CONCEPTS DANCE ACADEMY is a passionate dance educator's dream made reality through hard work, focus, and perseverance. CONCEPTS IN CHOREOGRAPHY DANCE COMPANY was borne from a belief that all dancers regardless of their race or social status should have the opportunity to receive professional training that could lead them to successful careers in the professional dance industry. With this belief in mind, Debbie Rembert founded CONCEPTS IN CHOREOGRAPHY DANCE COMPANY, the resident preprofessional dance company of Maria Priadka School of Dance in South Orange, NJ.
CONCEPTS IN CHOREOGRAPHY is geared towards training young dancers through rigorous technique classes, with a heavy emphasis on ballet, modern, and jazz, recognizing that technical training is the most important factor in preparing dancers who may choose to pursue a professional career in the field of dance. With a strong technical base, students focus on additional training in hip hop, tap, contemporary, and world styles, creating well-rounded and diverse dancers/performers.
During the 2016-2017 dance year, with an expanding company, Mrs. Rembert found and created a space in Orange, NJ, for her preprofessional dance students to thrive. In 2013, Jeroboam Bozeman, a current member of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, joined the company as an Artistic Advisor.
Under the direction of Mrs. Rembert and advisement of Mr. Bozeman, the company students receive diverse training from both in-house faculty as well as professional dancers and top choreographers from around the country. The company has worked with the likes of Maleek Washington, Omari Wiles, Phil Wright, Tracie Stanfield, Ronald Alexander, Miles Keeney, Noel Bajandas, Sean Bankhead, and many, many more. Mrs. Rembert has created a program that has provided her dancers with the training that has afforded them opportunities such as sharing the stage with Mariah Carey & Pharrell Williams, performing at the Tony Awards, securing admission and scholarships to Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s Summer Intensive, earning a scholarship to Point Park University, being cast as a lead in Harry Potter & the Cursed Child on Broadway, being the first resident of Orange, NJ, to become a Rockette in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, etc.
And now, she has come full circle. After 47 dance years, Maria Priadka School of Dance’s owner/founder, Maria Priadka, felt the desire to retire from her role and sold her dance school to Ms. Rembert and her husband in August 2020. In the same dance year CONCEPTS IN CHOREOGRAPHY DANCE COMPANY celebrates its tenth anniversary, Mrs. Rembert announces the inaugural dance year of CONCEPTS DANCE ACADEMY (CDA) under the ownership and management of Mr. & Mrs. Rembert. With CONCEPTS DANCE ACADEMY, Mrs. Rembert hopes to usher in the new generation of passionate, technical dancers and afford them the same opportunities as her CONCEPTS IN CHOREOGRAPHY DANCE COMPANY students and alumni. CONCEPTS DANCE ACADEMY offers both recreational and preprofessional programs for dancers ages 2½ to adults with performance opportunities.
CONCEPTS goes well beyond the focus of just dancing. Its purpose is to also instill life lessons and a sense of teamwork and belonging in its company members. The goal of the company is to not only develop strong dancers, but to mentor students to become individuals of strong character. Come dance with us!
