BravO! National Dance and Talent Competition: In the Spotlight
Drew Vamosi and Brendan Buchanan think they are in the right place at the right time. Starting a new business can often be a risky proposition, but they believe they have discovered the perfect formula for success. This season, they have launched a brand new dance comp-etition, BravO! National Dance and Talent Competition, and plan to hit the ground running.
Getting to know BravO! is as easy as getting to know its two personable owners. Andrew "Drew" Vamosi was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He began taking dance lessons at the age of 9; by age ten he was an apprentice at the Omaha Ballet. Throughout childhood, he not only performed in local dance and theatre productions, but also was seen in many local and regional commercials as a dancer and an actor. Drew soaked up all the skills he could in the realms of dance, theatre, and singing, but tap was always his forte and his first love.
After high school, Vamosi attended Oklahoma City University as a Dance major; he was also a member of the college's American Spirit Dance Company. In the early 1980's, he returned to Omaha to join the national tour of "A Christmas Carol," produced by the Nebraska Theatre Caravan (the professional touring arm of the largest community theatre in the country, the Omaha Community Playhouse.) A featured dance role was actually created just to showcase his talents. While on tour, he was seen by an East Coast producer, and asked to audition for the national tour of "Funny Girl."
He was readily cast; thus began the next phase of Vamosi's career. He established a New York City residence in the late 1980's, but says he spent little time there as he was always on tour. His credits include the national tours of "My One and Only," "Meet Me In St. Louis," and the Broadway European tour of "42nd Street."
Vamosi split time between Omaha and New York for several years, along the way owning and operating the Dundee Dance Center in Omaha. He was later also a co-owner of Paulynn's Dance Studio, in 1993. 1994 saw him relocating to Cincinnati for 3 years to run the CAM Talent Agency in that city. Over the past 15 plus years, Vamosi has been involved in various major national dance competitions as a both a judge and an emcee, at regional and national contests. He returned to Omaha for good in 2003, after having bought his childhood home in 2000. While a salesman for Conseco Insurance full-time, he dreamed of owning his own bus-iness again, something that was fulfilling and for the long haul.
Brendan Buchanan was born in Central Iowa, living outside the tiny town of Kiron, Iowa with his farming family. At the age of 6, he and a little girl were "crown-bearers" for the Denison High School prom. The girl's mother suggested to his mother that they take private dance lessons as a pair, since they were "so cute together". Though this was an inauspicious beginning, Buchanan turned out to be a natural talent. He continued to take classes in tap, jazz, and later ballet, and started competing with his partner Allison Aldrich even at the tender age of 7. He was taught in Denison, Iowa, and later took specialized tap classes in Mason City (3 ? hours away) mastering the Al Gilbert Tap Technique method. The highlight of his early career came at age 12; while competing in Indianapolis, Brendan and his partner were seen by a talent scout for "Star Search" (who happened to be Ed McMahon's daughter, Claudia.) Through this meeting, they were given a preferred audition for the show, and progressed all the way to the nationally televised finals in 1987.
In high school, Buchanan continued to dance, but now mainly in theatrical productions at the Omaha Community Playhouse, winning many critical accolades and local awards. It was his main extra-curricular activity, since he had to drive four hours round trip to rehearsals and performances. Somehow he also found time, however, to play football, to be on the Varsity basketball team, and hone his musical skills in Swing Choir and as a drummer for the Jazz Band. Highlights of his theatre years include the Tin Man in "The Wiz" and Billy Crocker in "Anything Goes." After graduation, Buchanan, like Vamosi, attended Oklahoma City University, but majored in Musical Theatre.
He returned to Omaha in 1995, and though he did have aspirations to a professional life in the theatre, he also desired a stable home and family. He discovered a true aptitude for sales, marketing, and business after taking a job at DTN, an Omaha-based satellite information company, and worked there over the next ten years, being praised and promoted along the way. Although he never tried for Broadway, Brendan currently finds personal fulfillment in his wife and 2 children, and artistic fulfillment as a drummer in a regionally successful rock band. But he, too, dreamed of being his own boss, in an industry about which he really cared.
The history of these two old friends' venture goes back almost two decades. Buchanan and Vamosi met in 1988 at a competition when the former was only 13 years old. Vamosi approached and talked to Brendan, complimenting his performance and finding common ground in their pasts. Soon, when driving to Mason City got to be too much, Brendan began taking lessons from Vamosi, who was just opening his studio in Omaha. Drew also was the first to suggest that Buchanan audition at the Community Playhouse for the musical "Gypsy" (which turned out to be the only show they actually ever did together). Drew soon started on his national tours, and Brendan continued his theatrical work in high school. Buchanan eventually became a teacher and staff member at Vamosi's Paulynn's Dance Studio; he also taught Master Tap Classes at area studios. The two became less of teacher and student, and more of equals and best friends as the years went on. In fact, Vamosi was the best man at Brendan's wedding, and Brendan at his. They and their families even own a vacation home in Lake Okoboji, Iowa. They were close and often talked about starting a business together.
As 2005 dawned, both men were becoming less fulfilled in their sales professions, and began to discuss the possibility of starting their own dance competition. With their backgrounds in dance, competitions, theatre, and marketing/sales, it seemed to be a perfect fit. Though both successful, they decided while on a trip to the 2005 Masters in Augusta that there would never be a more perfect time to break away; they just needed to take the leap. They did market research, secured financing, opened offices in Omaha, and "quit their day jobs." BravO! was born.
From the start, BravO! aims to be a top destination for dance competitors. The open and helpful Midwest work ethic of the owners is evident in the way they want to be responsive and involved with their customers. They are always available to talk at their toll free number, 1-877-BRAVO-I-1 (1-877-272-8641) or on the Web at www.bravocompetition.com, to answer questions or just discuss the world of dance. Vamosi and Buchanan truly care about giving back to those that really matter in the dance world, the teachers and students. To that end, they plan to provide teachers with perks like VIP lounges, Early Bird rebates, and appreciation gifts, and give students a quality performance environment including such things as substantial, high-end trophies for every entry, medals, and top overall cash awards. Both masters at public relations, they plan to be personally in evidence at each contest, cementing contacts with teachers they have met over the phone. Unlike some competitions that start small and grow, they want to start strong and get stronger.
One of the main draws of BravO! National Dance and Talent Competition is going to be the professional quality of every event. Vamosi states, "We want to make every regional event feel like a national." They will do this by providing a top team of professional sound and lighting technicians with credits encompassing productions for Dave Matthews, Britney Spears, and Diamond Rio, to name a few. Students will be treated to a state-of-the-art environment, to allow them to create the most polished performances possible.
Fun is another priority at BravO! We will create a seamless effect from act to act, using our staff to run on time and with efficiency. Even on intermissions, the fun will continue. The BravO! staff will re-energize the crowd with musical breaks, bringing the audience into the show with our Beach Ball Bonanza and Shining Star give-aways. Vamosi says, "We want the positive energy of the BravO! staff to infect the whole competition! Why watch someone sweeping the stage when you can have 10 minutes of fun?"
Another category of excellence for BravO! is the memories you can take home. At each regional event, a partnering company called Dynamic Productions (www.dynamicprod.com) will be in charge of filming all acts. They are dedicated just to BravO!, not hired in each city. They will bring cutting-edge technology and a well-trained staff to provide amazing footage of the acts. At least 3 cameras and split screen filming will be used for large groups to cover all dancers and show many angles and close-ups. Still photos will be taken from the live performances to showcase spectacular moments. They will have flat-screen monitors to view performances almost immediately, and most of all, Dynamic will be able to deliver a video in DVD or VHS on the spot, not after a wait of 6 to 8 weeks.
Many new competitions start small, but BravO! dreams big, scheduling 30 events for their first season. There is a strong commitment to hold contests in proscenium theatres with adequate dressing rooms and parking space, Harlequin Marley floors, timely and friendly scheduling, uniformity in judges, and easily identified, well-trained personnel. BravO!'s diverse industry judges will be comprised of Broadway and professional performers, teachers, and masters of all styles of dance. Audio and/or video critiques from the judges will be provided after each performance. BravO! is also pleased to present a brand new category in the industry, the Hoofer category, to showcase the "Bring In da Funk" style of tap in addition to traditional tap style. Says Buchanan, "As tappers ourselves, we thought it was appropriate to differentiate between these two different facets of tapping, just as hip-hop is separate from jazz."
At the National Competition in Daytona Beach, Florida, free master classes will be available, and a complimentary teachers/directors reception will be held. Vamosi and Buchanan have also secured two celebrity judges: Dan Karaty and Blake McGrath from the hit Fox TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance?" They will critique performances live on the final day of the Nationals and hold an autograph signing session.
Brendan Buchanan says, "We feel that we've taken the best features from the competition world and created a unique hybrid that will make every participant feel like they've won. That's really where our slogan, 'Where Everyone Gets A Standing Ovation', comes from." A major goal of the company is to make BravO! a go-to destination every year for many studios, but both partners state that they never want to lose the personal touch of being involved with each event. Lastly, says Vamosi, "We want to provide a platform for dancers that can springboard them into the professional theatrical world, or into a career in the industry, by giving them tools to grow." Education and growth are key services BravO! wants to provide. In addition to the glitz, glamour, and pizzazz that they will present, Drew Vamosi, Brendan Buchanan, and the staff of BravO! want you to leave their competition a winner because you were treated like one, regardless of scores or trophies. The BravO! formula for success IS success.
MISSION STATEMENT: BravO! takes aim at being a full-scale nationally recognized dance and talent competition with pizzazz. We bring the feeling of theatrics to the stage through an audio and visual experience that sizzles. Our production quality will draw to the stage a broad showcase of talent. This concept not only makes us unique...it makes us better. BravO! will put in place top industry professional judges and staff to critique, enrich, and educate these future stars so that they might better master their craft and technique. We will focus our "spotlight" on each competitor by rewarding them for their discipline and hard work. A positive impact on the performing arts industry will always be our highest priority.
BravO! Dance and Talent Competi-tion...Where Everyone Gets a Standing Ovation! 1-877-BRAVO-I-1 (1-877-272-8641) www.bravocompetition.com.