Once again, a group of fabulous dance bloggers turned up for our contest.
Once again, readers turned up to vote for their favorites and found new blogs to follow.
Once again, I saw bloggers out supporting each other, illustrating that the dance blogosphere is thriving and teeming with people passionate about dance.
Mission Accomplished!
What a way to start a year. Here are your Top Dance Blogs, everyone:
Top 20
Nearly 3000 votes were counted and our top two blogs walked away with about 26% of the votes… each! Woa!
But one blog pulled ahead by nearly 20 votes:
#1 — Ballet to the People
- Enforced Arch
- Dance Commentary by Heather Desaulniers
- Rogue Ballerina
- Tendus Under a Palm Tree
- Tutus & Tea
- Adult Beginner
- My Son Can Dance
- Odette’s Ordeal
- Ballet Pages
- The Body Series
- Maria’s Movers
- Born Again Dancer
- Frame Dance
- Ballet Shoes & Bobby Pins (by Sheena Jeffers)
- Picture Books & Pirouettes
- Dave Tries Ballet
- –TIED– Contemporary Dancing (by Melissa)
- Noa Blogs Ballet
- Leotards and the Buns in Them
Category Winners
Speaking Dance
62% of votes
Adult Dancer
58% of votes
Teen Dancer
39% of votes. The three blogs were separated by only 2 votes – a close race!
Teacher Talk
48% of votes
Dancer Musings
68% of votes
Dance Organization/Artist
40% of votes. Another close race, separated by mere clicks of a button.
Business Blog
And, as always, Ashani Mfuko in a class by herself. 😉
I want to say thanks again to ALL who entered regardless of where they are in their blogging ‘career’.
It takes a certain amount of bravery to step up and be counted, so to speak. Please, if you haven’t already, visit the list of 32 blogs who participated (the significance of the number 32 is not lost on the bunheads out there).
Editor’s Choice
This proved very difficult for me because even I discovered new blogs through the contest this year. Plus some blogs are just very new.
In the end, I went with a blog that I feel has consistently shown a clear focus, delivering material that is valuable to its readers in a fun but thoughtful way. I’ve enjoyed watching this blog develop and wish for its longevity.
Though ALL 32 blogs show great promise, I chose…
Congrats to All!
I’ll be contacting winners with badges to put on their sites and with questions for your feature!
Our Top 20 winner, Ballet to the People will be highlighted individually. Meanwhile our category winners and Editor’s choice will be featured together.
We’d love your feedback on the contest in the comments.
I know that with the holidays, the end of the year is a tough time for the contest. I’ve been thinking about moving it up to early December. Knowing that there’s never a perfect time for everyone, feel free to weigh in on this, or other details of the contest.
Have suggestions? Ways to improve? I’ll take ’em!
Want to congratulate the winners? Compare to last year? Do it!
Thanks so much for helping to make the 2011 Top Dance Blog contest a success!
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
