Bucks County studio, The Dance Ground, invited to perform at the Chita Rivera Awards in NYC

Adding 20 to 30 hours of rigorous dance practices to an already full academic schedule sounds like it would be the recipe for disaster, but for many teens involved in Newtown’s “The Dance Ground,” — a premier Bucks County-based performing arts school — they find it to be the ingredients of great success.

In just a few short days, the school will take that well-rounded talent on the road … all the way to New York City, as they have been invited to perform at the prestigious Chita Rivera Awards ceremony on Monday, May 19.

Slated to take place at New York University’s (NYU) Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the Chita Rivera Awards recognize the very best of the dance industry, across theater and film. And this year, its closing number will feature the hard work of Bucks and Montgomery County-hailing dancers.

    Dancers at The Dance Ground in Newtown have been invited to perform at The Chita Rivera Awards in NYC on May 19. (Image courtesy of The Dance Ground)
  

“The Tony [Awards] focus on producers and stars, and maybe they’ll recognize an ensemble, but not specific dancers,” said Liz Jovovich, the managing director of The Dance Ground. “The Chita Awards is the only awards show that recognizes the Broadway, off-Broadway, and film dancers, core dancers, and singers.”

While many have heard of the Tony Awards, the Chita Rivera Awards — as well as the scholarships the show affords students in the dancing arts — has boasted its own famed past participants, including Bebe Neuwirth, Debbie Allen, Bernadette Peters, and Brooke Shields, among others.

If the honor was not enough recognition, the dance troupe’s ensemble performance will also help to also build a scholarship program that helps to fund students aiming to take their aspirations to the collegiate level. All funding and proceeds from the awards show will benefit the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation Scholarship Fund as it launches its new Chita Rivera Training Scholarship.

Jovovich said that the invitation to the show came as a result of more than three decades of relationships with the NYC Dance Alliance. Starting in 2010, the alliance and its leadership under Joe Lanteri began gathering colleges every summer for an annual audition, allowing dancers from far and wide come to the performance, and allowing recruiters to see the top talent in one convenient place.

“We’ve had a long type of relationship,” said Jovovich, of her connection with Lanteri. “We happened to be in a conversation, and he asked would we be interested.”

    Bucks County dancers, ranging from ages 11 to 18, will represent the area as they take to the stage in The Big Apple in just 10 short days. (Image courtesy of The Dance Ground)
  

With the show just seven-and-a-half weeks from the invitation, Jovovich feared a rapid preparation may result in lower donated funds or possibly tired and burned-out dancers. However, both were unfounded worries as it turned out, she said.

“We are nearing now raising $35,000,” said Jovovich. “Between our families donating, companies that donated, company matches, we’ve gotten a tremendous response.”

The dancers, who range in age from 11 to 18, — including an alumnus from Columbia who himself benefited from such program scholarships — have trained with a focused effort to prepare for the stage on May 19.

“We’re in the studio sometimes 20 hours per week, and now we’re adding four or six more,” said Jovovich. “I give them so much credit. These are ‘A Students,’ who bring their discipline to their academics, and not just in dance.”

Jovovich said that she takes pride in her and the students’ work, as it prepares them well — not just for a performance, but also for life.

“It is teaching them to be disciplined,” she said. “Do you see the smile on these kids’ faces? Some of them do want to be dancers, and move on, but several want to go on to be lawyers or something different entirely.”

Jovovich said a previous student just recently obtained her “white coat,” becoming a doctor.

“It is all part of the process,” said Jovovich of dance. “It is a bigger picture than just dance. It is not just, push it aside, it’s dance. This kind of stuff is win-win-win.”

    The Dance Ground, based in Bucks County, will take its talents to an NYU stage for an internationally prestigious awards show on May 19. (Image courtesy of The Dance Ground)
  

Jovovich said that the dancers are excited to not only take part in such an honor themselves, but to be able to support other students of the arts, allowing them to go to a college they may not otherwise be able to afford. The dance studio manager knows the rewards blessings first-hand, as her son Andreas Jovovich was a recipient in 2014, receiving $16,000 toward his dance education.

“It is our way to give back,” said Jovovich, who operates The Dance Ground as a family affair. Two of her four children, both Andreas and daughter Priscilla Garner, now married with two children of her own, choreographed the dance number to be featured on the New York City stage.

“They choreographed a brand-new piece,” said Jovovich. “They are quite gifted. They are my children, but after growing up in this world, I know they are gifted. It is great to see them use their gift as they work in dance.”

Jovovich said she’s spent a lifetime on the arts and teaching others the same passion and love for dance she has for it herself.

“It is full circle for everybody,” said Jovovich, who began dancing at age 7. The Philadelphia native has danced her whole life.

“When I was younger, I just had so much energy,” she said. “We lived in South Philly at the time, and I began a very recreational program. I started it, and I loved it. I asked, ‘Can I go back tomorrow?’ each time.”

It is not just the Jovovich Family that shares the dance “bug” with loved ones. Carrie Nork Minelli has also stayed connected to the same dance school where she learned her first moves, sharing the passion with her daughter, Carolina, who will perform in New York.

“Our connection to The Dance Ground runs deep,” said Minelli. “It is truly generational. I first stepped into the studio at age 3, where Liz Jovovich was my very first dance teacher over four decades ago.”

She said her enjoyment for the art was passed on to her daughter, now age 15.

“[Liz] nurtured not just my technique, but a lifelong love of performing,” said Minelli. “Now, watching my daughter Carolina, who also began dancing at The Dance Ground at age 3, blossom under the same care feels incredibly full circle.”

From her early beginnings to today’s preparations for the Big Apple, Minelli said she could tell she was in the right place to develop her dreams of dance.

“It is more than a studio to us,” she said. “It is a second home, and a family rooted in grace, dedication, and generational artistry.”

And Minelli isn’t the only one. Jovovich agreed.

“I have several students at the studio that I’m now training their kids,” said Jovovich. “It is pretty fun. Someone will come in and notice immediately, we’re one big family.” Jovovich works with her husband, Scott, who also has a history of a dancing profession, including on-Broadway experience.

    Dancers prepare at the Bucks County-based The Dance Ground studio for a New York City performance. (Image courtesy of The Dance Ground)
  

Minelli said she and Carolina are very excited for the upcoming show.

“Carolina is beyond honored and thrilled to be performing at the Chita Rivera Awards,” she said. “Sharing the stage at such a prestigious event with her teammates, celebrating excellence in dance, is a dream come true for her. It is a milestone moment in her journey as a young artist, as well as a young woman.”

Minelli said that her daughter “trains rigorously, five or six days a week” as she focuses her skillset on technique, versatility, and performance quality.

“She works closely with The Dance Ground’s teachers and choreographers, pushing herself physically and emotionally to bring passion and precision to every performance,” said Minelli. “For Carolina, and for me, this opportunity is incredibly exciting. It is not just a performance; it is a living tribute to the power of mentorship, artistry, and continuity through generations.”

For more information on the 2025 Chita Rivera Awards, including a list of the award nominees and tickets to the show, visit www.chitariveraawards.com.

For more information on The Dance Ground, which aims to prepare for a fall presentation of “The Nutcracker,” seeking dancers ages 5 and up, visit https://thedanceground.com/. The studio is open to the public, and all invited to try out for the roles.