Dance Bloggers: The Best People You'll Ever Meet

I got into San Francisco last night for the Dance/USA Conference. In true dancer form, I arrived at the opening reception fifteen minutes before it ended. The party was swinging, wine was flowing, canapes were being passed around on fancy platters, and I was rubbing elbows with the most influential Americans in the dance world. #pinchme

That's right. I just hashtagged it.

After the reception, the bloggers headed out for dinner. The six of us will be speaking tomorrow on a panel about blogging and writing in dance and we thought it would be a good idea to you, know, actually talk to each other for the first time ever.

I swear, I thought I could have chatted with them for another ten hours. Talk about amazing minds! Here's a little introduction to each of them.

Lauren Warnecke of Art Intercepts. She's the brainchild and moderator of this panel. Her writing is thoughtful yet witty, just like her personality. Reading her blog is like reading short quips of genius and she can tell a story like none else. PS... she's beautiful!

Nichelle Strezepek of Dance Advantage. I can't tell you how much I admire Nichelle for creating her successful blog from scratch. She is the resource for dancers, from beginners to studio owners and everyone in between. Even though she's clearly an overachiever, conversations with her are down to earth and laid-back.

Maria Hanley Blakemore of Maria's Movers. Oh goodness. When I saw Maria at the reception, she squealed, I squealed, we hugged, and I swear to you I felt like I was hugging a lifelong friend. Maria is a creative dance teacher in New York City. She's legit. You visit her blog and realize she's a bottomless well of information. If any readers are thinking about signing their kids up for creative dance classes (which you all should!), visit her blog and have your mind blown. Trust me.

Catherine Tully of 4Dancers. Catherine is the mother of dance blogging. She knows her stuff and her broad range of topics appeals to everyone in and out of the dance world. Yet her heart... her heart is so big and thoughtful there's a reason why you visit her blog and feel at home.

Zachary Whittenburg of Trailer Pilot.  When all the ladies were obsessing via twitter about what we were going to wear, Zach hilariously tweeted this photo to us with the caption, "This is my look. So no, not too dressy." This man is thoughtful, funny, and the guru of dance writing in the digital age. Formerly the dance editor of Time Out Chicago, he has turned to freelance writing and knows the industry better than anyone I've ever met. And he's funny. Did I mention that?

I always knew dancers had the best personalities and amazing legs... but dance writers? Forget about it. They are the best people on the planet, hands down.