Mar 18, 2019 By Eric Seiverling for The Almanac writer@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

The spotlight will be on Bethel Park when veterans of Broadway and an up-and-coming teen pop sensation visit Bethel Park High School for the Ignite Dance Live performance.

The event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 30 will feature local dancers, a judging panel with Broadway veterans Karine Plantadit, Paul McGill and Lenora Nemetz — both of whom are Pittsburgh natives — as well as appearances by Broadway performer Marty Thomas and Green Tree native and TVs “Dance Moms” judge Rachelle Rak.

Also scheduled to appear is teen pop sensation JoJo Siwa, whose song “Boomerang” has made her a YouTube star and an award-winner at the 2017 and 2018 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

The day-long event will be filmed for the premier episode of season eight of “Dance Moms” on the Lifetime television network.

“We were so excited to be asked to host and launch the event,” said Rak, who along with her partners, David Palmeri and Starbound National Talent owner Sandra Coyte, developed the event.

Dubbing the event as the “unconventional convention,” Rak is quick to point out that the day’s primary purpose is to educate dancers.

“This is not a dance competition,” Rak said. “Everyone gets invited and there are no trophies. This will also help educate the parents, who aren’t dancers and don’t know how to handle rejection.”

A highlight of the event is the “Show Nite” feature, where dancers ages 7 to 17 perform in front of judges McGill, Nemetz and Plantadit, receiving feedback from the Broadway veterans. Following their performance, dancers will then be interviewed on camera by Thomas.

“When I was growing up as a dancer, there wasn’t a place to get immediate feedback,” Rak said. “This will give young dancers the live feel and the opportunity to perform and get critiques from professionals.”

Instead of awarding trophies, dancers will be given honors that allow them to further their dance education, including a weekend-long invitation to the Broadway Dance Center, a week-long Broadway workshop in Manhattan, and a three-week long, $3,000 scholarship to Studio School Los Angeles.

Rak also said it was a natural fit to invite Siwa to the event, as Siwa first appeared on television at age 9 during season five of “Dance Moms” in 2013, where Rak was able to judge the budding dance star.

“She was the youngest of the competitors but she had her own sass,” Rak said. “Things just kept happening for her. She’s remained humble and kind. I love that about her.”

Rak said she looked at numerous venues throughout Pittsburgh, but chose Bethel Park High School due to it’s size.

“It’s a beautiful school and it seats 1,000 people,” Rak said. “Bigger is better.”

Doors open at 10 a.m. For tickets, search online at www.eventbrite.com.