Movement with a Message.

Stracey MacIntyre 1998 Dance Masters Finalist

It would have been any other dancer's worst nightmare--an injury right before her most important performance of the year. Stacey MacIntyre, at nineteen the current Miss Dance New England, came to New York in July to compete for the 1998 national title with Dance Masters of America, Inc., when she hurt her knee during a rehearsal. But Stacey took the setback in stride with her trademark unflappable attitude.

A petite dancer (just over five feet tall) with enormous stage presence and a mischievous grin, Stacey was less concerned about winning the Miss Dance title (which includes a scholarship) than about competing in the group production numbers. "I was scared about letting everyone else down because I couldn't dance. Everybody else had worked so hard." She rolls her eyes in mock annoyance. "But no one would let me dance!"

Under the watchful eye of her mother, Stacey's knee healed well enough for her to compete safely for Miss Dance, and her performance earned her the fourth-runner-up spot. Unlike many dance competitions, DMA judges competitors on how well they handle themselves during classes throughout the week, in an interview, and in performance.

Stacey's solo, choreographed by Rhee Gold to Nina Simone's a cappella jazz song "Images," is a dance about a young black woman who views herself through racist eyes. Stacey's insistence on taking the time to think about what she really wants to express is as integral to her performance as is her warm-up. When asked how she prepares for the emotionally complex piece she replies, "I listen to my music first. I listen to the whole song.... It may sound weird, but if l make up a story and if I think, `How would I feel if I didn't think I was pretty?' I wouldn't feel so great about myself. You know what I mean?"

She laughs, obviously comfortable with her looks, but then says more seriously, "I didn't know if I could pull it off. But trust Rhee, and once I got into it, the solo worked for me."

Stacey's performance of Images is unique in the competition in both the maturity and the intensity that she communicates.

"When I was creating Stacey's piece, I felt it was a little bit risky for a dance competition," says Rhee Gold. "It didn't have all the tricks seen in so much of the competition choreography these days.

"It was my goal to create unique movement with a message, as opposed to thinking so much about what wins. Sending a message about being a black woman in today's society is not something that's often seen in the competition world, but Stacey has the maturity to communicate it well. Her ability to create total silence in the audience is remarkable. Each time she performs Images you can hear a pin drop. And many times the audience leaps to its feet after she's done.

"There's more satisfaction in that, for me, than in all the trophies out there. This is the lesson I wanted to teach Stacey, and I think it's been an overwhelming success."

Stacey's command of the stage is largely a result of her training. She studies jazz, modern, tap, and ballet at the Sherry Gold Dance Studio in Brockton, Massachusetts. In the last few years, she's increased the number of ballet classes she takes each week to four to give her a better grounding for the jazz and modern work she does. While ballet may not be her favorite class, in the past few years she's become, if not a convert, at least more appreciative of the benefits that foundation provides.

Rennie Gold, owner of the studio where she studies and one of her teachers, also thinks the extra ballet training has paid off for her. "Ballet has given Stacey much more strength and much better technique--and she could see that it was making a difference." Gold is adamant about the importance of ballet for modern, jazz, and tap dancers. "Ballet is the basis for all forms of dance. To my mind, if you want to be a dancer--any kind of dancer--you have to have a ballet background," he insists.

Having graduated from high school last spring, Stacey is contemplating her next move and is a little overwhelmed with choices. Far the next year, at least, she will continue to teach and dance at the Gold studio. "But I'm going to go to Boston and take classes, take some classes in New York, and give [a dance career] a couple more shots.

"I'd rather perform than compete. When I say performing, I mean dancing because I love to dance; not dancing just because I know I'm going to get scored. I dance because I love to dance, as corny as that sounds."

Susan Elia is a frequent contributor to Dance Magazine.