JACKSON, Wyo. — Dance students spend hours upon hours in the studio. They study and sweat, stretch and spin — learning a plethora of styles, modalities, and movements. But ultimately, dance is meant to be performed and enjoyed by a rapt audience. As the spring semester draws to a close at The School at Dancers’ Workshop, students ages 5 – 18 will have the opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned and accomplished over the past few months.
“Performance is an integral component in the training of a young dancer,” says Eric Midgley, Director of The School at Dancers’ Workshop. “The class bonding, learning of choreography, and rehearsal process provide an accelerated learning opportunity while the performance itself furthers the development of our students. Progress Performance is a stellar opportunity for the students, and a great chance for friends and family to appreciate their hard work, both technically and artistically.”
“This performance is a wonderful opportunitiy for other young people in the community to develop a sense of what dancing with Dancers’ Workshop is like,” adds Erin Roy, Executive Director of Dancers’ Workshop. “We hope that it inspires other kids and parents in the community to explore and experience the magic of dance!”
On Saturday, May 14, students of all ages will take to the stage at the Center Theater and present a carefully-rehearsed showcase of their semesters’ developments. Beginning at 10 am, the youngest dancers will demonstrate their newfound joy in the exploration of movement, followed by the early ballet, modern, and hip hop classes for elementary-aged students at 1 pm. At 4 pm, the most advanced dancers, including the Junior Repertory Company, will perform pieces reflecting their evolution as artists and creatives.
“Dance is about creating and learning and makes me feel good. The joy of presenting movement is why I dance,” says one DW student. “Every time I dance I become more creative and experimental with my body and moves. Dance makes me feel like I can make and go to different worlds,” adds another.
Progress Performance also marks the conclusion of The School at Dancers’ Workshop’s most important annual fundraiser — Keep Us Dancing! Money raised through this effort supports subsidized tuition for all students (tuition, performance fees, and ticket sales cover only 40% of program costs), financial aid reducing any cost barriers to classes, professional dancers as teaching staff, and world-class guest artists on stage, in classrooms, and the community.
Contributions to Keep Us Dancing earn donors entry into a raffle to win prizes including an all-access pass to the 50th Anniversary Celebration, a pair of tickets to every Dancers’ Workshop show for a year, and an unlimited class pass for our Adult Classes! Click here for more details and to make your gift before May 15. Help us reach our $30,000 goal – and keep us dancing!
“Every time I dance I feel free and happy,” reflects one teenage dancer. “I appreciate performing on the stage and I love the way theater makes us practice hard to make all the dancers better in every way.” Tickets to Progress Performance sell out quickly, so be sure to get yours here. It promises to be a spectacular show!
