Why are these Lynbrook dancers heading to Hollywood?

Looking forward to a trip from Lynbrook to Hollywood, a group of 10 dancers from the Magnolia Dance Academy has advanced to the final round of one of the most prestigious dance competitions in the country, the Industry Dance Awards, this fall.

“It’s the who’s who in dance,” explained Dena Vilardi, the academy’s choreographer and dance instructor for 19 years, whom the students call Miss Dena. “It has everybody you could think of — Derek Hough, Abby Lee Miller. Any dance personality on TV, they’re there.”

In April, Magnolia earned the People’s Choice Award from Turn It Up, a regional dance competition, with a hypnotizing contemporary number performed by 10 teenagers — most of them high school seniors — who have been dancing together at Magnolia since they were children. After making it through a number of regional rounds, they are now a Turn It Up People’s Choice Award nominee for the national Industry Dance Awards competition, which will takes place in October.

Vilardi said that this is the culmination of the team’s countless hours of dedication over the past 15 years. “These are fully committed kids,” she said. “This is their sport. Some of their friends are on varsity softball. We dance.”

Kim LoPiccolo, who bought the Magnolia studio 27 years ago, when she was 23, said that this group of dancers has acquired more than just skills — they have gained character, too, and have formed an unbreakable bond.

“I have these kids for 15, 16 years,” LoPiccolo said. “I’m able to see them really grow into these young adults from little kids, and I watched their passion grow. They become dedicated.”

Brianna Smith, 18, Jamie Cook, 18, and Kristen Pearson, 17, have been dancing at Magnolia since they were toddlers. Now co-captains of the group, they all said that the 10-person team can only be described as a family.

“Those people in that group are my absolute best friends in the world,” Smith said. “It’s just great to have people that understand your dream, and understand where you’re coming from when you walk into the studio.”

“We all love each other so much, so it’s very special to share the stage with them,” Cook added. “They’re really like family. The bond that we have together is just so special.”

“Every day I’d walk in and everyone would be there with open arms and such a positive energy,” Pearson said. “I love to dance, and I love to be around the people I was with. I grew up with everybody in my group.”

The team’s captivating piece was set to “All For Us,” by Labrinth. The routine combined everything the students love about one another and dancing — the energy, the camaraderie, the dedication — and put it in motion.

“The piece is called ‘All For Us,’ and it was most of our senior years,” Cook said. “So we really felt like we were doing the dance for us and for our choreographer, as just this special thing to share, this special thing that we’ve created all together.”

“It looks like everybody’s just having fun and enjoying themselves, which is what the environment was on stage,” Pearson said. “And I always saw Miss Dena right front and center, and it just always made it so much more fun and so much more energetic.”

“Just seeing her choreography succeed makes me so happy,” Pearson added, “and being able to do it with the rest of my best friends just makes the experience even better.”

The dancers say that Vilardi’s energy, dedication and choreographic skills were integral to their success, and their love of the studio.

“She’s an amazing person — an amazing choreographer, teacher,” Smith said. “She’s just very, very special to all of us. And I know we all really wanted to do it for her, and just impress her in any way we could.”

For their part, Vilardi and LoPiccolo are already more than impressed with the group’s talent and passion. They would like to see the routine win the Industry Dance People’s Choice Award, because their students deserve it.

“It’s passion, dedication, determination, perseverance,” LoPiccolo said of the group’s character.

“For this to happen their senior year means everything to them,” Vilardi said. “They put everything they have into this, and trained their whole lives for this moment. And it’s really like the pinnacle for them to go out on such a high note, with one of the highest nominations in the industry.”

“We won as a unit,” Vilardi added. “It wasn’t an individual achievement. This really was a testament to how amazing our studio works together as a family.”

To view the Magnolia Dance Academy team’s winning number and vote for it, go to tinyurl.com/MagnoliaVote.