SAGINAW, MI — Some Saginaw high schoolers got a taste of Hollywood on Monday as they learned dance moves from a professional.

In late 2019, students at the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy won a national contest by the American Heart Association and American Dance Movement, becoming one of three schools nationwide to earn a masterclass with a professional dancer.

Los Angeles dancer Tony Bellissimo led the students in the school’s gymnasium on Monday, Jan. 13. He taught the kids a dance routine step by step, showing them each move before leading the whole room with a remixed Marvin Gaye track.

Bellissimo has appeared in films such as “La La Land” and the “Step Up” series, and has toured with pop star Rihanna, according to his IMDB and professional pages.

The school entered the American Heart Challenge Dance Contest by submitting a video featuring physical education and dance students performing a choreographed routine, said Kayla Bohlinger, health and physical education teacher.

A panel of judges selected the winners based on the creativity, proficiency, originality and difficulty present in the routine, according to a release from the American Heart Association.

“I had kids helping record it, I had kids help editing the video,” Bohlinger said. “It was a long wait to find out who the winners were... to be one of three winners, we were jumping up and down.”

Students Grace Branch, Isaac Szejbach and Makaiya Thomas took part in the video that won them the class.

“I thought it was pretty dope,” said Branch, 17, after Bellissimo’s class. “I got pretty sweaty - I thought it was fun to dance here.”

Thomas, 16, thought the class would be difficult at first, but once it got going it was interesting and fun, she said. The class helped her be herself while dancing and got her out of her comfort zone, she said — especially performing in front of the many cameras present. Branch said it was nice for the school to be recognized for something other than academics.

“We’re a small school in Saginaw, we don’t get a lot of publicity,” said Szejbach, 15. “It’s nice because the school’s so small you pretty much know everyone’s name.”

Bellissimo might’ve had the most fun. He said he loves to give back and help promote dance in school systems, as well as bringing awareness to healthy living through the American Heart Association.

“It’s my privilege to be out here and teach and share my energy with these kids,” Bellissimo said. “To me, this is like the greatest joy I have in life is to share my passion, my movement, my energy with them.”

Bellissimo always wanted to be a teacher and has always been a dancer — since age 2, he said during a Q&A session after the class.

“The movies and the tours, all was just experiences so I can stand on a foundation to teach,” Bellissimo said. “Without experiences, I feel like a coach or a teacher really doesn’t have a voice, and now my voice is rich through my experiences.”