, so that students are all on the same page when it’s time to perform.

“It was a great trip and a great experience,” said Victoria Danovsky, owner of Victoria’s School of Dance. “It was well worth our time and energy in preparing and getting ready for it. We chose the educational side of the program, just because of our mixture of ages.”

There were 10 dancers in all from Victoria’s School of dance who made the trip to the big city, ranging in age from 8 to 19; over 2,000 dancers participated in “Dance the World Broadway,” representing the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Local dancers included Alexis Scott, Demi Danovsky, Makenzie Riedinger, Caitlin Belmont, Anna Smith, Madyson Riedinger, Peyton Hamilton, Delaney Jackson, Raven Tobin and Isi Tobin.

On the first day of the trip, the dancers had the opportunity to dance on a Broadway stage, complete with the studio name Victoria’s School of Dance emblazoned on the marquee.

“That really gave the kids the real Broadway experience,” Danovsky said.

Following the stage performance, the team attended the Disney’s Lion King workshop, then capped off the evening with a performance of “Frozen.”

The second day featured a rehearsal in the morning, followed by two more Broadway workshops, one featuring Corbin Bleu from “High School Musical,” as well as a routine from the Broadway musical “Hamilton.”

“It was a pretty inspirational workshop they had put together for the dancers,” Danovsky said. “Sometimes I think it’s important to take a step back and look at the educational factor of the art of dance. I’m kind of old-school in teaching — I believe that dance was an art before it was a competition. So I think the dancers learned so much beyond just going and competing, and getting to know people from across the country and around the world.”

After the workshops, the dancers participated in a huge performance in Times Square, with multiple dance groups performing at a time the choreography the teams had all learned prior to the event. The final evening was spent on the “Spirit of New York” cruise, a dinner cruise around New York Harbor.

“The cruise was a lot of fun, we got to see all of the sights, like the Statue of Liberty and all the main features of New York,” Danovsky said. “The lead actor from the musical ‘Aladdin’ came out and took pictures, and all of the teachers got awards to hang up in our studios saying that we attended the program.”

Victoria’s School of Dance was the only studio from Wyoming that participated in the event.

“I think they were just astonished by the idea of the culture and diversity of people — it was more than just a dance education,” she said. “They got to see the big world we live in, as opposed to just where we live in this one little area. I think it was a great experience for them, parents too. The parents were amazed that it was such a big deal.”

Victoria’s School of Dance is now enrolling students aged 3-18 for its fall session, with the studio opening Sept. 3. The school will soon begin working toward its next big trip — this time to Hawaii in the summer of 2021.

“The students will get to dance at Pearl Harbor, so we’re excited about that,” Danovsky said.