National Dance Alliance
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The National Dance Alliance (NDA), originally named NCA Superstar, was established in 1999. NDA is the sister company of the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), which was founded by Lawrence Herkimer in 1948.[1] In 1976, NCA created NCA Superstar to make a distinction between the dance and cheerleading aspects of the company. Eventually in 1999, NCA Superstar changed its name to the National Dance Alliance.[2]
NDA is an organization that provides training and teaching to middle school, high school, and college dance teams around the country. NDA hosts many camps, clinics, competitions, and various performance events throughout the year for dancers to attend.[1] Each year, NCA & NDA hosts over 75,000 cheerleaders and dancers at their summer camps and over 1,500 teams from 45 states at their National Championships.[2]
Lawrence Herkimer founded the NCA in 1948.[3] The NCA was the first cheerleading company to hold camps and clinics that invited cheerleaders and dancers from around the country to learn new tricks and improve their technique under the supervision of trained and qualified instructors. The NCA had always incorporated dance into its programs, by allowing dance, pom-pom, or drill teams to learn alongside the cheerleaders.[1] In 1976, the company made a distinction between cheerleading and dance by creating the NCA Superstar as the dance section of the company. The NCA Superstar eventually changed its name to the National Dance Alliance in 1999.[2] The National Dance Alliance brand was established and is now a “full service provider in the dance spirit industry”.[1]
NCA & NDA are both a part of the Varsity Spirit Corporation, an organization that hosts competitions, offers camps and clinics to train dancers and cheerleaders, and sells cheer and dance apparel.[4]