For many dancers, being part of a competition team is just a short chapter in a long dance journey. But the personal connections made at races and conventions can last a lifetime. These three pairs of dancers who forged friendships at the competition show that having a tried and true teammate in your corner can make a big difference in the world of professional dance, too.
Justin Pham, a Los Angeles-based choreographer and dancer, and Krissa Hadjis, a New York-based freelance dancer
When Hadjis moved from California to New York in the fall of 2023, it was the first time she and former teammate Pham had been apart since they met as children at the Murrieta Dance Project in California. The two competed in almost every category, including as successful duet partners. When Pham enrolled at USC’s Gloria Kaufman School of Dance, Hadjis soon followed.
“It was fun experiencing life together, and then the realm of the college conservatory felt so different,” Hadjis says. “It was great to have a friend there to share the ups and downs with.”
Hadjis danced in many of Pham’s choreographic projects, including one he presented at the Capezio ACE Awards. “You want to work with people you like,” says Pham.
“Somehow you can root [our friendship] back to competitive dance because that’s where we met,” Hadjis says. “Or you could uproot it to dance altogether, because through dance we have experienced life together.”
“We literally grew up together,” says Pham. “We’ve been able to see each other through all these different phases of our lives and still somehow do what we’ve always done.”
Kylie Dyson, Boston Ballet II, and Marissa Mattingly, Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Dyson and Mattingly met on the competition circuit in central Florida and became close when Dyson joined the studio Mattingly attended, the All American Classical Ballet School, in Tampa. They competed at the Youth America Grand Prix, the USA International Ballet Competition and the World Ballet Competition as soloists and in groups and performed a duet of Swan Lake during their last competitive season together.
Whenever they had a break from their rigorous schedule of classes and rehearsals, they studied together in a cafeteria. “We tried to do each other’s homework, but we usually ended up talking,” Mattingly says.
“It’s great to remember talking about what companies we want to join, and now that we’re using FaceTime to talk about our days, we’re living the life we’ve been dreaming of,” Dyson says.
Now at the start of their professional careers, Dyson and Mattingly are glad to have each other’s support. “We text all the time,” Dyson says. “Despite the distance, nothing has changed,” Mattingly adds. “We’re super connected.”
Courtney Konovan, LA Dance Project, and Makayla Chiplin (known professionally as Chip), a New York-based freelance dancer
Every year on their respective birthdays, Konovan and Chip post funny videos of each other from their racing days on Instagram.
“It’s a perfect time capsule of how we danced back then compared to where we are now,” says Chip. As members of Rise Dance Company in Round Rock, Texas, “we just had fun and had so much fun.”
“The memories: [of that time] that I think don’t compete on stage or what pieces we’ve done—it’s always the hotel room afterwards or the trip to Corner Bakery we’d take between each rehearsal,” says Konovan. “I think we live together more than we are dancers together.”
The friends stayed in touch via text and FaceTime when Konovan left for Purchase College and Chip, a year later, enrolled at the University of the Arts. Now, as professionals, they say not much has changed.
“We have a very goofy friendship,” says Chip. “We get together and it’s like being 11 again in the hotel room after a race.”