2016 Let's Dance!
A Gazette-Mail special section that covers dance and the community of dance studios in the Kanawha Valley.
A Gazette-Mail special section that covers dance and the community of dance studios in the Kanawha Valley.
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Special supplement<br />
to the Aug. 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Sunday Gazette-Mail<br />
In her<br />
FOOTSTEPS...<br />
A Cross Lanes dancer has<br />
teamed up with her mother<br />
to teach ballet and other<br />
classes in Charleston.<br />
See page 4<br />
Rachel Arcadipane<br />
and her mother,<br />
Tamara Buel<br />
Brynn Swain,<br />
with the River<br />
City Youth Ballet<br />
Ensemble<br />
(see inside)<br />
More<br />
area<br />
dance<br />
stories<br />
and<br />
news<br />
inside!<br />
Fall Semester Begins September 6, <strong>2016</strong><br />
School of the Charleston Ballet<br />
American Academy Ballet<br />
Kim R. Pauley, Artistic Director<br />
100 Capitol Street • Charleston, WV 25301<br />
304-342-6541<br />
www.thecharlestonballet.com • info@thecharlestonballet.com<br />
Exemplary Training, Personal Touch<br />
Classes for both Professional and Recreational Students<br />
Master Class • Performance Opportunities<br />
Limited Enrollment • No Audition Necessary<br />
Call Now to Register!<br />
Creative Movement<br />
(4-5 years)<br />
Ballet Classes<br />
(6 years - professional)<br />
Adult Beginner Ballet Class<br />
Pilates<br />
(beginner through advanced)<br />
Wizard of Oz and Nutcracker Auditions Aug. 18 (with WV Symphony)<br />
twitter.com/wvgazettemail<br />
facebook.com/charlestongazettemail
2G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
FOOTMAD’s <strong>2016</strong>-17 old-time dance season line-up<br />
FOOTMAD (Friends of Old<br />
Time Music and <strong>Dance</strong>) kicks<br />
off a new season of old-time<br />
dancing at 7 p.m. Saturday,<br />
Sept. 10 at the Columbia<br />
Pipeline Group Auditorium in<br />
Charleston, with music by the<br />
Gypsy Stars of Charleston and<br />
calling by Phoebe Williams of<br />
Blacksburg, Virginia.<br />
Accompanied by live music,<br />
dances are held from 7 to 10<br />
p.m. on the second Saturday of<br />
the month September through<br />
June at the Columbia Pipeline<br />
Group Auditorium, 1700 Mac-<br />
Corkle Ave., S.E., Charleston.<br />
A $5 minimum donation is<br />
requested. Those under age 13<br />
and Americorps/VISTA members<br />
are admitted free.<br />
Interspersed with the contra<br />
dances will be waltzes, squares<br />
and mixers. Contra dancing is a<br />
form of dance similar to square<br />
dancing that allows greater<br />
participation.<br />
Soft-soled shoes and comfortable<br />
clothing are recommended.<br />
All ages are welcome, and dancers<br />
are welcome to come solo,<br />
as a couple or with the entire<br />
family and friends.<br />
Additionally, each dance is<br />
taught before the music begins,<br />
with beginner workshops starting<br />
at 6:45 p.m.<br />
The music is provided by<br />
bands from West Virginia and<br />
surrounding states, mixing<br />
traditional Appalachian tunes<br />
with Irish jigs and reels, usually<br />
played on stringed instruments<br />
with the occasional piano or<br />
drum. <strong>Dance</strong>rs are given an<br />
introduction to each dance by<br />
the caller. Do-si-do, right and<br />
left through and swing your<br />
partner are the kinds of moves<br />
that contra and square dancing<br />
have in common.<br />
Contra dancing is informal<br />
and doesn’t require learning<br />
complex steps. In fact, it’s often<br />
said, “If you can walk, you can<br />
contra dance.” Contra dancers<br />
are a welcoming group with<br />
similar events taking place in<br />
many college towns and cities<br />
across the United States and<br />
beyond.<br />
FOOTMAD volunteers provide<br />
snacks and cold water and are<br />
always ready to welcome new<br />
dancers.<br />
The dates, callers and bands<br />
for FOOTMAD’s <strong>2016</strong>-17 season<br />
include:<br />
• Sept 10, Phoebe Williams,<br />
The Gypsy Stars<br />
• Oct. 8, caller TBA, Boys of<br />
the Hock<br />
• Nov. 12, Jan Fleming, Cathy<br />
Grant and Fiddler’s Galore<br />
• Dec. 10, George Segebade,<br />
Zeke’s Fancy<br />
• Jan. 14, David Mould,<br />
Kanawha Tradition<br />
• Feb. 11, Steve Ballman, The<br />
Wild Hares<br />
• March 11, Clinton Ross,<br />
Rachel Eddy and Friends<br />
• April 8, Joyce Rossbach, The<br />
Stuff<br />
• May 13, Ken Gall, Entwyned<br />
• June 10, Cindy Harris, The<br />
Allegheny Hellbenders.<br />
FOOTMAD is a nonprofit<br />
organization committed to<br />
presenting the world’s best in<br />
traditional music and dance. For<br />
more information, visit www.<br />
footmad.org, call 304-729-4382<br />
or email kvfootmad@gmail.com.<br />
AREA DANCE OPPORTUNITIES<br />
Friday Night Jams<br />
Featuring live, local entertainment<br />
to listen and dance to, Friday<br />
Night Jam sessions happen<br />
weekly, from 7 to 10 p.m. each<br />
Friday, at the Elk River Community<br />
and Education Center on<br />
Main Street in Elkview.<br />
Scheduled musical artists<br />
for the remainder of August<br />
include:<br />
• Aug. 12: Country Fried -<br />
Stephanie Spinks<br />
• Aug. 19: Country Swingers -<br />
Becky & Kenny<br />
• Aug. 26: Highway 440 - Joe<br />
Hall<br />
For more information, call the<br />
center at 304-965-3722.<br />
Singles’ Luau <strong>Dance</strong><br />
The SpeakEasy Singles social<br />
group will host a Luau <strong>Dance</strong><br />
from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday,<br />
Aug. 20 in the FOP Police Lodge<br />
Ballroom, 4284 Woodrum Lane,<br />
Charleston.<br />
Admission is $10, which<br />
includes finger foods. Beverages<br />
can be purchased for $1; no<br />
alcohol is allowed.<br />
For more information, contact<br />
Michele at 304-807-6285 or visit<br />
www.speakeasysingles.com.<br />
Hula Classes<br />
Samadhi Tribal Fusion Belly<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> has added Hawaiian hula<br />
to its class offerings this fall.<br />
The next session of classes<br />
will begin on Sept. 7. Wednesday<br />
evening classes with Amira<br />
are as follows: Hawaiian Hula<br />
at 6:10 p.m., Belly <strong>Dance</strong><br />
Choreography at 7:10 p.m. and<br />
Performance Troupe Show Prep<br />
Practice at 8:10 p.m.<br />
Each four-week session costs<br />
$40.<br />
Classes will be taught at Samadhi’s<br />
studio at 342 MacCorkle<br />
Ave., S.W., near the Mound in<br />
South Charleston.<br />
Advance registration is required,<br />
as class size is limited.<br />
Students must be 21 years old<br />
or older.<br />
For more information on<br />
classes or performances, contact<br />
Amira at 304-552-4168 or<br />
visit www.wvbellydance.com<br />
Saturday Marmet <strong>Dance</strong>s<br />
Enhanced by live music by<br />
local bands, dances are held<br />
most Saturdays from 7 until 10<br />
p.m. at the George S. Buckley<br />
Recreation Center, 8505 Mac-<br />
Corkle Ave., Marmet.<br />
The dances are family friendly,<br />
with no alcohol or smoking<br />
permitted. Concessions are<br />
available.<br />
For additional information,<br />
contact Barry Pauley at 304-<br />
949-9692.<br />
Line <strong>Dance</strong> Classes<br />
Line dance classes and open<br />
dancing take place every Tuesday<br />
and Thursday from 6:30<br />
to 9 p.m. at the Jefferson Fire<br />
Department.<br />
Admission is $5 nightly.<br />
Classes are tailored for beginning<br />
to experienced dancers.<br />
For more information, call<br />
304-545-6377 or 304-550-7144.<br />
Bluegrass Jamboree<br />
The John Henson Senior<br />
Center, 2800 Putnam Ave. in<br />
Hurricane, hosts a Bluegrass<br />
Jamboree from 7 to 9 p.m. on<br />
the third Saturday of every<br />
month.<br />
Admission is free.<br />
For more information, call<br />
304-562-3297.<br />
West Coast Swing<br />
West Coast Swing dances for<br />
beginners are held Mondays at<br />
Timothy’s at the Quarrier Diner<br />
on Quarrier Street in Charleston.<br />
Admission is $5.<br />
For times, directions and<br />
more information, contact<br />
Shantel at 304-410-6357.<br />
Line Dancing<br />
Line dancing is offered from<br />
7 to 10 p.m. Fridays at Ray’s<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> Studio, 211 35th St.,<br />
S.E., Kanawha City (off the<br />
35th Street Bridge, next door to<br />
Trivillian’s Pharmacy).<br />
Chuck Swager is the DJ.<br />
Admission is $7.<br />
RIVER CITY SCHOOL OF DANCE<br />
Planting Seeds<br />
Now For Fall<br />
CLOG to audition for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’<br />
The Charleston Light Opera<br />
Guild will audition for roles<br />
for “Jesus Christ Superstar” in<br />
early September.<br />
The musical will be presented<br />
at the Charleston Civic Center<br />
Little Theater on Nov. 4, 5, 11,<br />
12, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and<br />
Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.<br />
Auditions for singers will<br />
begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,<br />
Sept. 6 and Wednesday, Sept. 7<br />
at the CLOG headquarters, 411<br />
Tennessee Ave., Charleston.<br />
Those auditioning should bring<br />
prepared music, preferably<br />
from the show. An accompanist<br />
will be provided.<br />
Auditions for dancers will<br />
start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday,<br />
Sept. 8, also at the CLOG’s<br />
West Side theater at the corner<br />
of Tennesse Avenue and<br />
Roane Street. Those auditioning<br />
should dress to dance. Combinations<br />
will be taught in ballet,<br />
modern and musical theater<br />
styles.<br />
Rehearsals will commence<br />
immediately following casting.<br />
For further information, visit<br />
www.charlestonlightoperaguild.<br />
org or call 304-342-9312.<br />
REGISTRATION & OPEN HOUSE<br />
August 2, 4, 9 and 11 4:30-6:00 p.m.<br />
Open House Saturday, August 6 from 12-2<br />
For more information call 304.925.3262 or visit rcyb.org<br />
4110 MacCorkle Ave SE (Kanawha City)
August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
3G<br />
CHARLESTON<br />
BALLET<br />
‘bewitched’ for<br />
new season<br />
“The Wizard of Oz” will be the<br />
Charleston Ballet’s opening<br />
ballet of the <strong>2016</strong>-17 season.<br />
Opening set<br />
for Oct. 21-22<br />
Four young swans dance in the Charleston Ballet’s production of “Swan Lake.” Courtesy photos<br />
THE Charleston<br />
Ballet is “off to<br />
see the wizard”<br />
this fall -- and<br />
the company invites<br />
everyone to join them on<br />
the musical Yellow Brick<br />
Road.<br />
“Bewitched: A Spellbound<br />
Season” is the Charleston Ballet’s<br />
brand new offering for the<br />
<strong>2016</strong>-17 season.<br />
The opening fall season<br />
performances of “The Wizard<br />
of Oz” ballet will take place<br />
at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and 22 at<br />
the Charleston Civic Center,<br />
as part of FestivALL Fall. The<br />
Charleston Ballet company will<br />
be joined on stage by guest<br />
dancers from Columbia Classical<br />
Ballet to create this family<br />
favorite based on the L. Frank<br />
Baum books and movies.<br />
At Halloween time, a bold,<br />
edgy event for the young adult<br />
audience, “Breaking Boundaries<br />
with <strong>Dance</strong>,” will premiere<br />
at 10 p.m. Oct. 29 at the<br />
Charleston Ballet’s downtown<br />
Charleston studios.<br />
“Join the Charleston Ballet,<br />
accompanied by the BEO<br />
String Quartet from Pittsburgh,<br />
for this experimental,<br />
Halloween-themed evening.<br />
Dress up in costume, see<br />
our 10 p.m. in-house studio<br />
show and then -- who knows<br />
where the evening goes?” said<br />
Charleston Ballet Artistic Director<br />
Kim R. Pauley.<br />
Come December, the<br />
Charleston Ballet will again<br />
present the holiday masterpiece<br />
“The Nutcracker” with<br />
the West Virginia Symphony<br />
Orchestra at the Clay Center<br />
for the Arts and Sciences in<br />
Charleston. Public performances<br />
are scheduled for 7:30<br />
p.m. Dec. 9 and 2 and 7:30<br />
p.m. Dec. 10.<br />
“This seasonal ballet is a<br />
family tradition for many West<br />
Virginians. Our lavish production<br />
includes more than 170<br />
performers and is the only<br />
local performance with live<br />
music,” Pauley said.<br />
Tickets for “The Nutcracker”<br />
are available through the Clay<br />
Center box office.<br />
The Charleston Ballet’s fulllength<br />
spring performance<br />
will be “Swan Lake.” It will be<br />
performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday,<br />
Feb. 17 and 2 p.m. on Saturday,<br />
Feb. 18 at the Clay Center.<br />
“This ballet is undoubtedly<br />
the most popular of the dramatic<br />
classical works. Only<br />
a declaration of true love<br />
from Prince Siegfried will<br />
save Odette from the sorcerer<br />
Von Rothbart’s evil spell.<br />
Performed to Tchaikovsky’s<br />
beautiful score, this enduring<br />
love story will wrap you up in<br />
its wings,” Pauley said.<br />
For tickets and information<br />
about the company, upcoming<br />
season performances or<br />
classes at its school, contact<br />
the Charleston Ballet at 304-<br />
342-6541, online at info@<br />
thecharlestonballet.com or<br />
tickets@thecharlestonballet.<br />
com or visit the website, www.<br />
thecharlestonballet.com
4G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Cross Lanes dancer<br />
follows in mother’s<br />
‘Royal’ footsteps<br />
Both members of<br />
prestigious Royal<br />
Academy of <strong>Dance</strong><br />
By Clint Thomas<br />
cthomas@cnpapers.com<br />
304-348-1232<br />
IN THE DANCE studio,<br />
“Like mother, like daughter”<br />
is an apt phrase<br />
to describe instructors<br />
Tamara Buel and Rachel<br />
Arcadipane.<br />
The mother (Buel) and daughter<br />
(Arcadipane) live just a few<br />
doors apart in Cross Lanes, but,<br />
as dancers, their history is quite<br />
the illustrious pas de deux.<br />
Mother/daughter journey<br />
Buel founded Tamara’s <strong>Dance</strong><br />
Academy in 2003, which operated<br />
at Perrow Presbyterian<br />
Church in Cross Lanes until<br />
closing last year.<br />
She has been designated a<br />
Royal Academy of <strong>Dance</strong> certified<br />
instructor. The London, England-based<br />
Royal Academy of<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> was founded in 1920 and<br />
is the largest governing body of<br />
dance in the world. The RAD<br />
maintains global standards for<br />
examinations in classical ballet,<br />
teacher training and Continuing<br />
Professional Development<br />
for dance, boasting more than<br />
14,000 members in nearly 80<br />
countries.<br />
Arcadipane is also a member<br />
of the elite RAD. Like her mother,<br />
she passed several vocational<br />
examinations to qualify. She<br />
then undertook a two-year study<br />
course to attain her RAD teaching<br />
bona fides.<br />
Early on, her mother observed<br />
her daughter’s exceptional performing<br />
potential.<br />
“Rachel was a special blessing<br />
in her classes,” Buel recalled.<br />
“She was musical, physically<br />
strong and learned quickly.”<br />
Arcadipane studied regularly<br />
with her mother and she<br />
developed her dancing abilities<br />
further with other qualified RAD<br />
teachers, including the same<br />
woman who taught Buel.<br />
Arcadipane also served as an<br />
assistant during recitals and<br />
earned multiple performance<br />
awards with the American Academy<br />
of Ballet in New York City.<br />
“We traveled together as<br />
mother and daughter to many<br />
summer school workshops,”<br />
Buel said. Arcadipane earned<br />
eight gold medals with distinction<br />
from the American Academy<br />
of Ballet, along with hundreds<br />
of other student entries<br />
under Buel’s instruction.<br />
Arcadipane studied at the<br />
Royal Academy of <strong>Dance</strong> summer<br />
intensive<br />
in Baltimore<br />
in 2005<br />
and at Ben<br />
Stevenson’s<br />
Texas Ballet<br />
Theatre’s<br />
summer<br />
intensive the<br />
following<br />
year. Others<br />
she has<br />
trained with<br />
include the<br />
late Peggie<br />
Wallis of<br />
Bentonville,<br />
“Growing up, she<br />
was my instructor,<br />
and now she’s my<br />
mentor; but, most<br />
of all, we’re best<br />
friends.”<br />
Arkansas; and Philip Pegler, a<br />
member of the Board of Vocational<br />
Examiners of the Royal<br />
Academy of <strong>Dance</strong>.<br />
In recent years, Arcadipane<br />
has continued to compile a<br />
substantial curriculum vitae.<br />
In June 2012, she completed a<br />
teacher’s course at the Atlanta<br />
Ballet given by the RAD,<br />
introducing the new Children’s<br />
Examination Syllabus. During<br />
2013, she became a certified<br />
Pilates instructor. In 2014, she<br />
graduated Magna Cum Laude<br />
from Marshall University with a<br />
bachelor’s degree in Sociology,<br />
with a minor in <strong>Dance</strong>.<br />
While Arcadipane was a<br />
freshman at Marshall, she<br />
enrolled at 4th Avenue Arts<br />
in Huntington and became an<br />
instructor there afterward.<br />
“I learned quite a bit about<br />
teaching dance and a lot about<br />
other dance styles. I’m grateful<br />
about my time at 4th Avenue<br />
Arts,” Arcadipane said.<br />
Classes at January’s<br />
Arcadipane and Buel share<br />
their extensive dance prowess<br />
with students at the Academy of<br />
Arts at January’s in Charleston.<br />
Buel has taught classes intermittently<br />
at the Academy for<br />
approximately 18 years. Arcadipane<br />
started teaching classes at<br />
the Academy in fall 2012, and<br />
she will direct the Aug. 20 Princess<br />
for a Day Tea Party and<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> Class for children ages<br />
3 to 9 at the Tennessee Avenue<br />
facility.<br />
Arcadipane explained that<br />
the Princess for a Day Tea Party<br />
will be a condensed, one-day<br />
version of the weeklong Princess<br />
Camps<br />
that she led<br />
in June at the<br />
Academy’s<br />
Teays Valley<br />
location and<br />
last month at<br />
the Charleston<br />
site.<br />
“There’ll be a<br />
princess dance<br />
lesson,” she<br />
said, “and we’ll<br />
play games and<br />
have a princess<br />
dance party.”<br />
The mother<br />
and daughter will also teach<br />
classical ballet and other classes<br />
at the Academy of Arts at January’s<br />
this fall.<br />
Arcadipane said that she and<br />
her mother have known Academy<br />
owner and founder January<br />
Johnson Wolfe since the mid-<br />
1990s and they relish their longtime<br />
affiliation with her personally<br />
as well as professionally.<br />
“I’ll be doing children’s creative<br />
movement, ballet and tap<br />
classes,” Arcadipane said of her<br />
fall classes at the Academy.<br />
She said she still consults her<br />
mother for advice as a teacher.<br />
“My mother is my number<br />
one mentor,” she said. “If I have<br />
any teaching concerns or want<br />
a way to improve my classes<br />
or my teaching style, I go to<br />
my mom first. She always has<br />
an answer on a way for me to<br />
improve.<br />
“Our teaching styles coordinate<br />
quite a bit. When students<br />
go from her class to my class,<br />
there’s very little adjustment,”<br />
she added.<br />
“Growing up, she was my<br />
instructor, and now she’s my<br />
mentor, but, most of all, we’re<br />
best friends,” Arcadipane said.<br />
— Rachel Arcadipane<br />
Photo by ROBERT SAUNDERS<br />
Cross Lanes mother and daughter Tamara Buel (left) and Rachel<br />
Arcadipane are both instructors certified by the Royal Academy<br />
of <strong>Dance</strong>. They will teach classical ballet and other dance classes<br />
this fall at the Academy of Arts at January’s on Charleston’s<br />
West Side. (Cover photo by Robert Saunders)
August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
5G<br />
Hip-hop classes, princess camp among Academy<br />
of Arts at January’s forthcoming footwork fare<br />
By Clint Thomas<br />
cthomas@cnpapers.com<br />
304-348-1232<br />
The Academy of Arts at<br />
January’s will offer a variety of<br />
dance- and other arts-related<br />
activities, including numerous<br />
classes for virtually all ages, in<br />
coming weeks and months at<br />
its Charleston and Hurricane<br />
locations.<br />
Below is an overview of some<br />
of the programs on tap and now<br />
enrolling:<br />
Princess Tea Party<br />
The Academy of Arts at January’s<br />
will host a Princess for a Day Tea<br />
Party and <strong>Dance</strong> Class from 1 to<br />
3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20.<br />
“The children come dressed<br />
as their favorite princess,” explained<br />
January Johnson Wolfe,<br />
the Academy’s founder and<br />
director. “We have tables set for<br />
tea and cookies, and then we<br />
have a princess-themed dance<br />
class. The children are divided<br />
into two groups: ages 3 to 5 and<br />
ages 6 to 8.”<br />
The cost is $40 per child.<br />
Rachel Arcadipane, the<br />
daughter of Academy instructor<br />
Tamara Buel, will lead the<br />
princess party.<br />
Charleston native Curtis Johnson<br />
will teach hip-hop classes<br />
this fall at the Academy of Arts<br />
at January’s. Courtesy photos<br />
Hip-Hop Classes<br />
Capital High School and Ohio<br />
University graduate Curtis<br />
Johnson will lead hip-hop classes<br />
on Thursdays this fall at the<br />
Tennessee Avenue studios.<br />
Johnson, who works at the<br />
West Virginia <strong>Dance</strong> Company<br />
in Beckley, will teach hiphop<br />
moves in classes catering<br />
expressly to children in grades<br />
three through five (Hip-Hop 2)<br />
and grades six through 12 (Hip-<br />
Hop 3). He will also conduct<br />
advanced hip-hop classes and<br />
an intermediate/advanced contemporary<br />
class.<br />
“This will be my first time<br />
teaching at January’s,” Johnson,<br />
24, said. “I started dancing at Capital<br />
High School my sophomore<br />
year -- jazz, modern, hip-hop --<br />
and I was in the show choir.”<br />
The Charleston native said he<br />
also studied dance locally with<br />
the River City Youth Ballet and<br />
Charleston Ballet.<br />
He will also teach classes at<br />
the Academy’s Jazz Intensive<br />
later this month (see below).<br />
“I have a bit of range teaching<br />
different age groups. When I<br />
was in college, I did some teaching<br />
with a fellow dance major.<br />
I’m really excited to keep breaking<br />
out and teach more and<br />
more. I’m able to teach modern,<br />
jazz, hip-hop, contemporary<br />
and ballet,” Johnson said.<br />
Jazz Intensive<br />
Wolfe has recruited Johnson<br />
and other multi-talented guest<br />
faculty members to conduct the<br />
Academy’s Jazz Intensive later<br />
this month.<br />
Open to all area dancers who<br />
are rated upper intermediate to<br />
advanced in their age levels, the<br />
Jazz Intensive will take place from<br />
5 until 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22<br />
through Thursday, Aug. 25.<br />
The cost of the four-day workshop<br />
is $250 per dancer.<br />
The Jazz Intensive will be<br />
offered for three age levels:<br />
grades two through five, grades<br />
six through nine and high<br />
school/college.<br />
Jazz Intensive instructors will<br />
include Jamal Story from New<br />
York, a guest dancer at the West<br />
Virginia <strong>Dance</strong> Festival this past<br />
spring, who will work with the<br />
older enrollees.<br />
A scene from last spring’s Culture<br />
Center stage performance<br />
of “Second Sara.” The production<br />
will be staged again next<br />
year.<br />
“He is one of the most amazing<br />
dancers I have ever seen,”<br />
Wolfe said. “He made me cry!<br />
He was spectacular. He just<br />
blew the audience away. Anyone<br />
who loves jazz or modern<br />
[dance] and can get to Charleston<br />
for even one day of our<br />
Intensive should come just to<br />
work with him.<br />
“The rest of the faculty is also<br />
pretty spectacular: Haven Cottle<br />
from Huntington, General Hambrick<br />
from West Virginia University,<br />
Donald Laney from the<br />
West Virginia <strong>Dance</strong> Company,<br />
Curtis Johnson from Ohio University<br />
and Tabby Moore from<br />
Capital High School,” she said.<br />
‘Second Sara’<br />
As well as teaching dance,<br />
Wolfe writes children’s books.<br />
Her latest work, “Second Sara,”<br />
illustrated by Jeff Pierson, was<br />
accepted recently into the merchandise<br />
selection at Tamarack<br />
in Raleigh County.<br />
Wolfe also has adapted “Second<br />
Sara” into a stage production,<br />
which was performed six<br />
times at the Culture Center<br />
earlier this year, attracting more<br />
than 4,000 audience members<br />
over its run.<br />
The stage version of “Second<br />
Sara” will be reprised next<br />
spring, with auditions scheduled<br />
for November. Roles for<br />
approximately 95 dancers, ages<br />
7 to adult, will be available.<br />
Additionally, the Academy’s<br />
2017 Spring Recital is slated for<br />
Saturday, May 6 at the Charleston<br />
Municipal Auditorium.<br />
Hurricane students will perform<br />
at 2 p.m. Charleston students<br />
will perform at 6:30 p.m.<br />
Belly <strong>Dance</strong> Classes<br />
Belly dance classes, led by<br />
Susan Hughart, of Ripley, will<br />
again be offered this fall for<br />
adults at the Charleston location.<br />
See the article about the<br />
classes elsewhere in this special<br />
edition for more details.<br />
Adult tap and ballet classes<br />
are also offered weekly at the<br />
Academy.<br />
Wine-Down Wednesdays<br />
In October and November, the<br />
Academy of Arts at January’s<br />
will host Wine-Down Wednesdays<br />
at the Teays Valley location.<br />
Working in conjunction with<br />
the St. Albans-based Alban Arts<br />
Center, the informal, weekly<br />
series will include wine tasting,<br />
play script reading (the<br />
October selection is “Steel<br />
Magnolias”) and a different arts<br />
class, such as yoga and Pilates,<br />
each Wednesday, presented in<br />
a laidback, low-key, candle-lit<br />
environment.<br />
The Wine-Down Wednesdays<br />
will cost $120 per four-week/<br />
monthly session. Contact the<br />
Teays Valley studios at 304-300-<br />
0058 for further details.<br />
The Academy of Arts at January’s<br />
is located at 615 Tennessee<br />
Ave. on Charleston’s West<br />
Side and at 202 Chase Park in<br />
Hurricane.<br />
Classes for ages 2 and older<br />
are available in disciplines<br />
such as creative movement (for<br />
2-year-olds), ballet, tap, jazz,<br />
hip-hop, pointe and contemporary,<br />
among others.<br />
The Academy also conducts<br />
free Pop Up Playdates periodically<br />
at Kanawha and Putnam<br />
county parks. The Playdates are<br />
announced on the Academy’s<br />
Facebook page.<br />
Jeff Pierson leads Doodle art<br />
classes in Charleston, for all<br />
ages, as well.<br />
For class schedules, online<br />
registration fees and forms<br />
and more information, visit<br />
www.januarysacademy.com,<br />
send email correspondence to<br />
januarys@suddenlink.net or<br />
call 304-345-5141. The Academy<br />
also maintains social media<br />
presence on Twitter, Instagram<br />
and YouTube, as well as the<br />
aforementioned Facebook page.
6G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
RCYBE dancer Ukiah<br />
Cordell. Courtesy photo<br />
by Chad Carpenter<br />
Emma Leary<br />
Courtesy photo by<br />
Mike Winland<br />
Lillian Maxwell<br />
Courtesy photo<br />
by Mike Winland<br />
River City Youth Ballet Ensemble<br />
preparing for new instructional season<br />
Fall classes begin<br />
Aug. 20; open house<br />
Saturday<br />
By Clint Thomas<br />
cthomas@cnpapers.com<br />
304-348-1232<br />
FOUNDED 21 years<br />
ago and recognized<br />
by the Legislature as<br />
West Virginia’s official<br />
youth ballet, the River<br />
City Youth Ballet Ensemble is<br />
readying for another season<br />
of developing young dancers,<br />
nurturing their creative spirits<br />
along the way.<br />
Classes for the <strong>2016</strong>-2017 season<br />
will get underway from 10<br />
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday,<br />
Aug. 20.<br />
Open registration will be held<br />
on Tuesday, Aug. 9, between<br />
4:30 and 6 p.m. and again from<br />
4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11<br />
at the RCYBE’s Kanawha City<br />
studios.<br />
On Saturday, Aug. 13, an open<br />
house for prospective students<br />
and their parents/guardians will<br />
be held at the MacCorkle Avenue<br />
studios, as well, from noon<br />
until 2 p.m.<br />
“We’ll have ballet classes, of<br />
course,” RCYBE Founder and<br />
Director Michelle Raider said of<br />
the fall schedule. “We’ll also be<br />
offering contemporary, hip-hop,<br />
jazz and tap.”<br />
Classes are for children ages<br />
3 and older, she added.<br />
A frequent guest artist and<br />
instructor at the RCYBE will be<br />
making a personal appearance<br />
in Charleston next Saturday,<br />
Michelle Raider<br />
too, Raider said.<br />
Nina Danilova, a former<br />
dancer with the Kirov company<br />
and a current faculty member at<br />
the North Carolina University<br />
of the Arts in Winston-Salem,<br />
N.C., will present a lecture<br />
and book signing from 6 to<br />
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at<br />
Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. in<br />
Charleston.<br />
“She has a new book, published<br />
through Oxford University<br />
Press, called ‘Eight Female<br />
Kelly’s<br />
Of<br />
Cross Lanes, WV<br />
(304)776-8065<br />
Classical Ballet Variations.’ She<br />
comes in and guest teaches for<br />
me quite a bit,” Raider said.<br />
Raider also wrote a review of<br />
“Eight Female Classical Ballet<br />
Variations,” featured on the<br />
book’s back cover.<br />
RCYBE students will perform<br />
publicly in coming months,<br />
including dancing at the Mound<br />
Festival in Charleston and staging<br />
a winter show in December.<br />
In the spring, Raider said,<br />
the students will collaborate<br />
again with the West Virginia<br />
Youth Symphony and Appalachian<br />
Children’s Chorus at the<br />
Charleston Civic Center Little<br />
Theater. Raider said the program<br />
will be based on either<br />
“Hansel and Gretel” or “Snow<br />
White.”<br />
Additionally, she and other<br />
RCYBE instructors intend to<br />
continue their outreach dance<br />
training for youths in the Clendenin<br />
area.<br />
“We’ve been doing the outreach<br />
classes for the last five<br />
years in Clendenin,” Raider<br />
said. “This year, we got a grant<br />
from the Greater Kanawha<br />
Valley Foundation and the West<br />
Open House<br />
Sunday<br />
August 21st<br />
(1:30-2:30)<br />
kellysdanceteam@hotmail.com • Kelly Chapman, 36+ Years Experience<br />
www.kellysdancestudio.com<br />
Virginia Youth Symphony Orchestra<br />
will be joining us to give<br />
strings lessons in Clendenin.<br />
“With the [June] flooding,<br />
we’re still looking for a facility.<br />
Part of where we were is<br />
OK,” she said. She added that,<br />
in recent years, students from<br />
Clay County, which was also<br />
severely affected by the June<br />
23 floods, have been joining<br />
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“It’s needed more than ever,”<br />
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Information about the River<br />
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is available online at www.<br />
rcyb.org or call 304-925-3262<br />
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The RCYBE studios are located<br />
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August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
7G<br />
Arts in Action<br />
education<br />
expands to<br />
students with<br />
special needs<br />
Superstars program<br />
launches this fall<br />
A<br />
HEART and<br />
passion for<br />
children of<br />
all ages and<br />
abilities has led Joni<br />
Cantrell, founder and<br />
director of Putnam<br />
County’s Arts in Action,<br />
to pursue certification<br />
to teach dance, drama<br />
and music to all children<br />
ages 6 and up, including<br />
those with physical<br />
disabilities.<br />
Her new Superstars program<br />
will begin this fall and will<br />
facilitate arts education for kids<br />
with intellectual and developmental<br />
disabilities as well as<br />
those with physical limitations.<br />
The program will be designed<br />
to also foster social interaction<br />
and assist with fine and gross<br />
motor skills.<br />
Superstars will be a place<br />
where a child’s individual ability<br />
-- rather than their disability<br />
-- will be the focus. Opportunities<br />
will be created for each<br />
child to excel according to his<br />
or her personal skills. Superstars<br />
classes will be places<br />
where it will not only be OK to<br />
be yourself, but where it will<br />
be celebrated. By featuring<br />
and focusing on each child’s<br />
strengths, the program will allow<br />
each Superstar participant<br />
to gain confidence and shine<br />
based on his or her unique gifts<br />
and talents.<br />
While many children with disabilities<br />
deal with isolation and<br />
loneliness which often results<br />
from feeling different, Superstars<br />
will give kids a safe place<br />
to be different and to express<br />
their emotions and thoughts<br />
through the arts. Those with<br />
Miracle <strong>Dance</strong>rs perform for the Children’s Miracle Network. Courtesy photo<br />
speech and language challenges<br />
who struggle to verbally express<br />
themselves will have the<br />
opportunity to do so through<br />
the arts. In this way, the program<br />
is designed to be an outlet<br />
for children who are often frustrated<br />
about their inability to<br />
share what is on their minds.<br />
According to documented<br />
studies by “Americans for the<br />
Arts,” art benefits cognitive<br />
and physical development,<br />
strengthens problem-solving<br />
and critical-thinking skills,<br />
develops a sense of goal-setting<br />
and nurtures social skills that<br />
are critical inside and outside<br />
the classroom. Self-expression<br />
is critical for all people as they<br />
mature, but it is crucial for kids<br />
with special needs. Artistic<br />
activities directly exercise and<br />
strengthen the cognitive and<br />
physical skills that generally<br />
n See NEEDS Page 8<br />
The Adventure In Fun Since 1977<br />
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304-925-3004<br />
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8G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
NEEDS<br />
➡Continued ➡ from Page 7<br />
challenge special needs children,<br />
such as oral, tactile, visual,<br />
sensory and motor skills.<br />
“We are so excited to offer<br />
our classes for all kids, regardless<br />
of any challenge they face.<br />
We look forward to using creativity<br />
to unlock the development<br />
of children with special<br />
needs,” Cantrell said. “If we<br />
can be an outlet for some of<br />
the isolation and frustration<br />
kids with disabilities face, and<br />
if we can provide a place for<br />
them to shine and gain pride<br />
in who they are and what they<br />
can do, we will have accomplished<br />
so much.”<br />
Through dance movement,<br />
kids with disabilities will<br />
gain body awareness. As they<br />
move, they will become more<br />
aware of the space around<br />
them. They will learn movement<br />
patterns which will<br />
strengthen their cognitive and<br />
gross and fine motor skills.<br />
Also, through dance, children<br />
will be able to explore different<br />
ways of moving, stretching<br />
them to challenge their own<br />
physical limitations.<br />
Another way dance activities<br />
for special needs children<br />
help is through promoting<br />
Through dance movement, kids with<br />
disabilities will gain body awareness.<br />
As they move, they will become more<br />
aware of the space around them.<br />
social interaction. Many of<br />
these classes are groups, and<br />
children will be placed with<br />
their peers who also live with<br />
physical challenges. In that<br />
regard, dance will become a<br />
group-building and trust-building<br />
experience for them.<br />
While a person’s disability<br />
could lead to feelings of exclusion<br />
in integrated settings,<br />
through the shared experience<br />
of dance, students will learn<br />
to work with and encourage<br />
others who also deal with daily<br />
challenges. All will be done<br />
in a positive and encouraging<br />
peer environment which will<br />
strengthen the bonds of friendship<br />
and provide motivation<br />
for each individual to excel.<br />
“The Superstars program<br />
will allow children to grow beyond<br />
where they have as individuals<br />
as they grow together<br />
as a group,” Cantrell added.<br />
In addition to the positive<br />
peer experience, the opportunity<br />
to stretch themselves as<br />
individuals and the outlet for<br />
personal expression, children<br />
who engage in the arts find<br />
a way to be not only stimulated<br />
but relaxed and calmed<br />
through their participation,<br />
which will help reduce the<br />
anxiety many special needs<br />
kids internalize.<br />
“We can’t wait to work with<br />
these Superstars in the making<br />
through this exciting and<br />
cutting-edge arts program,”<br />
Cantrell remarked.<br />
Arts in Action is a 501(c)(3)<br />
nonprofit organization offering<br />
classes in dance, music and<br />
visual arts. Need-based financial<br />
aid is available for those<br />
who qualify. Registration for<br />
the fall <strong>2016</strong>-2017 programs is<br />
now open. Visit the www.artsinactionwv.org<br />
website or the Arts<br />
in Action WV Facebook page to<br />
learn more about Arts in Action.<br />
For more information or to<br />
register, call 304-419-1193 or<br />
email joni@artsinactionwv.org.<br />
— Submitted by Joni Cantrell<br />
Art In Motion <strong>Dance</strong> Academy<br />
Formerly Performing Arts Conservatory<br />
ANNOUNCES FALL TERM<br />
Classes<br />
Offered in:<br />
Pointe, Ballet, Jazz,<br />
Hi-Hop, Tap, Musical<br />
Theater, Modern,<br />
Adult Classes,<br />
Creative Movement,<br />
Creative Drama, and<br />
Mom & Me<br />
Private & Small Group<br />
Classes available upon<br />
request:<br />
Ballroom &<br />
Line Dancing<br />
For more info.<br />
304-541-1584<br />
Email: ArtInMotionAcademy@gmail.com<br />
www.ArtInMotionAcademy.com<br />
Directors/Instructors<br />
Mary I Wuletich<br />
Margaret Wuletich<br />
Catherine Pantuso<br />
Kristie L. Abdalla<br />
Curtis Johnson<br />
Open House/<br />
Registration for<br />
new & returning<br />
students<br />
Tues., Aug. 9th<br />
5:30-8pm<br />
Sun., Aug. 14th<br />
1:00-4:00pm<br />
Boys, Girls &<br />
Adults of All Ages<br />
Classes Begin the<br />
week of Aug. 15th<br />
818 Virginia St E Charleston WV 25301
August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
9G<br />
A FAMILY EXPERIENCE<br />
Third generation ready to take reins at Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio<br />
By Butch Cooper<br />
bcooper@cnpapers.com<br />
304-348-4806<br />
Family has played an important<br />
role in the growth and<br />
success of the Kelle Boggs<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> Studio since its founding<br />
37 years ago.<br />
The Winfield studio’s late<br />
namesake opened shop in 1979.<br />
Her daughter, Deana Boggs-Mc-<br />
Neil, took over the reins more<br />
than a decade ago after helping<br />
her mother teach at the studio<br />
since she was only in junior<br />
high school.<br />
Now, a third generation is<br />
stepping out onto the floor to<br />
take the studio well into the<br />
21st century.<br />
Deana’s youngest daughter,<br />
Cheyenne, is expected to take<br />
the helm of the studio in the<br />
future. Meanwhile, her eldest<br />
daughter, Ashton, helps with<br />
public relations, promoting the<br />
studio on social media.<br />
“It’s enjoyable having the girls<br />
working with me now,” Deana<br />
said.<br />
Both girls grew up in the<br />
studio and began dancing when<br />
they were 2.<br />
“They were raised into it,”<br />
their mother explained.<br />
In addition, Deana’s father,<br />
Bob, handles the accounting<br />
books, and her husband, Eddie,<br />
helps transport props to various<br />
shows, while her brother,<br />
Shawn, announces at the local<br />
events.<br />
“I keep them busy,” Deana<br />
said. “(The girls) are doing their<br />
homework and they’re also<br />
helping me. Business is 24/7.<br />
You’re never home. We love it.”<br />
Ashton is expected to receive<br />
her nursing degree at Marshall<br />
Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio owner Deana Boggs-McNeil, center,<br />
with her daughters Cheyenne, left, and Ashton. Cheyenne is expected<br />
to take over the reins of the company in the future, while<br />
Ashton, who will earn her nursing degree in May, handles the<br />
studio’s public relations. Courtesy photo<br />
University in May and is considering<br />
a further education in law.<br />
Cheyenne was also a nursing<br />
student at Marshall, but it didn’t<br />
take hold, as her interests were<br />
elsewhere.<br />
“She was in nursing school<br />
and she hated it,” Deana explained.<br />
“I tried to say, ‘Hey, lets<br />
try something different,’ but I<br />
could not take that passion of<br />
dance out of her.”<br />
“I was not having it,” Cheyenne<br />
added.<br />
So, Cheyenne transferred<br />
to West Virginia University to<br />
study dance with a minor in<br />
psychology, and she hopes to<br />
obtain a master’s degree in<br />
Business to help her run the<br />
studio.<br />
In addition, she is now studying<br />
at the prestigious Joffrey<br />
Ballet School in New York for<br />
the next three weeks.<br />
“It’s going to be great for the<br />
business. I’ll be able to bring<br />
back what I learned.”<br />
She’ll also be studying hiphop<br />
dance with world-renowned<br />
choreographer Matt Steffanina.<br />
“It’s a very big deal,” Cheyenne<br />
said. “I’m very exciting<br />
about that.”<br />
Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio has<br />
grown over the years.<br />
“When my mom started the<br />
business, she had 30 students,”<br />
Deana said.<br />
Thanks to the growing interest<br />
in dance through reality<br />
shows and such, they now have<br />
more than 250 students studying<br />
everything from ballet to<br />
hip hop to jazz and more. They<br />
travel to Winfield from Elkview<br />
n See BOGGS Page 10<br />
RIVER CITY YOUTH BALLET ENSEMBLE<br />
Visit us at<br />
www.rcyb.org<br />
for<br />
Season Information<br />
Like us on<br />
Facebook<br />
(304) 925-3262<br />
[Grabyourreader’s attention with<br />
a great quote from the document<br />
The Official Youth Ballet of WV
10G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Wuletich opens<br />
new dance studio<br />
Longtime instructor takes over location on Virginia Street<br />
Mary Wuletich has been a<br />
fixture in the Charleston dance<br />
community for more than 40<br />
years.<br />
Wherever she has taught, she<br />
has moved from one location<br />
to the next. However, she has<br />
never strayed far away from her<br />
first studio, which she opened<br />
on Quarrier Street in 1975.<br />
Now, she calls 818 Virginia<br />
St., E. (the former site of the<br />
Charleston Ballet), in the Masonic<br />
Temple Building, her new<br />
home.<br />
Along with a new home<br />
comes a new name: Art in Motion<br />
Academy.<br />
Remaining in the downtown<br />
area was an important factor for<br />
Wuletich when seeking a new<br />
home for her studio.<br />
“My (dance) parents are use<br />
to the downtown area,” she explained.<br />
“What I like about it is<br />
the parking is better than what<br />
we had. That’ll be much easier<br />
for my parents.”<br />
The studio will teach ballet,<br />
tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern and<br />
creative movement. They also<br />
plan on having a creative drama<br />
class for the theater.<br />
In her 40-plus years, she has<br />
taught multiple generations of<br />
students from the same families.<br />
“We’ve had a lot of generational<br />
situations, which is nice,”<br />
she said.<br />
Her daughter, Margaret, is<br />
now helping her with the studio.<br />
Margaret will graduate from<br />
West Virginia University this<br />
spring.<br />
“She co-owns the studio with<br />
me and also helps with the business<br />
end of it,” Wuletich stated.<br />
“She’s excited about helping<br />
me.”<br />
Wuletich is a retired counselor<br />
from Kanawha County<br />
Schools, and also a part-time<br />
therapist at Highland Health<br />
Center. In the future, she hopes<br />
to take that therapy to a new<br />
level by incorporating it on the<br />
dance floor.<br />
“I’m working in getting my<br />
certification in dance therapy,”<br />
she said, noting that it<br />
would combine her dancing<br />
Photo by BUTCH COOPER<br />
A fixture in the Charleston dance community, Mary Wuletich is<br />
opening a new studio at 818 Virginia St., E., in the Masonic Temple<br />
Building in Charleston.<br />
background and knowledge<br />
along with the fact that she’s a<br />
licensed professional counselor.<br />
Art in Motion will start classes<br />
Aug. 15. They will hold open<br />
houses for new and returning<br />
students on Tuesday from 5:30<br />
to 8 p.m. and on Aug. 14 from 1<br />
to 4 p.m.<br />
For more information, call<br />
Mary Wuletich at 304-541-1584.<br />
You can also check out their<br />
new website at www.ArtIn-<br />
MotionAcademy.com or email<br />
them at ArtInMotionAcademy@<br />
gmail.com<br />
JAMS student receives full<br />
scholarship to study in NYC<br />
A Charleston mother writes<br />
about her experiences in the<br />
Big Apple<br />
By Eugenie Taylor<br />
My husband and I have three<br />
children: twin 13-year-old<br />
daughters, Sida and Sophie,<br />
and an 11-year-old son, Charlie.<br />
All are students at John<br />
Adams Middle School.<br />
Like most parents, we describe<br />
our children as all very<br />
different. We are fortunate<br />
that one of our daughters has<br />
danced since she was 3 and<br />
remains committed to the art<br />
of dance, practicing around 15<br />
hours per week.<br />
Her home away from home<br />
is the Academy of Arts at<br />
January’s, where she was just<br />
recently promoted to Company.<br />
Sida has received excellent<br />
training in many disciplines of<br />
dance: ballet, pointe, contemporary,<br />
jazz, modern, tap, hiphop<br />
and more.<br />
The director, January Johnson<br />
Wolfe, has incredible contacts<br />
across the dance world,<br />
and she brings in excellent<br />
instructors for the Summer<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> intensives. It was<br />
during this week last summer<br />
when one of the instructors,<br />
Melanie Person, director of<br />
Ailey School, recognized Sida<br />
and awarded her a full scholarship<br />
to study with the Alvin<br />
Ailey <strong>Dance</strong> School’s Summer<br />
Program, Junior Division.<br />
I would later learn this was<br />
a five-week program held at<br />
the Alvin Ailey <strong>Dance</strong> Theater<br />
in the Midtown section of New<br />
York City.<br />
Of course, we were thrilled<br />
for her accomplishment but<br />
also couldn’t imagine how this<br />
opportunity could become a<br />
reality. I spoke to her supportive<br />
dance instructors, who<br />
Sida Taylor<br />
emphasized what an incredible<br />
opportunity this was for our<br />
daughter. We needed to make<br />
it work.<br />
With research and good<br />
information from former New<br />
Yorkers, I was able to secure<br />
an apartment close to the Ailey<br />
studio. I knew I had a few priorities:<br />
live close to the studio<br />
so we can walk every morning<br />
and have access to a washer<br />
and dryer.<br />
Securing an apartment and<br />
holding onto it proved to be<br />
far more tricky then I would<br />
have predicted. I initially had<br />
an apartment, but the host<br />
canceled it without notice only<br />
a month prior to our arrival.<br />
Another company provided a<br />
more secure process for renting<br />
an apartment sight unseen<br />
for five weeks, and now Sida<br />
and I have a 600-square-foot<br />
apartment on the 14th floor<br />
of a building that is about a<br />
five-minute walk from Ailey.<br />
Sida arrived at the studio<br />
on June 27 for orientation and<br />
assessment. Her days for the<br />
next few weeks consisted of<br />
dancing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
This left us plenty of time<br />
to see some of the sights and<br />
hang out at Central Park.<br />
BOGGS<br />
➡Continued ➡ from Page 9<br />
and Huntington and all points<br />
in between.<br />
“Some of the kids travel an<br />
hour to get here, and they do<br />
that three times a week,” Deana<br />
said. For this reason, they will<br />
be expanding, setting up a second<br />
studio next door, according<br />
to Deana.<br />
“I’ll be able to run one studio<br />
and (Cheyenne) will run the other.<br />
That’s the plan,” Deana said.<br />
“We just have a lot of students.<br />
We’re busting at the seams.”<br />
The studio has had students<br />
go on to college and other dance<br />
squads. In addition, Isabella Alexander,<br />
who is one of the stars<br />
of the comedy series “Fresh Off<br />
the Boat” was a student at the<br />
Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio.<br />
“Regardless of whatever your<br />
goals are with dance, we here<br />
at the studio would love to help<br />
accommodate anyone to reach<br />
those goals,” Ashton stated.<br />
For Ashton, dance has helped<br />
her out with her social skills in<br />
her chosen field in medicine.<br />
“I’m not pursuing a career<br />
in dance,” Ashton said. “However,<br />
with the confidence I<br />
have gained through dance, I<br />
can present myself in front of<br />
patients and I can make presentations.<br />
I have the confidence.<br />
I have the charisma to do that,<br />
and that comes from dance.”<br />
The Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio<br />
now offers spray tans for competitions<br />
and to be stage ready.<br />
Tomorrow, the studio will<br />
hold registration for fall classes<br />
from 1 to 7 p.m. The fall semester<br />
begins Sept. 6.<br />
They also have rolling enrollment<br />
through May.<br />
For more information, you<br />
can call the studio, located at 14<br />
Fourth St. in Winfield, at 304-<br />
586-1708, or go to their website<br />
at kelleboggsdancestudio.com<br />
or check out their Facebook<br />
page, “Kelle Boggs <strong>Dance</strong> Studio,<br />
Inc.”
August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
11G<br />
Kelly’s <strong>Dance</strong> Studio of Cross Lanes<br />
to start 25th recital season next month<br />
‘Girl Power’ empowerment-themed<br />
classes return this fall<br />
By Clint Thomas<br />
cthomas@cnpapers.com<br />
304-348-1232<br />
KELLY Chapman,<br />
the<br />
founder<br />
and director<br />
of Kelly’s<br />
<strong>Dance</strong> Studio of Cross<br />
Lanes, will begin her 25th<br />
recital season of classes<br />
on Tuesday, Sept. 6, the<br />
day after Labor Day.<br />
The Poca resident reflected<br />
recently on the quarter-century<br />
milestone and how it’s been<br />
something of a personal Fountain<br />
of Youth for her.<br />
“I have always had my studio<br />
in Cross Lanes, and I began<br />
my very first year with only 35<br />
students. It was a long building<br />
process. It has gone by so very<br />
quickly that it’s hard to believe<br />
it’s going to be my 25th recital<br />
this year,” she said.<br />
“From that original 35 students,<br />
I was slowly able to build<br />
up a classload of 165 to 180<br />
students [yearly].”<br />
Chapman said she teaches<br />
at least 15 classes weekly, by<br />
herself.<br />
“It’s something I’ve always<br />
done. For the most part, I don’t<br />
notice that I’m getting older.<br />
That’s something I’ve noticed<br />
among dance teachers. If you<br />
continue to always do it, you’re<br />
always going to be able to. My<br />
original teacher, B.J. Fisher,<br />
told me once you stop teaching,<br />
you can’t get back into it -- your<br />
body won’t let you.<br />
“I truly believe that. I have<br />
friends who are dance teachers<br />
and you would not know the<br />
age they are -- or it seems like<br />
that. I believe music and the<br />
physical exercise of dance and<br />
working with children keeps<br />
you young. ... It’s something<br />
with dance teachers -- it keeps<br />
you young at heart.”<br />
Looking back<br />
There are, however, some reality<br />
checks about time passages,<br />
she said, when a daughter<br />
or granddaughter of a former<br />
student enrolls in one of her<br />
classes.<br />
“You feel very honored that<br />
former students want to bring<br />
and entrust their children or<br />
grandchildren to you. It’s a<br />
great feeling. Sometimes, they<br />
look so much like their parent<br />
or grandparent that it’s almost<br />
like stepping back in time and<br />
teaching that little girl again.<br />
“<strong>Dance</strong> teachers are very<br />
lucky,” she said. “We form<br />
bonds with many of our students,<br />
and we are able to be<br />
part of their milestones. This<br />
weekend, I am attending a<br />
wedding of one of my girls that<br />
graduated four years ago and<br />
a baby shower for another that<br />
graduated 10 years ago.<br />
“That’s one of the best rewards<br />
of this job. I know that<br />
Lee Jordan of Lee’s Studio<br />
of <strong>Dance</strong> has students whose<br />
mothers and grandmothers<br />
danced with his studio when it<br />
belonged to his mother. Jamie<br />
Walker, of St. Albans Studio of<br />
<strong>Dance</strong>, is younger than I am,<br />
and she’s starting to experience<br />
girls graduating and leaving<br />
her and having children of their<br />
own.”<br />
Girl power<br />
Chapman teaches girls ballet,<br />
tap and jazz classes at her studio<br />
at 104 Goff Mountain Road<br />
in Cross Lanes. The upcoming<br />
season will feature the return<br />
of a “Girl Power” motif she<br />
introduced into the curriculum<br />
last year.<br />
“It’s really something all of<br />
the girls enjoyed,” she said,<br />
“and it gave me an opportunity<br />
to say, even more than I usually<br />
do to them, ‘You are beautiful<br />
the way you are. Don’t let anyone<br />
tell you otherwise.’<br />
“‘Girl Power’ really resonated<br />
with them. The last one focused<br />
on self-esteem, inner beauty<br />
and compassion. This recital is<br />
taking a different turn; we will<br />
focus on women being strong<br />
and fierce. One of the bigger<br />
dances will feature kind of female<br />
warriors. We want to take<br />
that approach. I’m working on<br />
the semantics of it where I’m at<br />
right now.<br />
“We’ll also be using very<br />
strong songs that I want to use<br />
for our ballet session, songs<br />
that talk about how women<br />
have influence over men and<br />
how women have inspired so<br />
many songs for men to write.<br />
Recent students of Kelly Chapman<br />
at Kelly’s <strong>Dance</strong> Studio of<br />
Cross Lanes include, from left,<br />
Shannon Rumbaugh, Sarah<br />
Evans, Stevi Pritt, Tara Whiteside<br />
and Raven Vance.<br />
While I want to encourage<br />
being fierce, strong and independent,<br />
I also want to soften<br />
that a bit with the fact that we<br />
are female and men fall in love<br />
with us,” she said.<br />
Chapman said this year will<br />
also mark her 39th year of<br />
teaching dance, but she has no<br />
intention of stopping any time<br />
soon.<br />
“I started as a studio assistant<br />
when I was 12. I actually started<br />
dancing at 7. Dancing has<br />
been my whole life.”<br />
Registration for fall classes<br />
gets underway this week. The<br />
studio’s 2017 recital is scheduled<br />
for 6:30 p.m. Saturday,<br />
June 10 at the Charleston Municipal<br />
Auditorium.<br />
More information about<br />
Kelly’s <strong>Dance</strong> Studio of Cross<br />
Lanes is available by calling<br />
304-776-8065 or visiting the<br />
website, kellysdancestudio.<br />
com.<br />
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The Best Training for your “budding” Ballerina
12G August 7, <strong>2016</strong><br />
How to spur kids’ interest in the arts<br />
Art can enrich the lives of<br />
people young and old, male<br />
and female. The arts can<br />
introduce adults and children<br />
to different cultures and<br />
traditions, while also helping<br />
them to develop more fully as<br />
human beings.<br />
While some may feel the<br />
benefits of the arts cannot<br />
be measured, the nonprofit<br />
organization Americans for<br />
the Arts notes that kids who<br />
are involved in the arts are<br />
four times more likely to<br />
be recognized for academic<br />
achievement than kids who<br />
are not involved in the arts.<br />
And though mathematics and<br />
science may not be the first<br />
thing people associate with<br />
the arts, kids involved in the<br />
arts are four times more likely<br />
to participate in math and science<br />
fairs than kids who are<br />
not involved in the arts.<br />
Parents can do a lot to make<br />
art a bigger part of their kids’<br />
lives. The following are some<br />
simple ways parents can bring<br />
more art into their kids’ lives,<br />
courtesy of Americans for the<br />
Arts.<br />
• Join in the fun. Parents<br />
can make art more fun for<br />
kids by playing music around<br />
the house and singing and<br />
dancing alongside their<br />
youngsters. In addition, read a<br />
book to or with your children<br />
and join in when they pursue<br />
other artistic endeavors, such<br />
as drawing or painting.<br />
• Find local events. Many<br />
school districts have slashed<br />
their arts budgets in recent<br />
years, but parents can still<br />
find local arts events for kids<br />
in their communities. Peruse<br />
the local newspaper and other<br />
community-based periodicals<br />
for cultural events for kids.<br />
Support local theater groups<br />
by attending performances<br />
with your children and<br />
explaining to them that the<br />
performers live in the community<br />
just like they do.<br />
• Pitch in with local arts<br />
organizations. Local arts organizations<br />
typically rely on<br />
donations and volunteers to<br />
support their programs.<br />
Parents who want to<br />
instill a love of the arts in<br />
their children can help local<br />
organizations’ fundraising<br />
efforts and even volunteer<br />
their time if the opportunity<br />
presents itself. If possible,<br />
take kids along when volunteering<br />
so they can get some<br />
firsthand experience with<br />
the arts.<br />
• Encourage kids’ artistic<br />
pursuits. Some kids may<br />
decide to pursue artistic<br />
endeavors on their own, and<br />
parents can encourage such<br />
pursuits. Celebrate kids’<br />
participation in arts-based<br />
activities in school and in the<br />
community, recognizing their<br />
hard work in the same way<br />
you would acknowledge their<br />
successes in the classroom<br />
and in sports.<br />
The arts can benefit youngsters in various ways, but it’s often<br />
up to parents to instill a love of the arts in their children.<br />
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Home of Konnor McClain<br />
National Champion<br />
Located in Cross Lanes, Tyler Plaza<br />
913 Cross Lanes Dr.<br />
(Beside Nautilus Fitness Center)