As the autumn leaves started to fall, and the trees around campus began to turn different shades of orange or crimson red, Grier dancers returned to campus looking forward to the most exciting dance event of the semester: the Grier Gala. Each year, Artistic Director, Joci Hrzic, and Assistant Artistic Director, Danielle Bower, spend thousands of hours planning the event, recruiting professional dance companies, organizing amazing workshops for students, and inviting guest schools for a weekend of art, learning, and connecting to the dance world.
The Grier Gala was founded by Joci Hrzic in collaboration with the Grier family, and it has become a key component of our school’s prestigious dance program ever since. It’s an event where students showcase their hard work but also learn from talented professionals and important members of the dance world from all around the country.
The idea for the Gala was born after Joci attended the Jazz Dance World Congress festival in Chicago, where her choreography was chosen as one of the top ten pieces in the nation. There she met Gus Giordano, the founder of Jazz Dance and “an icon to the dance world,” as Joci puts it. “I was inspired by him inviting other professional dance companies to perform at his event along with his company. I felt it showed his confidence in his own work,” Joci said.
That inspiration followed Joci back to Grier where she knew immediately that she wanted to do something like Giordano’s festival. “I didn’t know how I would, but I was just so inspired to make Grier School have that status and to help the dance program grow into one of the strongest in the country,” Joci said. She sure did just that, shaping Grier’s dance program into one of the best in the nation.
However, making this dream a reality was nothing short of a challenge. Joci had just become a mother and was balancing the demands of family life with her aspirations of bettering the dance program for her students and her daughter. “Getting it started was difficult, as I had just had a baby. But Jillian inspired me to be the best I could be at my job, hoping one day she would look at me with pride to be her mother,” Joci said. What Joci didn’t know then is that all her efforts would help Jillian, a ‘24 graduate from Grier, become the amazing and talented dancer she is today.
The first Gala was small; it merely featured one performance by Penn State University’s dance team with limited attendance. But Joci continued to dream, and she kept hope in her vision, reaching out to dance companies that were just getting started and utilizing the connections she had with former colleagues. Over the years, more companies agreed to come. Word began to spread and attract prestigious companies such as Koresh, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Philadanco, and Martha Graham Dance Company, all who attended this year’s Gala. “The networking just among the companies, universities, and festivals has brought it national recognition,” Joci said. “Every year, more and more festivals join because it’s bringing more students to their summer intensives. They also know there is great talent in the classes and will get great students for their summer intensives, if not their dance major programs.”
For Joci and Danielle, planning the Gala is a year-round project that requires a large amount of hard work and dedication. The planning and organizing of the Gala begins as soon as the previous Gala ends, with several months spent securing guest artists and working out every logistical detail. “There were at least six companies I spent months working on coming this year that never ended up attending due to schedules and company members not being available,” Joci explains. “Sending out info to other schools to participate and getting all of their info, waivers, and fees also takes time. Setting up college auditions for all the seniors participating and getting their info prepared to hand to the schools auditioning is another big task.”
Even though they get an early start, as the event approaches the workload becomes more and more intense. Joci credits Danielle’s contributions, especially her work behind the scenes setting up lighting and taking part in stage management, as part of what makes Gala a success. “Setting up the show orders and music is always a lot, and I’m so thankful to Danielle for helping with that. Also, her doing all the lighting and in such a fast pace is incredible.”
The duo’s hard work creates a weekend filled with extraordinary performances from both the students and the professionals. The day after the Gala, the school hosts remarkable workshops taught by the best in the industry. Joci and Danielle’s seamless execution of setting up two performances the same day truly shows their ability and dedication to their dancers. “Putting up two performances the same day we start teaching the shows is a lot, and the fact that we make it pretty seamless is a feat!” Joci said.
This year’s lineup included thirteen different classes for both beginners and advanced dancers. From ballet to commercial dance, this year’s Gala was truly a mix of different styles and different artists from all over the nation. As per tradition, an opening number was taught to the Grier dancers the week prior to Gala. The opening number this year, a contemporary piece choreographed by Joshua Pelatski, debuted at the student showcase. It included dancers of different levels and dance schools, truly showing how dance brings communities together. “I love that the community feels like a family,” pre-professional dancer Roberta Lopez said.
For the dance students, the Gala is more than just a dance convention—it’s an opportunity to grow as an artist and make connections with some of the most influential members of the dance world. “My favorite moment at the Gala was being on stage,” Roberta said. “I love the feeling of finally putting all the hard work together and dancing with my friends.”
The process leading up to the Gala’s student showcase is rigorous for both the dancers and the choreographers, having a little over two months to choreograph and polish several pieces. Additionally, when incidents happen, such as injuries, it’s challenging for the dancers to work around their missing teammates. “The most challenging part about Gala was being ready and prepared to change sections or spacing in our pieces the week of the show due to some of my teammates being injured and unable to perform,” Roberta shares.
Despite all these challenges, the experience of participating in Gala is extremely rewarding for the dancers, as they get to learn things they would have never learned in their usual class setting. “A really important thing I learned was to observe the people around me—teachers, peers, and professional dancers—to see what I can improve,” Roberta said. “Paying attention to small details makes a big difference.”
For Joci, the Grier gala is an event that embodies her love and passion for dance and dance education. As the Gala continues to grow and expand more and more each year, its impact goes beyond being a place to showcase talent; it’s a space that continues to inspire both students and professionals. “Everyone that attends says that this event doesn’t happen anywhere in the country, which makes this event so special to me and happy it’s helped Grier School be amazing,” Joci said. The Grier Gala this year reminded us all of the beauty of dance–an artform that frees the soul–and its importance in our society and school.
