17 May 23 - 29, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Power Moves Former NFL cheerleader, dancer and choreographer Tara Szybillo wants women to enjoy the mightiness of dance. BY RYANN GORDON T ara Szybillo has earned her stripes as a professional dancer. A former NFL cheerleader, she began cheering for the New York Jets at age 19, moved to North Texas to cheer for the Dallas Cow- boys, then began dancing and eventually choreographing for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, as one of the more decorated dancers in the Dallas area, she has started hosting group dance classes with her new company DRIP, offering dancers of all levels an oppor- tunity to get together and shake it to some of her renowned choreography. “It was kind of accidental, actually, the owner of the studio that I began the classes at reached out and said, ‘Hey, we don’t have anybody to teach in this slot anymore, can you sub tonight?’” Szybillo says. “If you asked me a year ago if I would’ve been teaching, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. It turned into this happy accident, and it’s been really, really fun.” Her weekly DRIP dance classes are held each Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at Kumbala Dance Studio in Farmers Branch. They sell out quickly, so she’s made them available for purchase online. You’ve probably seen vid- eos on Instagram, with groups of Texas bad- dies dancing in-sync in LED-lit rooms, doing hot, fun choreography. In the one- hour class, 60 women pack together to learn one of Szybillo’s choreographed dances; then, they get the opportunity to video it for the ‘gram with videographer Kenny Nguyen. The dances are often themed around a hit song with dance moves styled to each part. “The inspiration for a lot of the music is probably throwbacks from when I was a teenager, mostly because that nostalgia kind of breaks down the wall for people and opens them up to exploring more,” Szybillo says. “Plus, it’s popular songs people know and are more familiar with. Then I’ll sprin- kle in, if there’s a new song that comes out that I’m really excited about, like that BigX- thaPlug song ‘Texas.’ “I heard that song first at a Cowboys game and I thought, this is a song I need to choreo- graph to, because it had the hip-hop influ- ence, it had the ode to Texas and the whole energy of that song reminded me of being on the field at a game. There’s fire shooting up, there’s cheerleaders and they’re dancing to the pregame song. It really inspired me. I was like, this is what I need them to picture for themselves. I had everybody come dressed up in whatever they thought their Texas best was, whether that was cowboy boots, ban- danas, daisy dukes, whatever it was.” Szybillo even traveled to Los Angeles for field research, where classes like her own have become a trend in recent years. Some- times these classes involve high heels, which Szybillo has hosted before; but in true Texas fashion, she prefers nights like her Texas and boots theme. “I really wanted to take classes in LA and see what it was like, learn from the teachers, maybe challenge my understanding of what a class looks like and take inspiration from there and bring it back to Dallas,” she says. “The dance world in LA is incredible. They pack out 70-plus dancers in a room at every class. There are so many talented dancers in LA, and there are in Dallas, too, but the community isn’t developed as much. If there’s a way to grow and expand that community, I think that’s why I don’t like to put myself into one box like ‘pro style’ or ‘one level,’ because if I don’t then that means a girl who’s on Team Athena can take my class; a girl who’s never danced before can take my class; former dancers who just want to feel sexy and break a sweat can take my class; current dancers who want to grow can take it; and it brings everybody together.” Pro-Style Dance and More The choreography style in her classes varies, falling in line with what Szybillo calls “pro style, with the liberty of adding more char- acter.” Dance moves are primarily pro style, with added influences of hip-hop or jazz funk, street jazz, country and any other style she can integrate. Szybillo’s choreography process is what she calls “ridiculous,” often coming to her at random times and in random places when she gets inspiration. Rather than breaking it down all at once, she’ll find herself in her bathroom or other places videoing herself doing dance moves as they come to her unexpectedly. Sometimes she’ll post parts of her choreogra- phy process and bloopers on Instagram, help- ing to break the ice for those new dancers who might be nervous to get in a class. “There’s women that have just started dancing last year, women that have been dancing for a while, maybe former pro danc- ers, current pro dancers, and so getting them all into one room to learn one dance at all dif- ferent levels is really a unique environment,” she says. “Everybody’s just there because they love dance and they want to have a good time and feel confident, so it’s a beautiful en- ergy every single time in the room, because everyone is so supportive of one another, be- cause everybody’s at a different pace.” Though the class is technically considered intermediate, Szybillo aims to keep a welcom- ing variation of levels, breaking girls into groups and letting women who might be more experienced help her teach if they want. “I kind of love that it’s not pocketed into one level and that it’s open to really whoever wants to come,” Szybillo says. “It’s one hour of their day that they’re doing for themselves. If they can have an intention for that hour that has nothing to do with whether they pick up the choreography or not, whether they want to build confidence, break a sweat, be surrounded by a supporting group of women, whatever it is, that’s not something you can put into one level, that’s universal.” Offering a safe space for people to come together to celebrate dance, get a workout and feel sexy while they’re at it is everything Szybillo envisioned in offering these classes. “What I seek to offer is kind of that safe space where women can explore their femi- ninity, where women can feel powerful and re- move the fear of having to be perfect,” she says. “There is so much cheering and support. Actually, one week somebody pulled the wire out of the wall by accident and the mu- sic went completely out in the middle of one of the dances, and the whole class of women started singing the song so they could con- tinue their run-through. That was one of those moments you never forget. It was so special, for me, all these women of all differ- ent backgrounds just supporting each other and really showing up for each other.” DRIP dance classes are held at Kumbala Dance Studio, 4801 Spring Valley Road, No. 118, Farmers Branch. Kenny Ngugen Tara Szybillo aims to help women explore their femininity through dance. ▼ Culture
