Dancers Are Athletes Blog

My name is Anthony Rue II also known as AntBoogie. I am the founder of Urban Dance League and creator of the Dancers are Athletes movement. My career started as a dancer and I continued on to become a choreographer and dance coach. I’ve worked with many talented artists such as Madonna , Jay-Z, and P.Diddy. I’ve also danced in feature films including Dream Girls and Honey.  Growing up, I had wished there was something like Urban Dance League around for me to train and entertain in a competitive setting. Dancers are athletes is not a hashtag or slogan. Its a lifestyle; it’s the mantra of Udl.  In 2012 we opened our doors to training athletes in our sport. It has been very exciting developing a new sport & platform of entertainment. One of the things I love about Udl is the uncertainty of competition. The Essense of battle . Creating a new sport from scratch to give athletes a platform to train,compete, entertain, and build team work has become one of the best things I have done in my life thus far.

Dancers train for years, while investing countless hours in sessions, classes and rehearsals. They hone their craft, exercise all physical capabilities and sometimes defy them, pushing past the limits of the human body. Dancers withstand injuries and endure both treatment and rehabilitation. Sports by definition are all forms of competitive physical activity, which through casual or organized participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants; to be a professional dancer is to do and be all of these things. The foundation of UDL is based on precisely that.   UDL runs yearly training programs at Broadway Dance Center. Building upon enhanced dance technique, strategic thinking as well as teamwork etiquette. UDL will expand minds through dance and strengthen the essence of athletes. Due to Covid-19, we had to take a break . As soon as we are able to get back to normal, things will pick right back up. When the NBA decided to shut down I knew it wouldnt be long before other sports would be shut down. Thankfully, dance enthusiast’s accepted the new reality of online dance classes and training. This allowed UDL to continue with online competitions. For now everything will be held online until things open up 100%.  UDL is just getting started and will continue to grow and give dancers a place to create their legacy. I hope your ready to take this journey with me and UDL Dancers Are Athletes. More Blogs coming soon